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When a person goes to a medical institution, they expect to be treated equally as others, they expect to be heard and provided a solution. Unfortunately, that’s not how it works all the time and patients get disappointed with their healthcare providers.

The reasons can vary: it could be that the healthcare worker has a personal problem with a patient, maybe they worked 24 hours in a row and just want to be finished with their shift, or they don’t devote themselves to their job as much anymore because they’re burnt out.

There are obviously a lot of issues in the medical field that both patients and healthcare professionals have to deal with. And Twitter user @DrBryanLeyva wanted to know what people feel is the problem that is the worst in their eyes. Bryan asked, “What should we denormalize in healthcare?” and people had so much to say.

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Image credits: DrBryanLeyva

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Image credits: Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

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#1

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Jenn Ryan
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It took me until my early 30's to find an OB/GYN who would sterilize me. I have known since I was a kid that I don't want children. I have horrible side affects from birth control, so that wasn't an option. It is absolutely ridiculous.

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Bryan Leyva is a Doctor of Medicine who went to Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University and now he is a public health researcher at the University of Minnesota. Bryan focuses his research on “the behavioral and social determinants of health; b) racial and socioeconomic health disparities; c) models, measures, and strategies to improve quality and equity in health care.”

#3

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Nikki Sevven
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

"Psychosomatic" isn't an insult. It means "(of a physical illness or other condition) caused or aggravated by a mental factor such as internal conflict or stress." Anxiety and depression can cause physical symptoms to worsen, and it's necessary to point that out clinically in order to properly treat a patient.

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He wanted to hear the vox populi and asked “What should we denormalize in healthcare?” which essentially means, what are the biggest problems in the healthcare system that bother people the most.

Both people who were patients and medical professionals joined the conversation and a lot of issues surfaced. Some pointed out that racial and sexual discrimination or applying stereotypes still are existing problems that prevent doctors from giving quality service.

#4

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Robert T
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2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is no joke. When I was on chemo, they used start it of an evening, and well 4 or 5 bags of fluid has to go somewhere, so I was up all night peeing. You can therefore imagine my delight when someone comes round offering you breakfast at 7.30 in the morning! I won't complain too much though, as I owe my life to them and the care they gave me.

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#5

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Vicky Z
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Exactly!!! When a 15 year old is telling you while crying that her quality of life is so bad that she prefers to get rid of everything inside her or to die you don't f*****g tell her that it's normal and you better get used to it cause it's going to be like that for the next 30-40 years!!! (Real dialogue with my first ob!)

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#6

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J Rob
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I was at university and broke my pinky finger during the night. I went to Student health first thing in the morning when they opened. They put me in an exam room to wait for next available. I sat in the room for four hours. I thought things were getting very quite. I walked down hallway and everyone had gone to lunch except one attendant at the front desk. He asked me what I was doing! Not a happy day.

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#7

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Vicky Z
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

What's interesting is that noone is asking a pregnant woman if she is sure she wants to keep it cause she might regret it later! It's very possible that there is regret in both situations!

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Others were pointing to the absurd amounts of money they have to pay in order to get the help they need. There were a quite significant number of people who thought that doctors will not believe how much pain patients, especially women, are in.

Miscommunication was also brought up as doctors will not try to explain conditions and illnesses to their patients in a language they would understand.

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#9

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Robert T
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2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is sadly one of the drawbacks of the NHS. The healthcare might be free, but it often involves a fair bit of waiting around, meaning more time off work, and if you have driven the to the hospital it can also mean increased parking charges if they are running late. I think we need to start an awareness campaign with fake invoices "if this had been America, this is what you would'be been charged". People might appreciate them more.

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Medical professionals themselves were mentioning burnout and long shifts as well as disrespect among colleagues. So both sides see problems that need to be fixed and every issue that has been mentioned has to be dealt with individually as there is no one solution that would fit all challenges, so maybe that is why it is so difficult to change the situation. 

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#11

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Caro Caro
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My mum was discharged from hospital with meds and wound care supplies. A specialist comes every other day to take care of her wound.

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Zozo🤟
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I got really tired of being called a healthy young woman until I realized that they were saying that I wasn’t fat or underweight.

