Unfortunately, that's the sensationalist media for you. Even when we get true reporting, we still seldom get accurate reporting; and with the first amendment, no one can even shut them up.
It just pisses me off, y'know? There's kind of this lazy attitude towards HIV infection these days, because people have a vague idea that they can 'take a pill' for it. People in the western world aren't dying daily any more, so people think it's nothing to be worried about. I think what frightens me most is that a lot of heterosexual people's instant reaction after having unprotected sex seems to be 'I need the morning-after pill', not 'I need a sexual health check and an HIV screen'. Honey, a baby is the least of your worries if you're not protecting yourself or your partner.
I think in the Western world, most people still see it as a 'gay disease', and that they can't catch it from hetero sex. Well, newsflash - hetero rates of infection have been rising, while gay infection rates have been holding fairly steady over the last couple of decades. And in the third world, people are primarily contracting HIV from hetero sex, not gay sex. HIV is real and that hot, frantic one-night-stand just isn't worth it, people. Use a fucking
That's the biggest reason why my husband and I -- who theoretically have an open relationship and would even welcome a third party in -- have spent nine years now exclusive: we're both clean, completely clean. Neither of us has even so much as had mono. In this current world the thing that stops both of us from venturing out is the fear that the person we venture out with will be one of those careless individuals, and then where will we be? Both of us, possibly putting the children at risk, and knocking me out of the running for any sort of donor -- and I am every sort of donor now.
It's not anything to play around with, even if it's just crabs or something minor. (I've had headlice, I certainly don't want them anywhere else, and I absolutely don't want to share them with anyone else.)
It sounds from my rant just above that I was venting out at a particular person, and I thought at the time that I wasn't, but thinking about it, I sort of was.
I went to college about six years back with a girl who was, to put it bluntly, a bit dense. She was nice enough, but she always wanted me to help her with her homework, which I would, to an extent, but I wasn't going to write it for her, which is what I think she wanted.
Anyway, one day this girl told me, quite proudly, about how she and a friend had tarted up the night before, got drunk, been picked up by a couple of American sailors, and gone and fucked at their hotel room. When I asked if she'd used a condom, she looked at me like I was an idiot. "I'm on the Pill," she said. No amount of explaining could convince her that the Pill wouldn't stop her getting an infection, or that her actions had been entirely reckless. I gave up, in the end.
With you 100 %! Berlin has also seen an increase in infections. The young ones now never knew the fear of the early years, nor the education campaigns that followed ... Bareback parties are normal again, and openly advertised.
I was part of the organisation team for a couple of HIV/AIDS conferences (did you go to the one in Sydney last year, by any chance?). For the World AIDS conference in Toronto, we had loads of protesters. You know, usually the ones that protest against pharmaceutical companies for not distributing and stuff. We also had a couple of really odd ones claiming that AIDS did not exist ... Um, yeah ...
I think sensationalist protesters are as bad as sensationalist media sources. I don't know what country you're in, but I've worked as an elections official (not a party affiliate, a county poll worker) for twelve years now, and I am still amazed at the rampant ignorance in humanity. One organization was out in February, going around to the different precincts and handing out what amounted to bald-faced lies to the voters. Of course we ran them off from ours, but their damage was already there. People believed them because they were made up of lawyers, paralegals and other such. I wish I could remember their website now so that I could link it.
Yeah, once the damsge is done, it's done. And news like AIDS having been cured will stick, no matter if this information is set right afterwards. Sad, but yes, people are ignorant. I have to admit the 'AIDS doesn't exist' protesters intrigued me. I don't remember the details now, but they too had expert (i.e. medical) proof that they were right. A bit like the pseudo-scientific approach of creationists. Bad thing is, it's actually not all that easy to counter-argue, unless one is a bit of an expert oneself. Maybe I can't find the info again, then I shall link it too :)
I've heard religious fundamentalists claim that AIDS and HIV are "God's punishment on [the gay community]", and that all other STDs are similarly "God's punishment for [extramarital or otherwise non-puritanical] sex". It's not that I think people give God too much credit, but rather I don't think people give the inherent stupidity of humanity enough credit. Like God has to do anything, really. If left to our own devices, we willingly and quite handily do it all ourselves. If you really think about it, occasionally God steps in and undoes the damage on occasion. (see: Mrs. Jannipher Kisakye's story and others like it)
that is reprehensible, dishonest and harmful. AIDS is misunderstood by most and terrifying to all. And if 30% of Franch was dying of it, you better believe we'd be upping our funding, trying to find a cure for it. I can't even talk about this whole thing without yelling at people.
