Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Prejudice is alive and well in NYTimes readers

The NYTimes brags that they are read by some of the best and brightest folks in the world, but if this is so, the face of prejudice is showing.

in the comments section of the previous article on HIV:

3.
kalayaan48
New York, NY
May 10th, 2010
4:53 pm
It's Darwin all over again. Nature is culling - the weak from the strong, the affluent from the poor, the highly industrialized West from the rest of the world. And there's nothing we can do about it. That's the way it's always been, the way it is and will be.

Yup, you read it here, folks.
The same argument (except that it used Malthus, not Darwin) was used to justify the British lack of response to the Irish potato famine in the 1840's that killed a quarter of that country's population...

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MikeLT
Boston
May 10th, 2010
4:24 pm
I feel for these people. Really, I do. However, they must take some reponsibility upon themselves. The men refuse to utilize condoms. If that continues to be the case, then there's no stopping this situation. The focus should be on prevention.

I'm gay and HIV negative... and I'm 46 years old (in June). I've avoided getting the virus for almost three decades! I'm not passing judgement, as I know slip ups do occur. But "slip ups" aren't the reason for the high rate of infection in these African countries (nor is it for the recent increasing rate of infection in the U.S.). Unsafe sex is ingrained in these countries....

Yes, let's ignore that condoms tend to be useless after being stored in hot tropical climates, and let's ignore the huge number of partners in some parts of the gay community would astound the average "promiscuous" African man. And of course let's ignore that lack of circumcision and vaginal infections (and vaginal herbs to dry the secretions) result in a much higher rate of transmission, because they increase the microabrasions that allow the germ to enter the partner.
And we won't mention the spread via blood transfusions, inadequatly sterilized needles, "Muti cuts" with unsterilized blades, etc. that spread the disease, nor that western colonialism has resulted in men having to work away from home in mines etc. so they only see their wives rarely.

Let's just look down on "promiscuous" Africans for being at fault.

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14.
Jersey City
May 10th, 2010
8:13 pm
Countries where social mores include the indiscriminate rape of a brother's wife are not going to see much success in conquering so "social" a disease. Many women know how to avoid contracting HIV, but their duties prevent them from enjoying the most basic freedom - to say 'no', to do what they choose with their bodies. HIV/AIDS will dominate the lives of Africans until the day the men decide enough is enough. Don't hold your breath.

presumably he means HIV education should stress abstinence?
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Mila
London, UK
May 10th, 2010
10:03 pm
Let's remember that although Pepfar funded ARVs, Pepfar funding was also limited to abstinence-only education programs. Comprehensive sex ed, including condom use, was excluded from the funding.

actually this is false. Condom use education was allowed, but abstinence only education was encouraged, working with churches and mosques. However, they did not fund groups that promoted abortion and prostitution (i.e. non judgemental approach to prostitutes rather than helping them get alternative jobs), and it is these groups that stressed condom use, that did not work in studies due to men refusing and of course poor quality of the condoms themselves.
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I am not underestimating the problem of rape; but when it is colonial powers that destroy tribal customs, and greedy war lords who destablize entire regions because they want to steal, and that much of the rape is due to extreme poverty or war, one has to differentiate this legacy of colonialism and western promotion of the god of money from working with and strengthening families. Obama will promote "cures" to the problems that the west started by promoting "safe sex" and condoms, not by strengthening morality via churches, and mosques to promote strong families.

Ironically, despite it's problems, here in the Philippines, the PC are pushing western sex ed and condoms and abortion and pushing artificial family planning for all, using the excuse we have 4000 cases of HIV in the entire country...

Maybe Africa could learn from the Philippines...

1 comment:

Caroline said...

Circumcision to prevent HIV transmission is the biggest load of rubbish to come out of American medical "research" in decades.

The United States has the highest population of circumcised men in the industrialized world, and also the highest rate of HIV. Go figure.

Dr. Dean Edell explains the fallacies very entertainingly.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OlsUg0sdAtE

 
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