2 chapters across the catalog
A report from Harvard University's Hutchins Center for African and African American Research reveals a long history of white supremacy being taught in American public education. Special correspondent Joey Chen highlights how historical figures like Ralph Waldo Emerson, Walt Whitman, and Noah Webster used language that dismissed people of African descent. The study suggests that despite claims of anti-whiteness in schools, textbooks have historically reinforced racial hierarchies.
The segment defines the "nocebo effect"— the dark counterpart to the placebo effect—where negative expectations cause real physical symptoms. Examples include patients in clinical trials dropping out due to side effects they were merely warned about, and men developing erectile dysfunction after being told a drug might cause it. Ted Kapchuk of Harvard University suggests that the ritual of medical care and the trust in a caregiver are more influential than the medicine itself.
