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December 19, 2006
What's The Point?
I know I may come off as the world's biggest, coldest bitch here.... BUT...
Whilst flipping channels this morning, I stumbled across Oprah and Bono promoting an initiative called" Red". It sells everyday reasonably priced items and gives the proceeds to pay for AIDS treatment and HIV Anti-retroviral drugs in Africa. Now, I am all for treating the poor kids afflicted with this disease, those children orphaned by AIDS when their HIV+ parents died a wasting death, knowing that they are destined the same fate. I feel terrible for those human beings suffering with this disease daily, trying to live out what life they have as best as they are able.
I wonder how much, if any, of this money is going to educate the adults to stem the spread. Many of these kids may have been born HIV positive.... but it begs the question "Why?". Because the adults and parents, perhaps ignorant of the way AIDS is spread, keep carelessly and haphazardly fucking each other. A blood borne illness is spread pretty much one of two ways... Unprotected sex and IV Needles. Is the Oprah/Bono powerhouse paying for condoms, clean needles and educational materials? How about social workers, who when they carry the triple cocktails to these villages, also take with them a message to fucking stop it from spreading by not doing these things?
It's absofuckinglutely ridiculous to me to keep treating the illness and not stemming the well known and understood cause with education. If the people aren't taking the precaution seriously- then try harder. I heard at one time that certain parts of Africa are believed to be 35-40% HIV positive, and could be as high as 80% within a few years. How long until this uncontrolled spread makes it easy for the virus to mutate and become air-born? Then we will ALL be in a world of shit! As crass as it sounds... someone needs to get the message across to these people, from African cities to the smallest of villages to "STOP FUCKING.... It could kill you, and your family."
Posted by TheFreud at December 19, 2006 7:42 AM
Comments
I read somewhere that the larger problem is the amount of rapes that go on there. Which brings a whole new level of sad to it. Get raped, get pregnant, and apparently, die from AIDS as well. That's horrific.
I also read that research has shown that uncircumsized men actually are at increased risk for AIDS. Alongside safe sex, condoms, etc. they are trying to spread the word to get circumsized as well.
Posted by: Amy at December 20, 2006 5:11 PM
I think there may be some cultural issues that these women deal with, as far as getting a man to put on a rubber. Why not say put it on, or chow down and get the fuck out?
I also think the uncircumcised dick thing sounds like some kind of anti-po' folks propaganda or some b.s. Something's wrong with that theory there because nearly everybody in Europe would have AIDS by now since they're not circumcised and all fucking eachother as well.
Posted by: Jones at December 22, 2006 1:08 AM
I think it's pretty much spread through ignorance.
The people are poor and uneducated and also believe in myths, like sex with a virgin will cure aids. I don't know what kind of access or money they have for condoms if they DO want to use them.
Didn't Bush cut off condoms and other women's health aid in Africa because essentially, it was birth control? And you know, besides abortion, we can't have birth control in a country where babies are being born with aids. Ugh.
Posted by: annie at December 22, 2006 2:15 AM
I think the big key is education. Like Annie said, there are cultural myths they believe & as a result, LOTS of little girls are raped & get AIDS. I'm not sure if you've heard of fistula; it's a condition these girls get from being raped. They have actual fistula hospitals; I believe Oprah funds 1 by herself.
When Sen. Obama was in Africa, he had an AIDS test because the test alone is viewed as a disgrace. The hope is by him doing that & being so public about it, others will follow suit.
I think it's important the spotlight not be taken from this issue until a significant change is seen.
Posted by: jane at December 23, 2006 6:39 AM
sadly and horribly, widespread instance of rape is a massive part of the problem...
i did a great deal of researching all things circumsision when my bebe was born, almost two years ago... i understood that the studies that tie contracting hiv and not being circumsized are seriously flawed. i hope it never becomes mandatory. it's a horrible thing to do to a newborn for no good reason... :(
Posted by: kara at December 26, 2006 11:41 PM
You can't scare me. It is gonna take a lot more than a blog entry to get ME to stop fucking. I'm a guy, it's what we do best(as far as we know). So, until there comes a point when HIV becomes a major problem in the UNITED STATES, I am not going to quit. I have no plans to go out and fuck some bitch who clicks at me and can fit a dinnerplate in her lip. This is not MY problem, and i don't see it becoming one in my lifetime. Thanks for trying Mrs. Freud, but not this time. Out...
Posted by: JPatt at January 4, 2007 2:54 PM
