More Random Thoughts

One dear cost of indifference: is that too many people stood by as crack devastated parts of the black community and again we simply look askance at the devastation of Tina on the middle-class gay community. While it is ultimately your sole right to self-destruct, when you insist on taking others with you, is that not that the time for the rest of us to act? How fine is the line between enabling and condemning? How many more must we lose, before we ever learn?

One absolute about HIV prevention, is that it will never work until people care enough about their own health to protect themselves. We will never be able to scare or shame you enough, not by criminalizing or even plain logic to get you to protect your health, if you do not think you are worth protecting. The sooner we address this issue and help to change how people view themselves, the sooner we will begin to see an impact on the HIV infection rates.

One of the reasons that there are not enough positive gay role models is that so many of them died of AIDS. Thousands upon thousands of men, from every walk of life, who would now be reaching from there 50s to the 80s, are simply gone. Many have been gone for decades and the void they left will continue to be felt for a few decades more. How different might the gay community and even society as a whole be, if not for their loss? How many contributions would they have made as family, friends, lovers, artists, professionals, and mentors and as role models? We will never truly understand the magnitude of loss because of HIV.

One of the real conundrums about gift-givers and bug-seekers is how do you get the seekers to feel welcome in some community other than the HIV community? Too many gay men have no sense of a community, gay or otherwise and then see the cohesive nature of the HIV community. Where I live, if you want a good active social life, you are much better off going with the positive crowd. Same with having a sense of community because if there is anything that positive people excel at, it is providing support. So how can we be surprised at some gay men, who are so marginalized by society and even their own family, to seek the one community which not only will welcome them with open arms, but one where they can afford the membership fee.

One of the most frustrating aspects of political correctness is that somehow too many people have been convinced that they have a right to never be offended again. Rather than experiencing the world and choosing their own way, they insist we camouflage all the perceived ugliness in life, behind convoluted words that are really nothing more than semantic gymnastics. Instead of simply speaking and acknowledging our challenges or differences, we must rename the elephant in the room. I am waiting to be reclassified, from disabled, to employment-challenged. Now how exactly does that change my lot in life, or my perception of myself? Not one bit and supposedly I am one of the ones, they are trying to protect. If I do not mind the use of the term disabled, in relation to myself, so why should you? How dare you decide to trample my perceptions, just to make yourself feel better? Maybe if you were not so intolerant, you would find most of the world to be rather enjoyable, along with her citizens. How do you ever see the beauty around you, when you are so busy looking for the ugliness? And who made you the arbitrator of what is acceptable in polite society?

One of my greatest fears is the alarming increase in the use of religion to mask utter intolerance for non-believers. Granted, it is a centuries old problem, but today, when it is connected with being politically correct, we seem to loose the ability to be objective. Many religious leaders are trying to deflect criticism, against their hateful teachings, by claiming intolerance for their beliefs. While I am far from a religious scholar, I have enough basic understanding of many of the major religions, and few hold the tenets that are being espoused by some of the religious leaders of today. There are too many societies that bastardize religious doctrine to teach their citizens, utter intolerance and in some cases, absolute hatred, for others who do no share their beliefs. This trend continues at an alarming rate and is beginning to be felt in many, previously religious-neutral countries. Over the last few years, I have gained a great appreciation for our separation of church and state, regarding our federal government, because religious government rarely includes representative government and most become oppressive governments. I also fear that this separation will continue to diminish, because our current administration thinks their god knows better than any of the others and if you do not agree, then you are lacking in morals; their predetermined morals. That scares me even more than HIV.

Just some food for thought.