The Relegation of Responsibility based upon the Introduction of New HIV-Related Technologies
Undoubtedly, the way individuals act within society is a direct result of the expectation that society places upon them. There are a plethora of ways that an individual can distinguish themselves as conforming to the desires of society or rejecting those desires, those choices heavily impacting the way in which they are perceived by society. In the context of the AIDS epidemic, these ideas of socially ordained responsibility become unavoidable, as matters of public and personal health become a means with which individuals, who have to deal with the implications the epidemic had on society, can be discriminated by. This shifting subjectivity based
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Prior to the existence of HIV Antibody Testing, when the gay community at large became a titular ‘at-risk’ group as the, at the time, unknown virus became in some ways became intrinsically liked to the homosexual ‘lifestyle’ (Siedman 1997), the experience of the homosexual community was one based upon a shared responsibility to address the AIDS virus and establish a precedent of safe sex to keep the community safe. The notion that friends could at any moment begin to show symptoms of the virus and soon after succumb to the fatal nature of the unknown virus created an environment where risk was associated with the entire community and therefore needed to be address with the same level of rigor throughout the whole community. However with the introduction of the HIV Antibody Test, a test that can determine HIV status and that would objectively lower transmission rates due to knowledge of seropositivity and the measures that would follow that knowledge, this community wide sentiment of equal action and responsibility found itself profoundly altered. The notion of the entire gay community being an ‘at-risk’ entity shifted to distinctions between members of the community that, due to their now
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
Vito Russo’s speech has the main idea of discrimination against the gay population due to the AIDS pandemic, Russo effectively uses strong connotations and repetition to emphasize this main idea. In the 1980s and early 1990s, the outbreak of HIV and AIDS swept across the United States. By 1983, the public considered AIDS a gay disease because the disease appeared to affect mostly homosexual men. Discrimination against the gay population increased because of the disease. Vito Russo was upset because of this narrative, so spoke out.
This deal with addressing the community, family and social networks that people are part of. Nurses should in this case analyze the different social environments that people live in so as to successfully address the AIDs pandemic. This is mainly due to the fact that people may tend to form their attitudes towards the disease depending on their social network. Nurses should form groups, and educate the people as a community, about the effects of the disease on both the community and family, an undertaking which will raise awareness among the community members. This is likely to help the community to be cautious and responsible for their actions, as well as prevent the promotion of any negative values that may increase chances of people in the society acquiring the disease (Levine & What Works Working Group, 2007). Additionally, nursing should address the issue of stigma that family and social networks have towards the AIDs pandemic and those suffering from it, and which hinder people from seeking help and knowing their status (Qubuda & Mphumela, 2009).
“Sex was something mysterious which happened to married couples and Homosexuality was never mentioned; my mother told me my father did not believe it existed at all ‘until he joined the army’. As a child, I was warned about talking to ‘strange men’, without any real idea what this meant. I was left to find out for myself what it was all about.” Mike Newman, who was a child during the 1950s America recalls how homosexuality was perceived during the post-World War II era (F). This sexual oppression was not only in Newman’s household, but in almost everyone’s. While the civil rights movement began in the mid-1950s and ended late 1960s, the LGBT community started to come out of the closet slowly. The gay rights movement stemmed from the civil rights movement
In human societies there will always be issues or problems that occur which cause some form of reaction from those who feel that their values or societal equilibrium is being threatened. Stanley Cohen and Jock Young led the way in explaining the notion of moral panics and how they are formed and their consequences on society. There have been numerous of these moral phenomena over the years, which have gripped society in a vice lock of terror and more often than not, ignorance. This essay will discuss the concept of the moral panic and look at the case of HIV/AIDS which caused a huge conflict of morality within society. This essay will also analyse the failings of health organisations, politicians, and the
According to Stanley Cohen (1972, pg. 9), moral panics occur when a “condition, episode, person or group of persons emerges to become defined as a threat to societal values and interests”, and is useful for explaining the hysteria in Western society towards the ‘pandemic’ of HIV/AIDS. Sociologists argue that there was a social construction around it’s meaning and the way in which it was perceived caused by an apparent social anxiety or prejudice against homosexuals and other minority groups. This essay will attempt to recognise the definition of ‘moral panics’ and its application to HIV/AIDS and its social construction.