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Vicky Z
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Or normal because you are a woman and you are supposed to feel like s**t all the time

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Medical professionals are a crucial part of our society as they contain the knowledge of how to heal and survive when you are literally in the process of stepping into a coffin. But if they can't provide the care people need, it is really concerning and admitting that there are problems is already progress towards finding a solution.

So what would you answer to Bryan’s question? Let us know in the comments and also show us what tweets you agree with the most by upvoting them!

#15

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Jo Johannsen
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

When you can hear the nursing staff making jokes about you from outside your room in the emergency department. Guys, I am fat, not stupid and deaf.

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Robert T
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Stop pussy footing around. Make healthcase a universal right which is free to everyone.

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Lauren Caswell
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Ding ding Ding! Anxiety disorder, female, told my crippling pain must be stomach bug, twice turned away from hospital. Third time I went back i was really bad, and it caused a huge amount of surgeries that may have been avoided. I mean jeez if I'm saying it's only one notch below childbirth, pls listen. Anxious doesn't always mean wrong.

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Marie
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

As a person with several conditions that CAUSE weight gain as a side effect, I'm still classified as obese even as I know that if I wasn't watching every carb (dibeties 2) every cup of water or how much iron I eat(PCOS)(anemia) , or keep up with daily walks (arthritis), I could easily be 300lbs. So being 40lb overweight is NOT the issue.

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Joanna
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

YES! I'm always wary of a workplace that encourages self-care - they're basically setting themselves up to blame you when they work you to death.

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Pille P
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Or especially due to corona not letting the parents accompany a baby to hospital. Or the opposite, not letting a breastfed baby accompany mom to hospital and telling moms to stop breastfeeding.

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#22

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Kookamunga
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Well, I believe it depends on what kind of doctor you are there to see and what your medical issue is. I was told at the Ophthalmologist to put my clothes back on. The mammogram lady said I could've kept my pants on. It's very confusing.

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#23

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BluEyedSeoulite
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Over specialization is an issue for us in Korea. It seems like each specialist only knows about their specialty and nothing about general health or anything related to their field. My husband has bad allergies and weird sinus structure. Not one sinus doctor has offered allergy meds, they just want to do surgery. Finally saw an allergist, still no meds but wants to do expensive immunotherapy to "cure" his moderate allergies for the low cost of $800/year AND getting rid of our pets. Seems like a daily pill would be a lot cheaper...

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#24

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Kookamunga
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Gina seems misinformed. Kidneys? Nephrology. Brain issues? Neurology. Cancer? Oncology, etc. There's not exactly a Geriatric One-Stop-Shopping Center for specialists. It would be great if there was, though.

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Robert T
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Clinical language is used because it is unambiguous, but it really doesn't help the patient. Good doctors will take the time to explain things to the patient (I appreciate that they may not always have time for this).

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#27

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Riley Quinn
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This attitude probably has its roots in some toxic masculinity initiation thing. Rarely do I hear women bragging about their burnout schedule, but it's bragging rights for some men. Very dangerous bragging rights.

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White Paper Tsuru
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My hospital calls it "failure to thrive". I like that better. Means, might be surviving, but quality of life could be improved if we can find the source of what's slowing you down/troubling you. And maybe we can help you be more you with some supports.

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Vicky Z
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2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I don't get what he means.... the term is quite specific in med books and it's a phrase that is used a lot when you are studying the patient's everyday life! Does he mean they use it wrong?

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Rissie
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Don't make it politically correct, please. It's meant to describe an issue that was present in utero and that will make life in this world a little challenging. In that sense it's a defective property. A birth defect doesn't describe the whole person, just a tiny part of someone. Don't sugar coat things.

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NoneYa41
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

people don't magically know others' pronouns. it's not like they have signs on their shirts.

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Monday
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Exactly. If I see someone who looks like a woman I'm going to address them as "she" or "her". If that person then tells me "actually I'm a guy, I'm just stuck in the wrong body", I'll apologize and address them as "him" or "he" or "they" or "them" or whatever this particular person prefers. But the fact is this doesn't happen frequently enough for my language usage to actually change.

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Rissie
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Oh go huck yourself. The one place where your gender is very, very important you can deal with it.

