Spoilers The Pitt Season 2 Discussion

[Umbran]

I think you misunderstand the difference between consciously targeting someone and not being aware that one’s behavior is sexist.

Well, let me ask you a question - do you think is it possible for a man to have a clash with a woman that isn't driven by his sexism?

If you don't feel that's possible, then the discussion ends there, I think.

If you do believe it is possible - what, in these cases, indicates to you that these are driven by his sexism, and not anything else?

 

[VashVet]

Well, let me ask you a question - do you think is it possible for a man to have a clash with a woman that isn't driven by sexism?

If you don't feel that's possible, then the discussion ends there, I think.

If you do believe it is possible - what, in these cases, indicates to you that they are driven by his sexism, and not anything else?

Sure, it’s possible.

Why I think this is not what’s happening here:

He’s already showed he was willing to defend a teenage boy because he felt he was misjudged even though there was evidence that he was thinking of harming girls in his class. I think McKay addressed the implications for women in the show very adeptly; Robby simply disagreed. His need to protect one boy outweighed the danger posed to several girls. So the writers made the case for why women feel unsafe and unheard in situations like this, and chose to write Robby’s character as the counterpoint to it. The point is, however, sexism in medicine and as it relates to people in danger is very much on the table in this show.

He has clashed with Mohan repeatedly despite other characters frequently commending her for the same things he’s criticized her for such as her bedside manner helping catch undiagnosed or misdiagnosed illnesses. He came down on her for her panic attack - no, I don’t think he would’ve just done that to anyone. He came down on her for a misdiagnosis that Ogilvie makes.

And finally, there’s the fight with Al-Hashimi. She has a medical opinion from a neurologist who has said she can continue to practice. Robby disagrees but also ignores his own unhandled suicidal thoughts that can also equally lead to a lack of focus and a bad medical decision. Again, it’s not for nothing that it was part of the actress’s motivation for that scene: In her own words speaking about it: (from the Parade article I linked to earlier)

I’ve heard from countless women in medicine about these sorts of barriers that they have to overcome and the resistance the push down from higher-level men. And kudos to the team for being, you know, willing to explore this real dynamic that’s reflected across our system.

So it’s not just an imagined happenstance. It’s real subtext acted out by Sepideh Moafi in that scene.