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bizofwords Joined: 11 Jul 2008 Posts: 167				Posted: Sun Jul 20, 2008 3:39 pm    Post subject: Communicating with High Risk Populations     In most places, there are a number of organizations that focus on helping those with HIV/AIDS to come to terms with their condition; the challenge often comes in reaching out to those groups. What can society do to reduce the stigma of HIV/AIDS enough to get people to learn more and want to accept help?
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eyes4 Joined: 05 Jun 2008 Posts: 55				Posted: Sun Jul 20, 2008 4:06 pm    Post subject:     What is the stigma? Why reduce it? Is the term being used in a negative connotation? If so, is it something to be ashamed of? (If the way they contracted the virus is something they are ashamed of, it's a little late to be shy. If they are a true victim of circumstance they have nothing to be ashamed of - and prolonged anger isn't a healthy response.) A stigma is just a mark (or tattoo) used to categorize something. Sometimes the mark means 'use with caution' or 'at your own risk'. In which case it is extremely useful. People with illnesses should be polite enough to wave off the healthy. They don't have to live on a desert island, but they should be mature about interacting with others. That includes the common cold, chicken pox, or herpes. Eyes4
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Simplyme Joined: 18 May 2008 Posts: 156				Posted: Tue Jul 22, 2008 12:58 am    Post subject:     I agree with both. The stigma that comes with AIDS I believe deters a lot of people from wanting or going out to get the facts. Those who know they are sick and contagious in any form should be the ones using extreme precaution and making sure they are not putting other lives at risk.
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bizofwords Joined: 11 Jul 2008 Posts: 167				Posted: Tue Jul 22, 2008 12:11 pm    Post subject:     Simplyme wrote: I agree with both. The stigma that comes with AIDS I believe deters a lot of people from wanting or going out to get the facts. Those who know they are sick and contagious in any form should be the ones using extreme precaution and making sure they are not putting other lives at risk. Yes, but HIV isn't transmitted like the common cold. There are plenty of precautions that can be taken to let people with HIV/AIDS lead a more or less healthy, normal life
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Froix Joined: 10 Jun 2008 Posts: 105				Posted: Tue Jul 22, 2008 3:17 pm    Post subject:     Quote: What can society do to reduce the stigma of HIV/AIDS enough to get people to learn more and want to accept help? By in turn getting the people in the society to learn more of the HIV virus, this stigma can be reduced. Ultimately though, it falls to the person who needs help to get help and to what kind of support he has from friends and family. _________________ Life is what we make it, always has been, always will be. ~Grandma Moses
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mamatito33 Joined: 23 Jun 2008 Posts: 60				Posted: Tue Jul 22, 2008 3:40 pm    Post subject:     eyes4 wrote: What is the stigma? Why reduce it? Is the term being used in a negative connotation? If so, is it something to be ashamed of? (If the way they contracted the virus is something they are ashamed of, it's a little late to be shy. If they are a true victim of circumstance they have nothing to be ashamed of - and prolonged anger isn't a healthy response.) A stigma is just a mark (or tattoo) used to categorize something. Sometimes the mark means 'use with caution' or 'at your own risk'. In which case it is extremely useful. People with illnesses should be polite enough to wave off the healthy. They don't have to live on a desert island, but they should be mature about interacting with others. That includes the common cold, chicken pox, or herpes. Eyes4 That is all true, unfortunately there are far too many ignorant hate mongering people out there that are more than happy to throw stones at someone with AIDS. They dont' care how the person got it or if they can get it from taht person or not. You know, even now in the US where we are so educated about AIDS, there are those stubborn hatefilled people that want to do bodily injury to anyone that they see as different. That is the stigma. People with AIDS are often afraid to let it be known. In many countries they still isolate or even kill people with AIDS in more backward areas. How do we reach them?
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bizofwords Joined: 11 Jul 2008 Posts: 167				Posted: Wed Jul 23, 2008 11:48 am    Post subject:     mamatito33 wrote: That is all true, unfortunately there are far too many ignorant hate mongering people out there that are more than happy to throw stones at someone with AIDS. They dont' care how the person got it or if they can get it from taht person or not. You know, even now in the US where we are so educated about AIDS, there are those stubborn hatefilled people that want to do bodily injury to anyone that they see as different. That is the stigma. People with AIDS are often afraid to let it be known. In many countries they still isolate or even kill people with AIDS in more backward areas. How do we reach them? That's a big part of what I was driving at with my initial question. In other posts in the boards there is talk of African Americans being more susceptible and yet, overall, the African American community is still very much against homosexual behaviors and think that AIDS is a gay disease because of the initial information that people had (or suspected). Outreach is so very important in this; the labeling of AIDS as a gay disease really stopped a lot of things and led to progress being much slower now.
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Postman Joined: 23 Jul 2008 Posts: 40				Posted: Sun Jul 27, 2008 9:48 am    Post subject:     I think that the best way is educating others of how diseases like this could infect them. People, who are scared of being infected with HIV are being ignorant because they can’t be infected with just talking to them.
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mabel normand Joined: 08 Jul 2008 Posts: 28				Posted: Mon Jul 28, 2008 9:29 pm    Post subject:     You know, even now in the US where we are so educated about AIDS, there are those stubborn hatefilled people that want to do bodily injury to anyone that they see as different. Which people are these? Where do they live?
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bizofwords Joined: 11 Jul 2008 Posts: 167				Posted: Tue Jul 29, 2008 2:43 pm    Post subject:     mabel normand wrote: You know, even now in the US where we are so educated about AIDS, there are those stubborn hatefilled people that want to do bodily injury to anyone that they see as different. Which people are these? Where do they live? Think about the cases last fall about the nooses being hung from the "all white tree" - on school grounds - after a couple of african american teens sat under it. A couple of weeks ago in Washington DC a couple of guys went into a pizza place after a night out dancing and were beaten down by a group of 8 other young "men" who taunted them because they were gay. think about the case in texas years back where james bird (sp) was dragged behind a pickup truck simply because he was black. think about matthew shephard. every day there are hate crimes. they happen in every community and to a wide variety of people.
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