An Analysis Of 'Both Flesh And Not'

One of the big factors early on is that no one wanted to be associated with AIDS due to the fact that it was considered a homosexual man’s disease. There was a lot of fear, denial and anger surrounding this disease. In 1981at the CDC Dr. Guinan asks that a report about an epidemic with gay men had broken out and he wanted it published in the medical journal. The fear of the word “homosexual” was marked off and not used for that article. It took a long time for the realization that this disease could affect everyone from homosexual males, IV drug users, blood transfusion patients, women and even babies. Even though it was initially considered the disease came from gay men and their sexual practices it crossed all borders as time went on. Still today there is some prejudice regarding AIDS. (Spelling, Vincent &

Anxieties and misunderstandings in relation to AIDS began when the homosexual community was affected. Consequently, people started to believe that it was only homosexuals would contract AIDS and accused them of the cause of the disease. The public was not worried until some people who were not homosexuals got the disease. Because of this, the attitude of the public changed into the fear that anyone could get AIDS since it was an STD. Numerous of people were misled by the actions of the government. An example in the film shows one woman who started to become sick after her blood transfusion. She always believed that it was because of the surgery, however, she actually she got AIDS. The doctors were aware but did nothing to notify her. This triggered fear because the government was aware that the AIDS prevalence was increasing and being spread yet

With headlines in the news such as The Sun dubbing AIDS as the ‘gay plague’ it was an irresistible red rag to the bull for the media, even though in Africa other populations were infected right from the beginning. (Dowsett, W, Gary. 2009) In an excerpt from Simon Garfield’s The end of Innocence Britain in the time of AIDS, Roy Greensdale the assistant editor of the Sun from 1981 to 1986 recalls that ‘AIDS appeared to be just desserts for being involved in deviant sexual behaviour. It was quickly realized that it came about due to anal sex, and heterosexual executives on the Sun thus fed in the fact that it was a gay plague. AIDS tended to suggest that it might stop all that kind of behaviour, and might lead to fewer gays being about.’ The gay community has always been an easy target for hostility throughout history and when the controversy surrounding the AIDS panic began to surface it became another way in which to ostracise them for their ‘wages of sin’. (The Daily Telegraph). 1983).

Fears and misconceptions regarding AIDS began when only the homosexual community contracted it. Therefore, people started to believe that only the homosexuals would get the AIDS and blamed them for the cause of the disease. The public was not in fear until some people who were not homosexuals contracted the disease. It was at this time, that the public’s attitude shifted into the fear that anyone was able to have AIDS; it was a sexually transmitted disease. Many were also deceived by the government’s actions. For example, one woman in the movie began to become sick after a blood transfusion. She always thought that it was due to surgical problems, but actually she had contracted AIDS and the doctors knew but didn’t do anything about it. This also caused panic because, even though the government knew AIDS was spreading around they did not do anything about it.

Anyone who enters cannot leave the cell and therefore once an individual is infected, then, death is the only next probable thing. This painting attracted views from all persons and groups in our society after they realized that handling and addressing the AIDS epidemic is a collective responsibility. Discussions of disease, death, race, sex, drug addiction and homosexuality which are shunned by polite individuals became common topics (Mahoney, n.p.). Gatewood created a scenario where everyone had to acknowledge that the AIDS epidemic was now a threat that needed to be addressed immediately. Humanity ought to give the AIDS epidemic the weight it deserves by advocating everyone to play their role in this collective responsibility of reducing infections and deaths caused by the spread of HIV. Gatewood wanted humanity to realize the price they have to pay for their prudishness and ignorance of AIDS as a killer

It is often cited that the HIV/Aids epidemic that hit the United States in the 1980’s (though there is some evidence that it started even before then), came into light due to several high profile incidents and the eventual loss of several thousand lives. Many believe that due to

inevitable that AIDS would be defined in political and cultural terms as well as medically, and

Though incurable, there is medication that can be used to help an infected person live a relatively normal life, but the medication is extremely expansive. Thus the number one prevention method is education. The United States government’s response to the entire disease in a medical, social and economic way were consider major failures as millions were left to suffer without support. Unlike today, where one can search the Internet to learn about their disease and how to handle it, back in 1980’s and 1990’s people were being infected and given no guidance from the government on how to handle it. This caused great fear in Americans and many misconceptions about the disease started to develop. People were unaware that the disease could only transfer through the contact of bodily fluids so people with AIDS were socially exiled out of fear that they might infect others. Thus this disease affected the gay community that was already stigmatized by society more than any other single demographic of people.

