Thanks for the episode recap. Just to remind folks, George Jefferson himself was pretty much a racist on the show (which adds to, rather than detracts from, the irony/humor of the episode).

I saw a little of All In The Family and The Jeffersons (the spinoff) as a small child in reruns, and as a grownup I can appreciate not only the patriarchal mirror but the damn balls of the shows to do what they did when they did it. We can’t GET this kind of stuff on the air today.

‘remember that episode of the Jeffersons?”

Oh yeah.

Mr. White Racist and Son, LLP/INC., went to the CPR class at the apartment building where Weezy and George lived. George, Weezy and Florence were in the class as well as various racial groups.

The CPR instructor had everyone take turns on the CPR dummy for practice. Mr. Racist did not want to put his mouth on the dummy, after George and Florence took their practice session.

Mr. Racist stormed out of the class, taking his son with him.

Later on that night Mr. Racist had a heart attack, while dining out with his son. (Unbeknownst to Mr. Racist, so was George and Weezy.) Since Mr. Racist’s son left the class with dear old dad, he did not know what to do. Young Massa Racist In-Training cried out: “Help! My dad is having a heart attack! And I don’t know what to do with him since his racist, hateful self took me out of the CPR class and therefore I did not learn anything!) Or something of that effect.

So, George, who went to the CPR class, and passed it with full-colors, reluctantly got up to perform CPR on Mr. Racist. Well, he was kinda still angry over being dissed by Mr. Racist earlier.)

Anyheck, George performed CPR on Mr. Racist, brought him back from the brink of death, and saved the day.

Looking up from the floor where he fell,Mr. Racist saw that George had saved his life. He looked over at his son, and realizing that a black man had saved his life, said to his son: “You should have let me die.”

Anywho, while the paramedics were wheeling Mr. Racist out on the gurney to the hospital, the son, now an enlightened person to the destruction of racist thinking, throws the racist tracts his father was passingout earlier to white people,into the garbage can, and probably vows to free his mind (so his ass will follow) from the pernicious clutches of racism.

While the medical people are taking Mr. Racist to the hospital, George stands there, feeling very down and despaired and says:

“I should have inhaled.”

But, Weezy takes him on home.

Moral of the Story:

You never know who might be in the room who can save your life.
So, when you start choking on that piece of French baguette, and you have loudly and ignorantly proclaimed to the world that you are a racist, and no one comes to your aid, well,you damn well better know how to perform the Heimlich Manuver on your own little ‘ol self.

The rest of the world ain’t having it anymore from your Piltdown Man antideluvian antics.

And unless you know how to perform the self-procedure Heimlich Manuver on yourself, be prepared to choke on that piece of bread.

And keep on choking, until your racism chokes you to death.

The ONLY way I could ever see either scenario playing out in favor of the bigot AND the staff is this way: There is a verbally or even physically abusive patient. Maybe s/he picks on minorities, or women, or people under 30, whatever. As a worker, I’d probably appreciate the management telling the staff that this person had a problem, that it may cause offense, that because of the Hippocratic oath the hospital was treating them anyway, but that the staff has the right to have someone else do the work if they felt uncomfortable or offended. If they wanted to still work with the patient, then that would also be their right (hell, it might be BETTER for the patient). But then at least control wouldn’t be with the patient, but would remain with the staff providing necessary care.

“…but the hospital caved, at least initially, and faced law suits as a result from AA staff.”

Serves ‘em right that they were sued by the AA staff.

Who the hell are you most responsible to in matters of medical competency?

Some racist piece of s++t couple or your own employees?

I vote we go with the respectful (and intelligent, non-litigation sanity) treatment of the staff working at the hospital who know what they are doing.

I mean, hell, the staff had at least 8-10 years of medical schooling, internship/first-year residency.

Who the hell are you going to be afraid of the most?

Racist white couple?

Or AA staff?

“Nurse! Nurse! Get a gurney, and get it stat! We need to transport these creatures out to the back alley behind the wastewater treatment plant where they belong!

“Sorry AA staff. We acknowledge your intelligence, your competency and your feelings.

“Don’t wanna be part of no lawsuit!”