Abstract
This article discusses the uniqueness of Brazilian social inequality, which produces a structural ‘rabble’ legitimized by a value hierarchy that segregates people into people and sub-people, citizens and sub-citizens; people who must be seen and respected, on the one hand, and people to be disdained, devalued on the other. Subsequently, we discuss how the social inequality scheme is reproduced in public health, which is considered of poor quality and, in practice, contradicts the constitutional precepts pursuant to which the Unified Health System was created, not benefiting the idealized proposal at its core to ensure inclusive, egalitarian citizenship. Finally, we propose reflections about the role social workers play in public health through the provision of direct service to users, especially through educational actions, considering them as an opportunity to work with the ‘rabble,’ aspects that maintain such class exactly in a situation of sub-citizenship and, therefore, receiving inhumane care from public health services.
social inequality; public health; performance of social workers