In Peggy McIntosh's article, she talks about how white and or male power is something that is put into our heads from the very start. She has a whole list that describes how she, because she is white, can go about her daily life and "know" that if she gets a ticket, it's not because of her race, that she can buy postcards and dolls that feature her race, that she can buy makeup and bandages that are easily close to her skin color, etc. I think she wants to make it clear that we as white folk have many advantages that come from being white that we may not even think about or consider advantageous.
I agree with McIntosh. I think also, however, that it can be very hard to recognize the advantages of being white when we don't "do" anything to receive them. It is also hard for me personally because I am not at all a racist person, and I do not act or speak in a racist manner, so therefore I don't realize that my being white may put others at a disadvantage.
When we talked about "-isms" with Jennifer in class a few weeks ago, we saw how -isms of all kinds, including racism and classism and sexism, affect the power and outcome of public health and the global and local efforts against HIV/AIDS. Whenever you have a group of higher privilege than another, the campaign and benefits and resources are automatically most available to that group.
I think we must address all systems of oppression, both big and small, for HIV/AIDS, and for all the other reasons too. This world we live in is full resources and help and knowledge, and it is important for all people to have access to these things. It should not matter any more whether you are male or female, young or old, upper class or lower class, black or white or red or yellow. It should not matter, and when it comes to public health and fighting the HIV/AIDS epidemic, we need to reach across these boundaries even more.
Friday, February 27, 2009
Thursday, February 26, 2009
AIDS: Where Did It Come From, and How...
For this blog I will be comparing two theories on how AIDS entered the human race. The two theories are the "hunter" theory and the "conspiracy" theory.
The hunter theory believes that the virus, though simian to begin with, entered a human's body when hunters killed and butchered monkeys for food. The theory is that the virus mutated and adapted to the human's body, and became HIV-1. This theory is supported by the fact that there were several early strains of HIV, which were similar genetically, but not identical.
According to the conspiracy theory, a large percentage of African Americans believe that HIV was developed by the U.S. Government as a biological warfare program against African Americans and homosexuals. Though this theory has not been definitely dis-proven, it also has no significant evidence to support it, and actually ignores information that dis-proves it.
I think the most plausible of these theories is the hunter theory. I understand, especially after learning about the Tuskegee Study, where a lack of mistrust of the government comes from for many African Americans. However, I think evidence clearly supports the hunter theory. I have to say that I do not believe our government, currently, would do the things described by the conspiracy theory.
I think it is important to understand how the virus entered our species so we may know what paths it will take in the future. The more we know about a virus, the better. This is the case even more so because of the huge impact AIDS and HIV have made in this country and around the world.
The hunter theory believes that the virus, though simian to begin with, entered a human's body when hunters killed and butchered monkeys for food. The theory is that the virus mutated and adapted to the human's body, and became HIV-1. This theory is supported by the fact that there were several early strains of HIV, which were similar genetically, but not identical.
According to the conspiracy theory, a large percentage of African Americans believe that HIV was developed by the U.S. Government as a biological warfare program against African Americans and homosexuals. Though this theory has not been definitely dis-proven, it also has no significant evidence to support it, and actually ignores information that dis-proves it.
I think the most plausible of these theories is the hunter theory. I understand, especially after learning about the Tuskegee Study, where a lack of mistrust of the government comes from for many African Americans. However, I think evidence clearly supports the hunter theory. I have to say that I do not believe our government, currently, would do the things described by the conspiracy theory.
I think it is important to understand how the virus entered our species so we may know what paths it will take in the future. The more we know about a virus, the better. This is the case even more so because of the huge impact AIDS and HIV have made in this country and around the world.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
HIV/AIDS: What I know, What I Don't...
