Dear all:

I was thinking about the analogy of doctors with those who are in the position of being 
the "token" and I have to respectfully disagree.  The big difference between a token and a 
doctor is that a "token" is that generally a "token" is someone who comes from a group 
that has not traditionally been allowed to interact with the "group".  

Doctors have power.  They have power over their patient's decisions and as we have 
seen, they have tremendous power in the US to influence the very livelihoods of other 
health care practitioners.  

So, in thinking about doctors as "tokens" on Lactnet, I have to say it is more like my 
working in developing countries.  I suppose one could consider me as a token, but I think 
of myself as a guest who must tread very gently because I am the other that is called 
upon for expert advice and I must listen very carefully and learn from those who live in 
that culture before I make the slightest suggestion.

I have seen too many "tokens" (or "cowboys as we called them --- no offense to any true 
cowboys) coming into developing areas of the world who do not listen to the local 
counterparts only to create disastrous situations on a very large scale.  Because so many 
projects, programs, funds and outside assistance is foisted upon developing areas of the 
world, resentments grow when these tradgedies occur.  Resentments grown even when 
the projects are OK because no one is listening to those who participate in these 
programs.

I cannot tell you how many times I've put my ear to the ground to find out the rumors 
and had to sit and listen to repeated criticisms for programs and projects I had nothing to 
do with.  As a Peace Corps volunteer I listened to complaints about how we were all CIA 
(and found out later the CIA actually does check out every single volunteer at least once 
or twice).  When I went back to Niger having just joined Helen Keller International, I had 
to listen to complaints from the Minister of Health for years about the country 
representative from Helen Keller that had left the organization before I joined.  When I 
went to Madagascar, I had to listen to almost everyone about how the project that had 
hired me as a consultant had goofed up and how the previous consultant hadn't listened to 
anyone.

It would have been foolish for me to consider myself a token and take offence. I 
considered it my job to listen, learn what they needed, and figure out a way for healing 
the rifts and developing a project that would suit their needs, not the needs of the 
"tokens".

So, I respectfully disagree that doctors should consider themselves tokens.  They are in a 
position of power.  Those who are not in a position of power, need a venting mechanism 
and it should be taken as such.

Best regards, Susan Burger

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