Wtf... do people really believe this? (HIV)

I struggle to see how anyone could actually believe that the government is organised to maintain a conspiracy about anything, let alone something that would involve the collusion of all major governments, all scientists and all media. They can't even keep disks of data safe.

Do you think it was a denial thing?

That's totally surprised me. People REALLY think that?! Wow. Where do they get such ideas from?

Possibly. I thought he might just be stressed about his GF finding out he'd been so I tried telling him about our (very strict) confidentiality policy (ie if your GP calls with you sitting next to them in the room we can't even acknowledge that you've been here) but he wouldn't believe me.

I'd be tempted to write him off as a loony except for the rest on the consultation he was entirely normally behaved.

Scary stuff.

His gf would soon know something was wrong if he gave HIV to her. Stupid man.

Not quite the same, but I have an aquaintance who will let nothing capable of "transmitting" into his house. He has no phone line, no internet connection. You have to leave mobiles or anything that has bluetooth/wi-fi capability at home when you visit him. Not a pranoid schizophrenic either; Just firmly convinced that 'they' can monitor you if you allow such things in your "personal space".

That's a very odd attitude

Although thinking about it, I had the HIV message rammed home at school and in TV ad breaks for several years so I was petrified of any sort of risky behaviour. It's possible younger people are a bit more used to the message and so dismiss it, or think that HIV isn't that dangerous any more because there's drugs you can take for it (I have no idea how effective the drug therapies are, by the way - just that there are some)

If people can deny the Holocaust (I see we've just denied one such numpty entry to the UK), then I suppose we should not be surprised that people can deny that AIDS exists. ?

Who does he think 'they' are and why would 'they' want to monitor him? Either he has something to hide or he is indeed paranoid.

Yes that is a problem; it's a double edged sword - we want to 'normalise' HIV as much as possible to reduce stigma and increase detection rates but at the same time not encourage more people to go out and have risky sex because they think HIV is OK now we have antiretrovirals.

BUT: Thinking 'HIV is easily controllable' is in a totally different ballpark from 'HIV doesn't exist' imho. One has a slightly skewed grasp of the facts, the other is just delusional.

Never quite defined, the Government in some guise I assume.

He does have a past in political activism. But it's clear he quite firmly believes it.

I had a similar experience with a young man today who said that being gay was a choice that people make and it is sinful like any other sin against god

How utterly bizarre not to mention bloody dangerous.

I suspect there just aren't enough hours in the day for the government to monitor everyone with a past. ? Not to mention the various bits of legislation in place to protect the individual against such things. If his activist past is indeed in the past, then he's sadly going without all his mod cons for no reason whatsoever.

Hmm, people use the same argument about ID cards though - why would you object if you don't have anything to hide... It's a rubbish argument, I'm not sure it stands up here either.

Re. the HIV denial bloke - truly bonkers but then look at South Africa. The country has just been celebrating the demise of "Dr Beetroot" as health minister (although she was moved rather than sacked) who believes that HIV and AIDS can be treated with vitamin pills and that antiretrovirals are a waste of money...

A guy who I work with is convinced that HIV was created by the government in order to wipe out gay people.

Also frequently quoted as being created by the US Govt. to wipe out (or sorely diminish) black people.

I was in Walt Disney World in 2005, when they had an entry system that involved placing your first two fingers into a machine. I beleive it measured the length of your fingers or something and stored it with your park entrance ticket.

There was a man with his family creating merry hell about it, and refusing to do it. Saying it was the governments way of getting his data and his fingerprints to frame him for crimes.

I beleive that have changed the entrance machine now, and do actually take parts of your fingerprint. Maybe im easy going, but i dont have a problem with this

Sorry, in regard to the original point.

I think this guy must be in denial, a way of convincing himself he is fine.

Sounds like he has a little knowledge in that he knows its the pneumonia that kills you. But its because of the HIV that they are so susceptable to these infections, yes?

Surely many conditions are like this though? People with cancer die from related infections, contracted due to their poor immune system due to the chemo. Many kids with sever cerebral palsy die from pneumonia also.

Silly man

If it's worrying enough that individuals believe crap like this, it's far, far worse when prominent newspaper editors and leaders of entire countries do.

Not that I'd dream of mentioning Andrew Neil or Thabo Mbeki specifically - it was just a general comment.