In the past decades, the struggle for gay rights in the Unites States has taken many forms. Previously, homosexuality was viewed as immoral. Many people also viewed it as pathologic because the American Psychiatric Association classified it as a psychiatric disorder. As a result, many people remained in ‘the closet’ because they were afraid of losing their jobs or being discriminated against in the society. According to David Allyn, though most gays could pass in the heterosexual world, they tended to live in fear and lies because they could not look towards their families for support. At the same time, openly gay establishments were often shut down to keep openly gay people under close scrutiny (Allyn 146). But since the 1960s, 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
It is burdened by significant stigma, primarily from outside of the LGBTQ+ sphere, yet it is free of a death sentence; free of AIDS. Surely, a majority of MSM of any generation are aware of the existence of HIV and generally how one contracts it. However, AIDS is widely but a memory in the Western queer journey. Now while a separation of HIV from AIDS on pharmaceutical, cultural, and ontological fronts furthers the newfangled idea that we are post-AIDS, maintaining HIVs place in without the virus losing a foothold in public health, media, and education. This paper looks not to buck that demarcation but rather work within it to find further, potential separations to create a space for the next generation queers to receive prudent education while maintaining a lack fear of HIV—without resorting to new or preexisting risk-inducing
The realization of the homosexuality in the modern western world as a cultural, sexual and a social category has been a result of complex power relations that surround sexuality and gender. The acceptance of homosexuality in the society has met its fair share of resistance and skepticism. The view that homosexuality can be in the same league as heterosexual has led it to be viewed as a normal behavioral and moral standard (Gallagher & Baker, 2006). Inasmuch as the skeptics may not want to accept the existence of homosexuality studies show that the habit is rampant today with many gay people coming out in the open. Of interest is the political acceptance of homosexuality with passing gay rights so that it can be recognized by law. This move has given homosexuals the ability to engage in legal entities like marriage (Gallagher & Baker, 2006).
In Schneider & Jenness’s article, “Sex and the Social Construction of Sexually Transmitted Diseases,” they discuss HIV/AIDS as an epidemic and moral panic (2005). Schneider & Jenness define a moral panic as, “a condition, episode, person or group of persons emerges to become defined as a threat to societal values and interests” (2005:389). In this, HIV/AIDS was viewed by society as a fatal sexually transmitted disease that would negatively impact society. Due to the stigma surrounding HIV/AIDS, the government implemented legislation and programs to attempt to educate the public about the epidemic. This supports Schneider & Jenness’s claim that, “moral panics are inevitably lined to, and thus consequential for, formal systems of social control”
“We are a community of shame. Shame defines our view of a sexual past that segued into AIDS, confirming to us our worst fears about ourselves and lending the condemnation of bigots a truthful echo. Shame motivates our forward movement as we fearfully suppress images of gay people as sexual beings, encouraging instead non-threatening roles (parent, homeowner, or campy friend) that prove “we’re just like you.” In our community of shame, we believe that by actively forgetting the past we can erase it, and many important parts of our legacy are now being lost or willfully abandoned.” (Patrick Moore, Beyond Shame: Reclaiming the Abandoned History of Gay Sexuality, 2004, p. xxii)
Due to my recent troubles at work I have been counseled twice in the past several weeks. This has given me a lot of time to reflect at the way I have really presented myself in the Army thus far. I have not always been the best Soldier that I could have been during most of the time I that I have been in so far. Thinking about this does bother me, it means that I could be trying harder to get ahead and better myself as a Soldier and a person. Lets say for example I have been late to work twice in the past several weeks not only to include missing a pt formation altogether. I did this by not ensuring that i had met alo of my neds to ensure that i woudl wake up in the morning. But by doing
Throughout history, few illnesses have carried as much significance as Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome or AIDS. Similar human catastrophes have presented in our history such as, bubonic plague, leprosy and tuberculosis. All of these dreaded sicknesses have caused pain and suffering across cultures. Pain is associated with the physical distress of the patient, suffering is culturally distinctive, it describes the affliction of the human spirit and how community members cope with it. AIDS has given moral "do-gooders" a ripe opportunity to condemn others for behaviors which do not coincide with their perceived values. Globally, Americans have been blamed for creating the virus and spreading the disease worldwide. AIDS has
The University of Southern California found themselves in a situation questioning their policies. This time, however, it did not lead to the correct and warranted action. According to Flaherty (2017), the University of Southern California has failed to sufficiently address a student’s harassment allegations against a professor. Although the professor, Dr. Guerrero, was disciplined by the university and warned that any reoccurrence would lead to dismal. Karissa Fenwick, however, was disappointed that he was not terminated after the university determined that misconduct had occurred (Flaherty, 2017). The underlying issue in this article is that American colleges and universities disciplinary measures or lack thereof are failing to