Im a coldhearted bastard
Last week was Austin Ropecraft Symposium. There was a auction to raise money to donate to an aids charity. I didn’t donate anything to the auction.
Its already a well established fact that Im a cold hearted jerk who has no compastion for those who are downtrodden. Im one of those evil republicans who hates the enviroment and wants to steel your grandmothers social security check, so it should come as no suprise that I am just a bigoted hate monger that is just filed with fear and anger towards those with AIDS.
But I wasen’t always this way …..
What changed my mind was an absolutely amazing article written by Guy Baldwin. The original article has long since gone off line but you can still find it with the wayback machine. There is absolutely no way I could ever put things as clearly as he does so I highly suggest you take the time to read it. I know its long but it is worth it.
His main point is that there is an ever growing number of people who become HIV positive by choice. And no, this isnt about “bug huntersâ€. The people who erotisize the act of becoming HIV positive and turn it into some kind of deranged fetish. No, these people choose to become HIV positive as part of a rational, reasoned, very sensible line of thinking. This sounds impossible but Baldwin makes a very good case.
Key to understanding this choice is to realize that AIDS is no longer the death sentence that it was for the past couple decades. With exotic combinations of drugs, AIDS is now a chronic health problem, but quite livable. Constant care needs to be taken, but someone becoming HIV positive today may very likely be able to live 20 years. Or more.
But what kind of life would that 20 years be? Well, not as bad as you may think.
First of all there is the sex. If a person is HIV positive they can have all the sex they want, as long as it is with someone else who is also HIV positive. After all, whats the worst that could happen? They are already HIV positive. Its not like you can catch it twice. The sexual revolution of the 70s is back again, where you can see someone you like and just fuck them without consequences or guilt. Free love.
Secondly is the drug mixture taken to fight off the virus. It has some rather nice side effects. It raises your libido back to the levels they were when you were a teenager. And with even minimal exercise, it can build mussel like a professional weightlifter. The drugs make you horney and give you better looks than you had ever had before.
So whats the choice? Have sterile restrictive fearful burdensome sex where your always looking out over your shoulder and live another 40 years? Or have hot free spontaneous energetic sex and live another 20 years?
Trade offs like this happen all the time. Steve Irwin died this past week at only 44 years old. But man, what a life! He packed more living into those years than most other people could pack into 100 years. Interviews he had given suggest that he sort of expected that he would go like he did. A short life thats thrilling or a long life thats boring. For some people, its acceptable to take a moderately long lifespan thats thrilling than a extremely long life thats dull.
And what really tips that choice over the edge? Support networks. During the dark years of the AIDS plague, all manner of safety nets were put into place. But since the death rate has drooped, the support networks are still in place. So the choice for those who are willingly becoming HVI positive is not just taking on a livable disease in exchange for hot, free, unencumbered sex with other HIV positives. But you also get waited on hand and foot.
Free dental care. Free legal advice. Free access to a food bank. Free nursing care. Charities don’t dish out to you if your are HIV negative. With all the positives of wild sex, a hiper charged sex drive, easy to achive sexy look, and charities willing to take care of your every need as the positive, and just a no-longer-deadly health concern as the only drawback, no wonder folks are willing to become HIV positive.
Please read Guy Baldwins article. He explains why people willing become HIV positive better than I ever could. The key point that the article gave to me was that as crazy as it sounds, there are people out there who want to become HIV positive. And AIDS charities that provide quality of life services are a contributing factor toward why people would choose to do that.
The intention of AIDS support groups is heartfelt. But it has unintended consequence. And I simply cant in good faith support a charity that has the united consequence of making the contracting of AIDS appealing.