INTE 398 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Oral Candidiasis, The New York Times, Innocent Victim
5 May 2018
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Department
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Ffar 291/Inte 398 – Intro HIV Class
Lesson 4
4.1 Introduction Video
-go back and think about what it was like when ppl just learning about HIV
-how learned about it initially and how understood it
-how addressed or didn't address the existence of this new health threat
-how diff regions and gvt initially reacted
-what HIV/AIDS represented for diff grps of ppl
-how that convo dev and shifted over time
4.2 Initial Reports Lecture
-1981 - first official public mainstream mention of what we understand now to be HIV/AIDS
-Article buried in NY Times - was the first headline and accessible media mention of HIV
-Rare cancer seen in 41 homosexuals* - title
-what did it feel for them to read this (esp for a gay man) in 1981
-see mention of rare cancer
-the first 41 gay men diagnosed in NY and Cali
-basically the 2 largest concentrations of gay men
-couple dozens of cases of a rare form of cancer
-until this time, only been seen in middle aged eastern european men so extremely
unusual to suddenly show up in relatively young healthy men
-ONLY connections is that gay
-ppl diagnosed died very quickly after diagnosed (extremely short prognosis and short
prob of living after diagnosed bc person quite sick to sought med care)
-now its very advanced case of HIV
-we know cancer isn't contagious
*1983 - before docs understood that this pattern was related to virus as opposed
to bacteria or env factor that exposed to or any other triggers AND that the virus is
TRANSMISSIBLE and how it is transmissible
-how responded would depend on many things
-rare cancer seen in 41 gays - presued that o gay ppl ould’t ee pay
attention to this report
-soe gay e ight hae ee oered BUT other sayig that do’t lie i that
regio so does’t oer this
-this small article would not have the impact that 4-5 yrs later HIV did in media
-this is how things first discussed
-Stephanie Nolen
-reporter that for long, located in Africa and dealing in large part q's on HIV
-saying that these particular cases in US were remarkable bc unusual
-generally healthy pop coming up w illness
-in Uganda, long time before this, large numbers of previously healthy ppl getting
tuberculosis, recurrent diarrhea, oral thrush
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
-NONE of them responding to treatment
-unusual symptoms and set markers that havent been seen before
-but NO ONE responded in the same way bc assumption always that a lot of
probs of getting adequate nutrition, clean water, lot of transmissible
infections in these areas
*so NOT unusual for ppl from these regions/contexts to demo symptoms
and illness so did NOT raise same alarm bells
*who you identify as getting sick has lot to do w who are u paying attention to, what are
your expectations
-even first few gay men in US prob also simultaneous to that, cases amongst IV
drug users BUT the health expectations of IV drug users that no stable house, food
supply or NOT expected to be healthy - if THAT grp manifest tuberculosis, etc - that
would NOT being considered remarkable
*ppl that NOT expected to get sick get sick so that is what makes it
remarkable
4.3 Vito Russo - Why We Fight
-Albany, NY - May 1988
-LGBT activist, film historian, most well remembered for book he wrote called the Celluloid
Closet (1981) where reported bout gay and lesbian life
-leader for willingness to bringing LGBT at forefront
-became HIV activist - defending rights w ppl living w HIV
-this clip recorded as demo in 1988, 2 yrs before he passed away
*about his experience as gay man living w HIV
-shift in pov - from mainstream focus to someone that considered to be on the
outside PLUS his experience w the media in those early yrs
-someone said that had disability (AIDS) and then attendant said that he doesn't or else he
would be home dying
-Russo wants to speak out as person w AIDS that is not dying
-since diagnosed, fam thinks 2 things about the situation (they are WRONG for both)
-they think he's gonna die
-think that gvt is doing everything in their power to stop that
-if dying, dying from homophobia, racism, indifference, prison of US, sensationalism of
newspapers/magazines that only interested in him as long as helpless victim but now he's
fighting for his life
-these things preventing ends to crisis
-dying for fact that not enough healthy gay men got AIDS for anyone to give a shit
-living w AIDS - like more time goes, more ppl dying but no one notices
-no one else seems to be noticing cries for help
-worse than war bc in war ppl united and shared experience BUT divides us w AIDS
-those fighting w AIDS vs rest of pop
-this disease starting to strike the rest of us now* article
-hasn't change perception that happening to anything
-edia tells the that do’t hae to are does’t happe to ip ppl
-util it happes to geeral pop, e do’t hae to are
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
-do’t hae to ath ppl they loe dyig its ot happeig to the so do’t
care
-all sorts of promising drugs not available to test bc no money to test them
-if those drugs would have been tested quickly, less ppl dying
-BUT do’t are ot happeig to the
-IV drug users and gay men still acc for majority of cases
-why all educ available for white heterosexuals when they arent at risk
-gay e ad IV drug users do’t all lie i NY ad Sa Fraiso
-if these are the majority of ppl at risk, then they deserve the treatment and
prevention needed but its not happening
-being allowed to die while low risk pops panicked and not educated
-here bc it is happening to us and that we do care
-if ore of us ad less of geeral pop, the this ould’t e happeig
-MORE than story explored by tabloids
-have to lead legacy for future generations
-remember that AIDS crisis will be over someday
-there will be gay and straight ppl, black and white, men and
women that once this disease and gave up their lives for other
ppl to live
-thinks they are all heroes and proud to be alive
-all e hae is loe, do’t hae tie
-AIDS activists so busy taking care of ppl on respirators that no
time to take care of sick ppl
-no time to strategize for future
-gotta commit to do that and to kick ass of this disease
4.4 AIDS, Homophobia, and Biomedical Discourse Reading
-nature of AIDS constructed thru lang, particularly thru the discourses of med and sci
-misconception - many ppl feel that casual contact (being in the same room w an AIDS victim)
will transmit the virus and may infect them
-it's a virus that is actually very DIFFICULT to transmit and therefore, general public should not
worry about casual contact
-4 H list of high risk categories - homosexuals, hemophiliacs, heroin addicts, and haitians
-before, AIDS = gay sociological prob
-how could a disease just pick out gays? Med homophobia
-women charact as the inefficient transmitters of AIDS
-a single virus was the culprit responsible for AIDS (and many imp issues)
-binaries: self and not-self, the one and the other, homosexual and heterosexual, sex and
death, sci and not-sci, etc
-diff conceptions
-AIDS caused by multiple and violent gay sexual encounters
-AIDS cause by killer sperm (shooting from one man's penis to anus of another)
-gay men are as sexually driven as alcoholics or drug addicts
-AIDS cant infect females bc the virus cant penetrate the tough mucous membranes of
the vagina
-oe at trasit AIDS their odies do’t hae the strog projetile apaity of a
penis or syringue
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Go back and think about what it was like when ppl just learning about hiv. How learned about it initially and how understood it. How addressed or didn"t address the existence of this new health threat. What hiv/aids represented for diff grps of ppl. How that convo dev and shifted over time. 1981 - first official public mainstream mention of what we understand now to be hiv/aids. Article buried in ny times - was the first headline and accessible media mention of hiv. Rare cancer seen in 41 homosexuals* - title. What did it feel for them to read this (esp for a gay man) in 1981. The first 41 gay men diagnosed in ny and cali. Basically the 2 largest concentrations of gay men. Couple dozens of cases of a rare form of cancer. Until this time, only been seen in middle aged eastern european men so extremely unusual to suddenly show up in relatively young healthy men.