It's irresponsible, and it's totally misleading, and trivialising the suffering of the millions who don't have access to these treatments. It's like saying they don't matter, which is incredibly racist.
The study itself is fine; no problem with it. It's that headline that makes my blood boil, because of the ripple effect it will cause. A new whole wave of people thinking AIDS isn't a big issue any more, and because of that, funding being cut to AIDS charities and research projects, rising infection rates because people think safe sex doesn't matter any more. I'm not exaggerating, it's happening right now. Talk to any HIV charity you like operating in the Western world about how much harder it is to get finding in the 21st century than it was in the '90s
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I think in the Western world, most people still see it as a 'gay disease', and that they can't catch it from hetero sex. Well, newsflash - hetero rates of infection have been rising, while gay infection rates have been holding fairly steady over the last couple of decades. And in the third world, people are primarily contracting HIV from hetero sex, not gay sex. HIV is real and that hot, frantic one-night-stand just isn't worth it, people. Use a fucking
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It's not anything to play around with, even if it's just crabs or something minor. (I've had headlice, I certainly don't want them anywhere else, and I absolutely don't want to share them with anyone else.)
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I went to college about six years back with a girl who was, to put it bluntly, a bit dense. She was nice enough, but she always wanted me to help her with her homework, which I would, to an extent, but I wasn't going to write it for her, which is what I think she wanted.
Anyway, one day this girl told me, quite proudly, about how she and a friend had tarted up the night before, got drunk, been picked up by a couple of American sailors, and gone and fucked at their hotel room. When I asked if she'd used a condom, she looked at me like I was an idiot. "I'm on the Pill," she said. No amount of explaining could convince her that the Pill wouldn't stop her getting an infection, or that her actions had been entirely reckless. I gave up, in the end.
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Berlin has also seen an increase in infections. The young ones now never knew the fear of the early years, nor the education campaigns that followed ... Bareback parties are normal again, and openly advertised.
I was part of the organisation team for a couple of HIV/AIDS conferences (did you go to the one in Sydney last year, by any chance?). For the World AIDS conference in Toronto, we had loads of protesters. You know, usually the ones that protest against pharmaceutical companies for not distributing and stuff. We also had a couple of really odd ones claiming that AIDS did not exist ... Um, yeah ...
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I have to admit the 'AIDS doesn't exist' protesters intrigued me. I don't remember the details now, but they too had expert (i.e. medical) proof that they were right. A bit like the pseudo-scientific approach of creationists. Bad thing is, it's actually not all that easy to counter-argue, unless one is a bit of an expert oneself.
Maybe I can't find the info again, then I shall link it too :)
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simple minds can only deal with simple answers. never mind that the problem/situation itself might not be simple to begin with.
we can only hope for better. world without end.
*more hugs*
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*huffs some more*
*is hugged*
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(The comment has been removed)
It's irresponsible, and it's totally misleading, and trivialising the suffering of the millions who don't have access to these treatments. It's like saying they don't matter, which is incredibly racist.
The study itself is fine; no problem with it. It's that headline that makes my blood boil, because of the ripple effect it will cause. A new whole wave of people thinking AIDS isn't a big issue any more, and because of that, funding being cut to AIDS charities and research projects, rising infection rates because people think safe sex doesn't matter any more. I'm not exaggerating, it's happening right now. Talk to any HIV charity you like operating in the Western world about how much harder it is to get finding in the 21st century than it was in the '90s ( ... )
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