Poppies & Propofol

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Responding to My Moral Injury
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Dr. Burgart pulls the curtain aside on the House of Medicine, revealing how injustice and politics impact patients—equipping you to discuss complex issues with wit, confidence, and clarity.
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Responding to My Moral Injury

by reading a lot

Alyssa Burgart, MD, MA's avatar
Alyssa Burgart, MD, MA
Nov 09, 2024
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Responding to My Moral Injury
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Earlier today, I wrote an essay at The Moral Injury Clinic about moral injury after this election. I’m trying really, really hard not to lean into the vilification and dismissal of people who voted differently than I did. I’m profoundly concerned by the post-election breakdowns scapegoating specific minority groups of voters.

I’ve been looking to better understand where I can put my energy in the future - when I hope to have more energy. So, I wrote about how the feeling of betrayal in the aftermath of an election hurts.

man sitting on bench reading newspaper
Photo by Roman Kraft on Unsplash

If you, like me, lean into reading and information gathering as a primary coping mechanism, here are a few articles you may also want to read, or at least consider, as you navigate the current political moment.

If you’re still too fragile to dive into all this, you can stop here. It’s ok to not be ready.


On Racism

If you don’t already subscribe to

Mona Eltahawy
’s Feminist Giant - I hope you will.

FEMINIST GIANT
Essay: Why Trump Won
Read also: Dear White Democrats (Free to read…
Read more
6 months ago · 51 likes · 1 comment · Mona Eltahawy

On Gender and Sex

“Misogyny isn’t about hating or discriminating against women because they are women and thus attract suspicion and consternation. Misogyny is about exposing women to harm because our gender makes us beneath full consideration. Misogyny is primarily something we face, not something people feel in their hearts. Having to navigate a world where you can’t get a routine D&C after six weeks or obtain care for an ectopic pregnancy or have to carry a fetus to term as a raped ten year-old girl could hardly be one that is more hostile and hateful to women, girls, and indeed anyone who can get pregnant.” -

Kate Manne
at More to Hate

More to Hate
Broken Bones: America’s Violent Indifference toward Women
“The opposite of love is not hate, but indifference.” ~Elie Wiesel…
Read more
6 months ago · 431 likes · 23 comments · Kate Manne

I read

Jessica Valenti
’s work at Abortion, Every Day regularly to keep up with abortion issues across the country.

Abortion, Every Day
It's Not Okay
I lied to my daughter last night. As I put Layla to bed, I promised her that everything would be okay—even though I knew it wasn’t true. Of course, of course, it’s not okay. But I’m a mom, and my honesty was easily outweighed by my desire to comfort her…
Read more
6 months ago · 1076 likes · 141 comments · Jessica Valenti

I trust

Erin Reed
’s reporting to keep up with the myriad of issues facing trans people’s access to care in this country.

Erin In The Morning
California Announces Special Session To Protect Trans People: Here's How They Could Do It
Read more
6 months ago · 240 likes · 21 comments · Erin Reed

On Liberation and Anti-Fascism

“But we need to remember that most Americans aren’t reading political theory or going about their lives with deeply thought-out political convictions and theories of change. A lot of people have a much more vague sense of their political priorities, and are more motivated by the same things that animate most of us: the desire to have a decent life, be safe, care for their families and retire comfortably.”

-

Joshua P. Hill
of New Means

New Means
Choose your words
Today I want to talk about how we talk to each other. Defeating fascism will take a lot of us. It’ll take a broad left, it’ll take people who are essentially not political (over 100 million people didn’t vote in this election, a number exceeding the vote total of either candidate), and it’ll take liberals. I will be upfront, again, that I think this mom…
Read more
6 months ago · 197 likes · 23 comments · Joshua P. Hill
Toward Liberation
Two Things We Need Now…(Political Education and Each Other)
To start, I hope this message finds you more rested than not! And I hope you have found time and space to grieve and process the election in ways that honor your humanity…
Read more
6 months ago · 2 likes · connease warren

If you want to doomscroll, but want it to be just funny enough to be palatable, check out

S Peter Davis
’s Plato Was A Dick.

Plato Was a Dick
Relax - America Will Probably Just Collapse Now
(Hey everybody, I unlocked this one by accident this week, this was supposed to go out next week but it’s too late now - enjoy…
Read more
6 months ago · 43 likes · 8 comments · S Peter Davis

Protect your peace however you can in the coming days to years….

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Dr. Christine Grady, NIH Bioethics Leader and Consent Expert, “Resassigned” in Purge
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