Taylor Nichols, an ER doctor in California, is going viral right now for this 17-tweet thread where he talks about treating a patient covered in Nazi tattoos who was suffering from Covid-19:
He came in by ambulance short of breath. Already on CPAP by EMS. Still, he was clearly working hard to breathe. He looked sick. Uncomfortable. Scared.
As we got him over to the gurney and his shirt off to switch a a hospital gown, we all noticed the number of Nazi tattoos. 1/
— Taylor Nichols, MD (@tnicholsmd) November 30, 2020
You see, Dr. Nichols is Jewish and it’s a multi-racial, multi-cultural team that was treating the Nazi so this thread basically checks every box which is helping propel it across Twitter:
All of us being a team that included a Jewish physician, a Black nurse, and an Asian respiratory therapist.
We all saw. The symbols of hate on his body outwardly and proudly announced his views. We all knew what he thought of us. How he valued our lives. 4/
— Taylor Nichols, MD (@tnicholsmd) November 30, 2020
But Dr. Taylor wants you to know that he’s not doing well mentally right now:
I run through the meds and plan with the nurse and RT. I pause. I see the SS tattoo and think about what he might think about having Jewish physician taking care of him now, or how much he would have cared about my life if the roles were reversed. 16/
— Taylor Nichols, MD (@tnicholsmd) November 30, 2020
And the “pandemic has worn” on him:
For the first time, I recognize that I hesitated, ambivalent.
The pandemic has worn on me, and my mantra isn’t having the same impact in the moment. All this time soldiering on against the headwinds, gladiators in the pit.
And I realize that maybe I’m not ok. End/
— Taylor Nichols, MD (@tnicholsmd) November 30, 2020
We did a quick check of his timeline and it seems he treats quite a few Nazis in this particular ER and he really likes telling people about it.
From February 2019:
Oh, shut it. This isn’t liberal versus conservative. This is about providing compassionate care. We take care of those people too. I’m Jewish. I’ll never forget the first time I did compressions in the chest of a man with a large swastika tattooed over his mid chest.
— Taylor Nichols, MD (@tnicholsmd) February 11, 2019
And from June 2019:
For example, I’m Jewish and I think Nazi ideology and the people who espouse such views are abhorrent. However, I took care of someone with a large swastika tattoo and SS insignia tattooed on his arms just the other day with dignity and respect…
— Taylor Nichols, MD (@tnicholsmd) June 25, 2019
…I’ve done chest compressions immediately over a large swastika tattooed on his chest, nonetheless I worked with a team of clinicians who all provided the best care we were able, his skin head friends still making racist comments. Why? Because that’s what we do.
— Taylor Nichols, MD (@tnicholsmd) June 25, 2019
He’s also called Jewish WH advisor Stephen Miller a “Nazi-sympathizer,” so maybe he’s Nazi-dar is a little off?
Because all those people shouting back that this was never about racism couldn't be wrong, could they?https://t.co/f3YraJA2Jy
— Taylor Nichols, MD (@tnicholsmd) November 18, 2019
Not just racist, but a white nationalist Nazi-sympathizer.
— Taylor Nichols, MD (@tnicholsmd) November 18, 2019
And as for all these claims, color us a little skeptical:
I've been told this is all but the plot of a Grey's Anatomy episode, so yeah….I'm more than a tad skeptical of this. https://t.co/95vQTe4Z3g
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) December 1, 2020
And it really doesn’t matter if it’s true or not at this point. The narrative is set:
This story has gone viral. Who knows if it's true?
We'll never know because he won't ever need to prove it. Media will breathlessly report it as a COVID human interest piece, like so many before it.
The narrative has been set. The truth is irrelevant.https://t.co/951PfMGvdQ https://t.co/8jypSKTH0h
— Ellen Carmichael (@ellencarmichael) November 30, 2020
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