#113: Normative errors—a conversation with my daughter about current events
Dr. Peter Attia and his daughter Olivia discuss the death of George Floyd, exploring how a framework of medical errors (technical, judgment, and normative) can be applied to understand and address systemic racism and accountability within law enforcement.
Deep Dive Analysis
15 Topic Outline
Initial Reflections on George Floyd's Death and Personal Struggle
Olivia's Perspective and Questions on Racial Injustice
Historical Context of Systemic Racism in the U.S.
Personal Experience with Racial Profiling
The Significance of Video Evidence in Documenting Injustice
Disparate Treatment of White and Black Individuals by Law Enforcement
The Necessity of a Zero-Tolerance Policy in Law Enforcement
Introducing the Medical Error Framework: Technical, Judgment, and Normative Errors
Defining and Discussing Technical Errors in Medicine
Defining and Discussing Judgment Errors in Medicine
Defining and Discussing Normative Errors in Medicine
Applying the Normative Error Framework to Racism in Policing
The Importance of Identifying and Removing Individuals Who Commit Normative Errors
Productive Approaches to Combating Systemic Racism and Police Brutality
Observations on the Lack of Discussion of Current Events in Schools
4 Key Concepts
Systemic Racism
Systemic racism refers to the deeply ingrained historical and societal structures that produce and perpetuate racial discrimination. It explains why interactions with law enforcement and the criminal justice system can be vastly different for Black individuals compared to white individuals, extending beyond individual acts of prejudice.
Technical Mistakes (in medicine)
These are errors where a medical professional intends to perform a procedure correctly but makes a mistake in execution, such as cutting too much or too little during surgery. These errors are forgivable provided the individual immediately owns the mistake, does not cover it up, and learns from it to prevent recurrence.
Judgment Mistakes (in medicine)
These errors involve making incorrect decisions about a patient's care, such as whether to operate, change medication, or admit a patient. Like technical errors, they are forgivable if the individual takes responsibility for their actions and demonstrates learning from the mistake to improve future judgment.
Normative Mistakes (in medicine)
These are errors of character, involving actions like lying, covering up mistakes, or prioritizing personal interests (e.g., financial gain) over a patient's well-being. Unlike technical and judgment errors, normative mistakes are considered unacceptable and should lead to immediate removal from medical practice and training programs.
5 Questions Answered
It's confusing because it highlights the injustice of people being judged and harmed based on skin color, a concept that seems illogical and unfair to them.
Systemic racism refers to the ingrained historical and societal structures that produce and perpetuate racial discrimination, leading to vastly different interactions with systems like law enforcement for Black individuals compared to white individuals.
While some argue it's a small percentage, the episode suggests that law enforcement, like other high-stakes professions, requires a zero-tolerance policy for such behavior, as even a small percentage of 'horrible' individuals is unacceptable.
The framework distinguishes between forgivable technical and judgment errors (if owned and learned from) and unforgivable normative errors (errors of character like lying or racism), suggesting that racism in law enforcement should be treated as a normative error leading to immediate removal from the profession.
Productive actions include engaging in political change, voting out officials who tolerate racism, and actively working to change the system, rather than just rioting or symbolic gestures, as highlighted by Killer Mike.
13 Actionable Insights
1. Treat Racism as Normative Error
Identify racism, even in its smallest forms, as a normative error that requires zero tolerance, similar to how character flaws are handled in medical training. This approach aims to prevent the escalation of racist behavior by addressing it early and decisively.
2. Remove Normative Error Perpetrators
Implement a system that immediately identifies normative errors (errors of character like lying or self-interest over patient interest) and removes those individuals from the profession entirely, not just from a specific program. This prevents them from continuing to make bigger mistakes in the field.
3. Demand Zero Tolerance for Racism
In professions like law enforcement, where stakes are extremely high, adopt a zero-tolerance policy for racist behavior. This means not tolerating even a small percentage of ‘horrible’ individuals, as their actions can have catastrophic consequences.
4. Engage in Political System Change
Focus efforts on political action, such as voting out individuals who enable the proliferation of racism within systems, rather than resorting to rioting or purely symbolic gestures. This is presented as a productive way to change the system.
5. Own and Learn from Mistakes
When technical or judgment errors occur, immediately own the mistake, never try to cover it up, and actively learn from it to avoid repeating the same error. This is crucial for personal and professional improvement.
6. Understand Systemic Racism
Recognize that racism is not just about individual prejudice but is deeply embedded in historical and societal structures. A deeper understanding of this systemic nature is essential for addressing its root causes.
7. Discuss Difficult Topics with Children
Engage in open conversations with children about complex and upsetting current events, even when you don’t have all the answers. This helps them understand what’s happening and process their feelings.
8. Leverage Personal Expertise
When confronting complex societal issues, contribute by speaking to areas where you possess genuine knowledge or a unique framework. This allows for more informed and valuable contributions.
9. Develop Self-Policing Systems
Advocate for and implement self-policing mechanisms within professions to address internal issues like racism. This is important because most systems don’t naturally police themselves, but it’s crucial for accountability.
10. Seek Diverse Information Sources
Actively look up information and read articles from various sources to understand complex events, rather than relying solely on social media. This helps form a more complete and accurate picture.
11. Acknowledge Personal Discrimination Experiences
Share personal experiences of discrimination or racial profiling to illustrate the reality and impact of such issues, even if they are a fraction of what others face. This can foster understanding and empathy.
12. Engage in Digital Social Activism
Participate in online expressions of support for social movements, such as sending ‘Black Lives Matter’ messages or symbolic emojis. This shows solidarity and raises awareness among peers.
13. Advocate for Current Event Education
Encourage and advocate for formal discussions about current events and politics in educational settings. This helps students gain a deeper understanding of societal issues that are often overlooked in traditional curricula.
6 Key Quotes
Would people judge you about the color of your eyes? Like, what's the difference with skin color?
Olivia
That's like one, one millionth of the type of racial profiling and racial discrimination that is experienced by black people in the United States.
Peter Attia
The reason we know about this, Olivia, is it's caught on video. Yeah. There can be so many other people just like this that we don't know about.
Peter Attia
Would you want to fly on airplanes where 99% of the pilots were good and 1% were horrible? No, you wouldn't because that 1% could make a difference that they're horrible.
Peter Attia
If a person commits a normative error and they are kicked out of one program only to be picked up by another program, that hasn't really solved the problem.
Peter Attia
It's one thing to say we may never completely eradicate racism. It's quite another thing to say we're going to tolerate racist police officers.
Peter Attia