I guess I thought I knew a lot about HIV/AIDS... and in some ways, I was right. I know this is a viral infection, and I know it causes the breakdown of a person's immune system. A person infected with HIV/AIDS doesn't die from HIV/AIDS, but from the opportunistic infections that attack the body as a result of the weakened immune system. I know that they believe the virus can be traced back to somewhere in Africa, and that it is a simian disease that jumped species. I know that it is spread through sexual secretions and blood, and that the first population in the U.S. to present this disease was the homosexual male community. I know it was first seen in the U.S. in the early 1980's.
I learned this information from various sources, including the media, school, and my step-father, who is a physician.
I would like to learn more about viruses that jump species. I have read several books about other viruses, such as Ebola and Marburg. These viruses are different from HIV/AIDS because they are transmitted more easily and kill their host very quickly and violently. It would be interesting to see how a virus mutates and evolves in order to survive in a species different from the one it began in.
After watching the video on Wednesday, there were several things that were surprising to me. I was surprised first at the amount of fear I felt while watching the video. Most of the events talked about took place 5 to 3 years before I was born. I can imagine, if the same thing were to happen again, that I would be terrified. Nothing is more frightening than something you don't understand, and it seemed that, for a period, no one understood HIV/AIDS or was able to identify it.
I was also surprised that so many people, especially intravenous drug users and members of the gay community, continued to engage in such risky behavior. Was the news of this new, deadly disease not widespread enough? I cannot imagine being aware of such a disease and who it was primarily affecting, and still going on with my activities as normal.
I hope to learn more about HIV/AIDS and its burn through the human race as we continue in this class. I think it is something we all are aware of, but it still seems so distant and foreign. I, to my knowledge, do not know anyone personally with HIV/AIDS. But we live in such an interconnected world that that shouldn't matter. We are all in this thing together, and I hope for the sake of future generations that we are able to make the situation better.
I learned this information from various sources, including the media, school, and my step-father, who is a physician.
I would like to learn more about viruses that jump species. I have read several books about other viruses, such as Ebola and Marburg. These viruses are different from HIV/AIDS because they are transmitted more easily and kill their host very quickly and violently. It would be interesting to see how a virus mutates and evolves in order to survive in a species different from the one it began in.
After watching the video on Wednesday, there were several things that were surprising to me. I was surprised first at the amount of fear I felt while watching the video. Most of the events talked about took place 5 to 3 years before I was born. I can imagine, if the same thing were to happen again, that I would be terrified. Nothing is more frightening than something you don't understand, and it seemed that, for a period, no one understood HIV/AIDS or was able to identify it.
I was also surprised that so many people, especially intravenous drug users and members of the gay community, continued to engage in such risky behavior. Was the news of this new, deadly disease not widespread enough? I cannot imagine being aware of such a disease and who it was primarily affecting, and still going on with my activities as normal.
I hope to learn more about HIV/AIDS and its burn through the human race as we continue in this class. I think it is something we all are aware of, but it still seems so distant and foreign. I, to my knowledge, do not know anyone personally with HIV/AIDS. But we live in such an interconnected world that that shouldn't matter. We are all in this thing together, and I hope for the sake of future generations that we are able to make the situation better.
STIs: Community, Country, and World
I was unable to attend class on Monday, but I still feel I can write a worthwhile blog on the subject of disparities in the global spread of STIs.
We are extremely privileged to live in the United States of America. There are many, many people who live in poverty-stricken countries who do not have the same resources and access to those resources that we have. As we have discussed in class numerous time, poverty plays a huge role in the populations that are most at risk for contracting STIs.
My "USA perspective" causes me, and others I am sure, to look at STIs as a problem, but not as necessarily seriously harmful or life-threatening. When a United States citizen becomes infected with a bacterial STI, there are several options available. There are clinics, county health departments, and college health services that provide assistance to someone with an STI. For us, treatment is available, and we are able to receive said treatment. Public health officials and teachers also work hard to make sure their is adequate education concerning the risks of STIs. Just the fact that we are well to somewhat educated on the matter gives us a head start compared to a great deal of the world's population.
