HA HA HA... Good One!... Not you Hmongs. Laughter, White Privilege, and "Othering" in Medical Cultures
Abstract
The response to alternative medical approaches of underprivileged and underrepresented groups detailed by Anne Fadiman differ from the hegemonic alternative approaches exemplified by Norman Cousins. In The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, Fadiman describes the inadequate efforts made by healthcare professionals to communicate with the Lee family who did not understand English and had significantly different medicinal practices from Western biomedical practices. Rather than being met with respect and attentiveness, these medical professionals viewed this family as “difficult” and “stupid.” In comparison to the various mistreated groups of minorities, the Hmong are a minority within the minority due to their unfamiliar culture to American physicians and proud refusal to assimilate to American practices. This treatment contrasts that of Cousins, who popularized laugh therapy with the book Anatomy of an Illness, in which he documented his recovery from a degenerative collagen disease. He had a trusting, well-established relationship with a physician who gave him freedom to experiment not just with laugh therapy but also with ascorbic acid. Many have argued that laughter therapy was accepted because of laughter’s already positive portrayal in American culture. However, the more alternative approach was his use of unconventional and potentially hazardous doses of ascorbic acid, despite the lack of research into its effectiveness. This was acceptable because of his chemical makeup as a white American man. Cousins’ white privilege gave him free rein to experiment with a dangerous ill-researched medical approach unlike the prejudiced treatment of the Hmong represented in Fadiman’s book.
Faculty Sponsors
Dr. Aileen Farrar
Project Type
Event
Location
Alvin Sherman Library
Start Date
4-6-2022 12:00 PM
End Date
4-7-2022 5:00 PM
HA HA HA... Good One!... Not you Hmongs. Laughter, White Privilege, and "Othering" in Medical Cultures
Alvin Sherman Library
The response to alternative medical approaches of underprivileged and underrepresented groups detailed by Anne Fadiman differ from the hegemonic alternative approaches exemplified by Norman Cousins. In The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, Fadiman describes the inadequate efforts made by healthcare professionals to communicate with the Lee family who did not understand English and had significantly different medicinal practices from Western biomedical practices. Rather than being met with respect and attentiveness, these medical professionals viewed this family as “difficult” and “stupid.” In comparison to the various mistreated groups of minorities, the Hmong are a minority within the minority due to their unfamiliar culture to American physicians and proud refusal to assimilate to American practices. This treatment contrasts that of Cousins, who popularized laugh therapy with the book Anatomy of an Illness, in which he documented his recovery from a degenerative collagen disease. He had a trusting, well-established relationship with a physician who gave him freedom to experiment not just with laugh therapy but also with ascorbic acid. Many have argued that laughter therapy was accepted because of laughter’s already positive portrayal in American culture. However, the more alternative approach was his use of unconventional and potentially hazardous doses of ascorbic acid, despite the lack of research into its effectiveness. This was acceptable because of his chemical makeup as a white American man. Cousins’ white privilege gave him free rein to experiment with a dangerous ill-researched medical approach unlike the prejudiced treatment of the Hmong represented in Fadiman’s book.
