Posted: Mon Nov 21, 2005 4:27 pm Post subject: AIDS and the Western view
Do you think that the reason that there is not more money availible for AIDS and HIV research is that diease is not visable in western countries? In Canada and the USA many people can live relatively normal lives with the virus because of medication that is available, however those same medicines are too expensive for the poorer African countries.
Last edited by capebretoner on Tue Nov 22, 2005 8:59 am; edited 1 time in total
Well, I personally think that if it is in fact the case that there's a shortage of money for HIV/AIDS research/treatment it has a lot to do with the stereotypes associated with the disease - pro·mis·cu·ous men or women, sex trade workers, drug addicts and homosexuals. The everyday Joe has an image of the western infected and that is limited to those seen in tv movies or on film as those with the disease are scared into keeping it a secret and therefore perpetualting our misconceptions that it cannot infect innocents. Otherwise the African pandemic is seen as yet another plague brought upon those living off in the dark regions of the world, the ignorant and uneducated. "We" have little conception of what it is actually like to live in Africa let alone what it must cost to live with a disease there so "our" concerns are maybe not as great, or our care as generous as it would be with say Tsunami relief. The bigger problem isn't with the amount of funding but more with the means through which these funds are distribued in the countries of need - corrupted governments, insufficient regulations around where this money actually goes.
It is true that their are stereotypes associated with AIDS but the fact is that the number of sex trade workers with the diease in places like Thailand are on the decline
When I come across the stats I will post a link here, I read them today but deleted my history
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Posted: Tue Nov 22, 2005 3:23 pm Post subject:
I think alot of it has to do with that the majority of people who have AIDS currently hail from poor African and Asian countrys. People either do not use protection or turn a blind eye to the whole issue. AIDS has become an out of site out of mind thing in western society. There is alot of drugs at the disposal of people now that can prolong someones life for decades now. Its such a change from the 1980s when AIDS was first becomming in the media and the hype and confusion that was around it to find a cure, now its become a non-topic to speak of.
There's a whole racial undertone that probably most people don't notice. Because, as you mentioned, most western people don't have any clue what things are like in "deepest darkest Africa", they are more prone to statistics.
The fact is, there are really very few doctors around, and most of the black Africans in any event prefer their own traditional healers and Sangomas.
So just where in the hell they gather their statistics from is a mystery, considering that most Africans will never see an actual doctor in their lives!
Another racial undertone lies with the rate of spread of the disease. For ages racists have believed that black Africans screw anything that moves, and that they "breed like flies". Fact is, probably only Nigeria has a really large population, but most other African countries have less people than the New York City!
Black Africans are generally far less promiscuous than whites, and tend to marry very early, and stick with the same woman most of their lives, if not till death. For the black muslims, while having a few wives, they nevertheless stick with them, and don't screw around, also having married early. Promiscuity is actually a western phenomenon!
Funny that it was thought that HIV started amongst simians and mutated into a human form. Sounds like the old racist belief that black Africans were not human, but primates themselves, going so far as to even "find" evidence in the bible to prove it! Of course, they would believe that being primates themselves, the virus would be passed on from the simians that the blacks copulated with, since they screw anything that moves, and breed like flies!
I'm sure you are probably quite shocked at reading this, but this is genuinely what radical racists believe. So the notion of all the black Africans literally falling over left, right and center with AIDS is then founded upon what? The racist notion of their alleged promiscuity?
The real problems black Africans face are tuberculosis, and diseases related to water, as well as malaria to a certain extent. But yet there's another funny thing about malaria and the black African. While westerners not used to it will require hospitalization, I've worked with some who just wrap up warm and come to work - much like we would do if we had a bit of flu or a cold.
While they do have larger families (no condoms + married most of their lives = quite a few kids), they also do have a lot more to contend with in order to survive.
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