In many places, this is not the case. Education may not be available, and therefore someone with an STI may be engaging in risky behavior or have an STI and not even know it. If a symptom becomes bad enough that the person is aware something is wrong, there may not be any sort of facility or affordable treatment available. In the United States, I think we see STIs more as a nuisance, and less of a serious issue. (I do not believe this applies to viral STIs, including AIDS/HIV, where there really is no cure, though treatments are more available in the U.S.)
Because of this perspective, I think that often times, we don't realize just how bad things can be outside of the United States. It can be very hard to remove yourself from the comfortable, relatively privileged life we lead.
Some of the same broad causes of disease are present within the United States. If this were not the case, we would have no STIs here. People are still engaging in risky behavior. One thing that comes to mind, however, is prostitution. In the U.S., prostitution is illegal. In many countries, it is either legal, or illegal but loosely monitored. Also, in some underprivileged countries, I think prostitution is seen as the only way for some women to earn a living, and is seen as the only way out. Therefore, these women are "forced" into this type of lifestyle, whereas I think women in the U.S. would be less likely to feel this way. And if we talk of sanitation conditions, I think it is safe to say that the U.S. is very sanitary compared to many countries, and most of its citizens have access to clean water, whereas many people around the world do not.
As long as there are people, there will be disease... that is just the facts. However, certain conditions definitely add to the prevalence of many diseases.
We are extremely privileged to live in the United States of America. There are many, many people who live in poverty-stricken countries who do not have the same resources and access to those resources that we have. As we have discussed in class numerous time, poverty plays a huge role in the populations that are most at risk for contracting STIs.
My "USA perspective" causes me, and others I am sure, to look at STIs as a problem, but not as necessarily seriously harmful or life-threatening. When a United States citizen becomes infected with a bacterial STI, there are several options available. There are clinics, county health departments, and college health services that provide assistance to someone with an STI. For us, treatment is available, and we are able to receive said treatment. Public health officials and teachers also work hard to make sure their is adequate education concerning the risks of STIs. Just the fact that we are well to somewhat educated on the matter gives us a head start compared to a great deal of the world's population.
In many places, this is not the case. Education may not be available, and therefore someone with an STI may be engaging in risky behavior or have an STI and not even know it. If a symptom becomes bad enough that the person is aware something is wrong, there may not be any sort of facility or affordable treatment available. In the United States, I think we see STIs more as a nuisance, and less of a serious issue. (I do not believe this applies to viral STIs, including AIDS/HIV, where there really is no cure, though treatments are more available in the U.S.)
Because of this perspective, I think that often times, we don't realize just how bad things can be outside of the United States. It can be very hard to remove yourself from the comfortable, relatively privileged life we lead.
Some of the same broad causes of disease are present within the United States. If this were not the case, we would have no STIs here. People are still engaging in risky behavior. One thing that comes to mind, however, is prostitution. In the U.S., prostitution is illegal. In many countries, it is either legal, or illegal but loosely monitored. Also, in some underprivileged countries, I think prostitution is seen as the only way for some women to earn a living, and is seen as the only way out. Therefore, these women are "forced" into this type of lifestyle, whereas I think women in the U.S. would be less likely to feel this way. And if we talk of sanitation conditions, I think it is safe to say that the U.S. is very sanitary compared to many countries, and most of its citizens have access to clean water, whereas many people around the world do not.
As long as there are people, there will be disease... that is just the facts. However, certain conditions definitely add to the prevalence of many diseases.
Monday, February 9, 2009
Dr. Evil Gets It Right!
For this blog, I went onto YouTube and simply typed in "std videos." There were several to choose from... since I love the Austin Powers movies, I decided to listen to/watch the video entitled "Dr. Evil STD."
There definitely was some truth conveyed in the song. Dr. Evil sings that "I love S-E-X but I don't want no STDs" and "Give me that Durex 'cause I don't want no STDs." He also sings that "The girl could be sexy or even nice like rice, but she could keep herpes." This is totally true and brings us a sense of the earlier STD posters explaining that even good or nice girls could be infected. Early in the song Dr. Evil also sings that "In this time today it's kinda sticky to be going around without a condom; it's kinda gross." Sexually transmitted infections have existed since humans have, but today, we know how they are transmitted and how to avoid or reduce the likelihood of contracting an infection. Since we are aware of these things, along with statistics, it really is "kinda gross" to be having sex, especially with multiple partners, without a condom.