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Theoretical Empiricist
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Indeed - a person's sex can make a huge difference in differential diagnosis, lab normal ranges, appropriate drug doses, and so on.

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snipergun
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2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If your doctor is not your close friend it's stupid to expect them to address you by some of the special new terms. No matter how many times you say that, they probably saw 10 patients within hour before you and countless number of different specialists, nurses, calls, etc. So, forget it. I assume they check when they pull up your record what is your official gender on your id/insurance record. If there is male/female you can be unicorn, but you're either male unicorn or female unicorn, done. If there's anything else, lucky you, doctor should excuse themselves if they are not used to that language and focus on... I don't know... Medicine???

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Marie
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

English uses pronouns, people who want one used need to say so, they should NOT assume a stranger is supposed to guess. Medically, a Dr needs to know what physical parts they are dealing with not what gender a person wants to be. (Yes it is a ingrained and unchangable personal desire, not a DNA based physical one which is what the Dr cares about).

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Tobias Rieper
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I agree there are some treatments that will only work based on a persons biological sex i fully support someones right to be referred to how they want but it can put lives in danger if you get the wrong treatment because you say your male but your biological sex is female for example

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Tres D
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Because that's how it's been done for thousands of years by normal common sense people. How about not getting all worked up because someone assumed you are what you look like!

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Cass Malone
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Everything on this list except this one. Look, I get the thought but it's not reasonable. The bodies of someone born male and someone born female are different and people need to know for medical reasons what your sex at birth was.

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Dave
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This one is utter bullshit. If a person looks like a male, I will use the said pronoun, if they look like a female, again, she is a girl/woman for me unless otherwise corrected by them. If they do it in a normal way, no problem. If they do it in the "I am offended because you cannot read my mind after never seeing me before this time" way, then they can go f**k themselves. I do not do privilaged woke bullshit and it does not excuse the pretentious "I am offended" attitude in any shape or form.

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White Paper Tsuru
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Ummm in direct conversation I think people should just say 'can I call you 'John' 'Mary' whatever the given name is which is what I've was taught to do 15 years ago. When not in direct conversation I'm not sure I understand how the pronoun used affects the patient. Also, work with a lot of English second language nurses who don't have 'he/she' in their original vocabulary and constantly mix up the terms when referring to patients in report. I've learned to just go by name, and usually just the last name with no suffix. "Smith in 324 bed 2 with the hip." It's a bit impersonal, but it means the correct information is being shared about the correct person.

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Victoria Pitt
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

::Eye roll:: This sounds more like a personal issue. If I'm in need of medical treatment, the doctor can refer to me as a banana for all I care, as long as they help me with my ailment.

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lenka
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Unless you say otherwise, how are we supposed to assign pronouns? You see a patient in the waiting room... they present as female so you call them she, her, whether they are transgender or not. It is absolutely your personal right to tell people your personal pronouns and have others respect that - but people and doctors are not mind readers. It's the doctors job to treat your health and/or physical condition, not to concern themselves with your gender identity (unless that is related to your treatment).

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White Paper Tsuru
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Also. I don't assign based on appearance but based on the little letter beside their age on their chart. If I get it wrong based on preferences then it's your job to correct me.

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Brian Bennett
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Too bad e can't do this to doctors there are more pronouns than he or she!

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Something
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Neutral pronouns should be used for everyone by default.

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ZAPanda
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Imagine trying to persuade the germans and french about this. ;-) (humour).

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Enby.Minecraft.Bee.
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2 years ago

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I had to go to the doctor around a year ago and he called me a She. I asked politely if he could use my pronouns (They/Them) and he just ignored me and kept using She. Im not going back ever again :)

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snipergun
Community Member
2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

They / them? I'm sorry I would also be unable to do so with no intention to insult you or disrespect you (? Is "you" allowed)? And what if "he" did not go by he but was politely silent to not to bother you, seeing him once in a while... I'm sorry, I'm not trying to make it less important. But my doctor can't even pronounce my name, if I was picky I'd have to go back to my country and a lot of doctors would still have issue with my name so... Maybe you could forgive people who are not in daily contact with you such mistake. Not everyone does it to hurt or disrespect you.

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