Oh for heaven's sake, they're not remotely the same thing. Why on earth would any level-headed person believe the govt is listening in or tracking their movements within their own home? Sorry but it simply beggars belief. It would be a logistical nightmare, not to mention in direct violation of the Human Rights Act. Anyone who thinks like that is either bonkers or knows there is a darned good reason they might be under suspicion.

How bizarre, and why would the government want to wipe out gay people?!

I don't think that is similar - misplaced religious beliefs maybe, but not as ridiculous as the HIV conspiracy theory.

People believe all sorts of bollocks don't they? Look at any of the 9/11 conspiracies for conspiracy theory nonsense. Look at the woman running for American VP for all sort of non-scientific creationist denial bollocks. Look at people who STILL won't give their kids the MMR. Look at Holocaust deniers. People can be ignorant freaks about a whole cavalcade of stuff.

I blame the parents ?

On the other hand, you could always read On the Effectiveness of Aluminium Foil Helmets: An Empirical Study.

Was that person a christian unionist, dumblespud? back in the day i remember h and i having the odd tussle with them over issues like this over a cup of tea in chapel. i think - and i know this is a sweeping generalisation, so not generally applicable - but some of them are just a bit dim, and find it comforting to be able to overlook the whole grey areas in life -thing. they often used to smile (with lips but not eyes) and say to the gay parishoners "we love the sinner, but hate the sin" and tell them about gays they'd 'cured'... "and he's accepted Jesus and is going out with a girl now!!"

the 'love the sinner but hate the sin' is so glib it makes me angry just to think about it. and telling people who were new to uni and struggling to come to terms with themselves, faith and sexuality that they would definitely, without any shadow of a doubt, go to hell if they found they were gay was dreadful to see. not "this is my belief but others think differently", but a fire and brimstone party.

tsh. what i would have been tempted to him would have been along the lines of "wiping out gays? you mean, the govt wants to put a stop to it because the current gays keep breeding more gays?" which doesn't make much sense, but i blame the late hour and will take myself off to bed.

Some people just don't know "stuff." They should, but they don't. I can think of plenty of "stuff" that's been mooted on here alone for example:

If I agree to be part of a clinical trial, it'll help save a kitten/puppy/rat from experiments

It's alright to take a few antibiotics and then save the rest till you need them again

The skin isn't porous

And from some of the einsteins I work with:

You need a passport to go to Scotland

Why do we have to change into Euros to trade with Ireland when it's the same country (FFS! Why have they been shooting the arses off each other since 1917?)

I could go on but it worries me too much.

Y'see, paranoia aside...

I'm quite firmly of the opinion that anyone who doesn't believe that Government entities may have the desire to track the movements and opinions of particular individuals who have commited no criminal act, nor have any intent to do so is hopelessly naive.

Equally anyone believing that legislation will have the least bearing on the actions of said entities.

I have told a Dr in an STD clinic I didn't need a HIV test before- I thought she'd give me a realy hard time but I'm not good with having blood taken and don't have HIV- she was Ok though- I guess she thinks its my own decison.

I have family members who do believe if anyone gets HIV its their own fault. I feel exhusted just thinking about challenging that; I can only guess its because it spread so quickly through the gay community in this country in the 80s.

However (and probablya different thread) I do believe HIV is one of the natural disasters whcih will wipe out mankind. After all, we don't have this planet forever.

Oh sure, I am happy for people not to have them (although if you've ever had unprotected sex in your life, it's worth doing at least one).

And people have all kinds of blame ideas about it too. Which is their prerogative.

What I don't get is denying that the virus exists. It just does, it's a fact.

It's scary isn't it?

A couple of years ago was outside work having a ciggie (since given up ?) with a colleague. I had a red ribbon attached to my bag on a charm thingy and he pointed to it and said "does that mean you have aids?".

No word of a lie. Moron.

It'd be a typically crap government plan really, seeing as HIV is most prevalent amongst heterosexuals, and the people least at risk are lesbians. In fact, the biggest risk factor for HIV in Sub-Saharan Africa is being a young married woman.

When I was at University I used to have a red ribbon on my coat. Someone asked me if I had AIDS, and when I said no while looking a bit confused, she asked if I knew someone who did. I replied no, I didn't think so - at least, not that anyone had told me about, so she asked me why I had the ribbon then...