I wouldn't really say that the song uses fear messages, though Dr. Evil does say that "I don't want something that's sexually transmitted, and then get admitted" and "I don't want to catch something that's gonna make it hard for me to breath." I guess the first section does use fear in a way, because once an infection is contracted, treatment should follow. You may not be admitted to a hospital like you would an insane asylum, but you will need to seek medical attention. The second part, for the most part, is a false message. I don't recall learning about an STI that affects the lungs and makes it hard to breath... please correct me if I am mistaken!
I suppose this song is aiming at our age group (early to mid 20's... fans of Austin Powers like myself) who would relate to the song by way of the movie character, and find it charming and humorous. I think this is an effective way to reach the target audience only because people this age are constantly on YouTube and other sites looking up random videos. I can't say that most people would choose to look up videos about STIs (unless for a class) but I, at least, always manage to stumble along unexpected videos.
I think that the media in general can help to prevent STIs with target audience-friendly methods. At this age, people are so influenced by advertising and the media, whether or not they admit it. Some people may feel that learning about STIs in a classroom is boring and not worth their time. If these same people see some sort of educational piece in the media or other sources, it may hit home easier. I also think that the media and advertising have a way of raising awareness without being too preachy. The song I listened to was funny and the message was clear, and it was done in a clever way so that I didn't feel as though I was reading a textbook.
All in all, I think the media and advertising companies can and should promote awareness and education about STIs through the same covert strategies that they use to make us want to buy products!
There definitely was some truth conveyed in the song. Dr. Evil sings that "I love S-E-X but I don't want no STDs" and "Give me that Durex 'cause I don't want no STDs." He also sings that "The girl could be sexy or even nice like rice, but she could keep herpes." This is totally true and brings us a sense of the earlier STD posters explaining that even good or nice girls could be infected. Early in the song Dr. Evil also sings that "In this time today it's kinda sticky to be going around without a condom; it's kinda gross." Sexually transmitted infections have existed since humans have, but today, we know how they are transmitted and how to avoid or reduce the likelihood of contracting an infection. Since we are aware of these things, along with statistics, it really is "kinda gross" to be having sex, especially with multiple partners, without a condom.
I wouldn't really say that the song uses fear messages, though Dr. Evil does say that "I don't want something that's sexually transmitted, and then get admitted" and "I don't want to catch something that's gonna make it hard for me to breath." I guess the first section does use fear in a way, because once an infection is contracted, treatment should follow. You may not be admitted to a hospital like you would an insane asylum, but you will need to seek medical attention. The second part, for the most part, is a false message. I don't recall learning about an STI that affects the lungs and makes it hard to breath... please correct me if I am mistaken!
I suppose this song is aiming at our age group (early to mid 20's... fans of Austin Powers like myself) who would relate to the song by way of the movie character, and find it charming and humorous. I think this is an effective way to reach the target audience only because people this age are constantly on YouTube and other sites looking up random videos. I can't say that most people would choose to look up videos about STIs (unless for a class) but I, at least, always manage to stumble along unexpected videos.
I think that the media in general can help to prevent STIs with target audience-friendly methods. At this age, people are so influenced by advertising and the media, whether or not they admit it. Some people may feel that learning about STIs in a classroom is boring and not worth their time. If these same people see some sort of educational piece in the media or other sources, it may hit home easier. I also think that the media and advertising have a way of raising awareness without being too preachy. The song I listened to was funny and the message was clear, and it was done in a clever way so that I didn't feel as though I was reading a textbook.
All in all, I think the media and advertising companies can and should promote awareness and education about STIs through the same covert strategies that they use to make us want to buy products!
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