NBC's medical drama New Amsterdam goes viral for woke episode where patient develops a tumor because of 'internalized racism'

NBC's medical drama New Amsterdam has been ripped to shreds for a woke episode in which a patient develops a tumor from 'internalized racism.'

The drama series, which concluded in January 2023, gained renewed attention this week after an X user posted a clip from a 2020 episode in which a teenager is diagnosed with tumors.

In the clip, a psychiatrist on the show can be seen approaching the boy's mother and telling her he had the teen answer some questions from a group called UNREST, which he said were 'designed to measure someone's level of social resistance.

'Your son feels threatened on a daily basis, like everything he's earned can be taken away. He's disenfranchised,' the psychiatrist says.

'But because his life is seemingly free from all this, because he can't name it, he's internalizing it.'

When the mother seems confused, the psychiatrist says: 'Racism - I think your son's tumor was caused by racism.'

A clip from the NBC medical drama New Amsterdam went viral this week, showing a psychiatrist telling a mother her son developed tumors because of internalized racism

The episode appeared to be referencing an actual questionnaire by the group UNREST, which developed a 'social resistance framework.'

It 'suggests that power relations within society may encourage members of non-dominant minority groups to actively engage in acts of everyday resistance, which may include risky and unhealthy behaviors.'

A 2019 study from scientists from the University of Southern California and University of California at Los Angeles also determined that African-Americans had higher levels of inflammatory molecules than their white counterparts. 

'While the episode is ludicrous, the fact that these are actual college reports is even crazier,' one Reddit user wrote as the clip went viral.

Another wrote that the clip 'gave me second-hand stupid,' while third seemed surprised that it was not from a Saturday Night Live skit. 

The episode appeared to be referencing actual academic studies

Many online found the premise ludicrous and slammed NBC for airing the episode

Radio show host Billy Moses was also apparently astounded by the clip.

'Wow, I'm surprised they didn't go straight to "Your son has AIDS because he's transphobic",' he wrote.

Meanwhile, Tim Young said the diagnosis is 'not a stretch for the same company who continues to employ Joy Reid.

'Hollywood is mentally ill,' he wrote.

Some also suggested the episode was 'social programming' and convinced Americans racism could cause cancer

Others suggested the television drama was trying to send a message with the episode.

'This is social programming,' podcaster Rob Coates posted.

'We may laugh at this, but your HR department and school principal watches [and] takes this seriously.

'This is heavy stuff,' he said.

Another X account, called Based Latinos, agreed.

'The sad thing is, people watch woke shows like this and believe tumors caused by racism are actually possible,' it posted.

'Shame on New Amsterdam for this absurd race-baiting fantasy.'

DailyMail.com has reached out to NBC Universal for comment.