When the AIDS and HIV virus crept its way into the human-race, it quickly, and without warning, claimed the lives of millions. Then when its destructive wake had finally been abated, it left behind several untold mysteries. Throughout the course of this class, all the new material we have been exposed to has added some unique piece to the puzzle of the AIDS epidemic. Each puzzle pieces have ranged from speculations on how the AIDS epidemic had begun, to what exactly has the epidemic done. We have also tackled the question and how it forced a change in society. Our newest piece of the puzzle is the documentary “The Age of AIDS,” by William Cran. Although this documentary did not surprise me in its content, it did, however, affirm certain types

Before reading this article, I had minimal knowledge of AIDs and HIVs. My basic knowledge was that they are highly contagious diseases that can result in death. I knew that it starts out as HIV, which is an immunodeficiency virus, and if it isn’t treated correctly, it will escalate into AIDs. Something that spoke

Chapter 4 of the Nagami book dealt with AIDS and how it became a common infection in the population. In the book Dr. Nagami explained how mysterious the origin of the disease was in the beginning of the outbreak. There were various explanation for the origins. It was believed that amyl nitrate “poppers” could be a cause for the disease since homosexual men were known to use them before sex. It appeared predominately in the gay population at the time. Eventually it appeared in the intravenous drug using population, Haitians, people who underwent transfusions and eventually the heterosexual population. This unknown source of the disease was what caused fear in the early stages of the disease. Dr. Nagami explained how this caused fear even in the medical profession as some doctors moved away from treating HIV patients. Dr. Nagami herself changed her behavior being reluctant to shake hands with AIDS patients.

People believed AIDs was evitable to them, when in fact, it can happen to anyone. According to the article: How Magic Johnson Fought the Aids Epidemic,”in 1991, Americans believed that the disease only infected gay white men. But here Magic Johnson is, an African American married man who had been infected. This made the stereotype completely false, educating people about it. He also made it clear that the virus is not a death sentence. Seeing that he is alive and well, it lets people know that they don’t have to put themselves down about it and think they will die. He gives the world the knowledge of knowing that with proper treatment and medication, you will be just

The AIDS epidemic sparked fear into many during the beginning, but also

Since the discovery of AIDs it has been recognized as a global epidemic within the United States. Although there are a number of ways AIDs can be contracted, most people see AIDS as a “Gay Disease”. This can cause a problem among those in a romantic relationship where one person is HIV- positive. For those affected there can be both psychological and social consequences. For instance, John struggled to redefine himself after learning about his illness (p. 243). Research shows that “Infected persons may be confronted with having to reexamine their sexual identity and the behavioral choices they have made in support of that identity” (Bezuidenhoud et al., n.d., p. 19). Associating the behaviors of HIV/AIDs based on how society feel would be

“Both Flesh And Not,” written by David Foster Wallace is an essay written as a childhood fairytale in a metaphorical way to introduce and illustrate Wallace’s ideas. A gallant knight risks his life fighting the dragon, who is protecting the castle, to get what he wants, which is the “fair maiden” also known as a “good-looking virgin”. Is that what the essay is really about? No, Wallace specifically uses this to comment on and represent the AIDS crisis, the way he observed it. The gallant knight,referring to men, desires sex and is willing to risk their life and take the chance of contracting AIDS. Although, Wallace does specify men towards the beginning of the essay, towards the end, he broadens his idea from just men, to include everyone with sexual desire and sexuality as part of human nature. Wallace’s intentions in the piece is used by engaging the audience to bring awareness to society about the sexual choices people made and its consequences, the views of AIDS in a positive perspective, and to show that sex is natural  in human life.