tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12243869.post7797107394305142836..comments2023-10-31T03:35:59.876-07:00Comments on once i wanted to be the greatest: No one ever told me grief felt so like fearryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12371313291486703652noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12243869.post-36540489125871052642006-12-28T14:56:00.000-08:002006-12-28T14:56:00.000-08:00Oh, and one more thing: I would, without a moment'...Oh, and one more thing: I would, without a moment's hesitation, classify obesity and the skyrocketing rates of diabetes in this country as a health crisis. honest to god, my paranoia about someday contracting diabetes is second only to my paranoia about contracting HIV.ryanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12371313291486703652noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12243869.post-17388107434046570762006-12-28T14:51:00.000-08:002006-12-28T14:51:00.000-08:00I know you never implied Dan Savage was any kind o...I know you never implied Dan Savage was any kind of authority; I also hope you realize that my rant was aimed at him, not at you. I guess I should have clarified that.<br /><br />As far as defining something as a "crisis" or an "epidemic," then yes, I suppose it all comes down to semantics. I'm sure there are plenty of cancer activists who would classify tobacco-related deaths as a crisis, or MADD members who would characterize drunk driving accidents as a public crisis. It just so happens that I feel very passionately about AIDS, so I choose to characterize it as a crisis in my own terms. Largely since so much of the new infections seem to stem from carelessness, or intentional disregard for health or consequences that seems directly related to the mental health and overall self-esteem of an entire group of people. If things continue as they are unabated, it's not entirely unlikely that we could see another explosion, or crisis, if you will, of the virus, and a whole new generation of lives wiped out. Frankly, I find that absolutely terrifying, and if that doesn't fall into (at the very least an "impending") a crisis category, I'm not sure what does.<br /><br />I very much appreciate your input. I sincerely apologize if it felt like I was yelling at you instead of the real target.ryanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12371313291486703652noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12243869.post-25795158068133260242006-12-28T10:28:00.000-08:002006-12-28T10:28:00.000-08:00i didn't say anything about dan savage being an au...i didn't say anything about dan savage being an authority in anything gay- or AIDS-related, but the guy has been an advocate and writer following the epidemic for quite a long time, and has some well-taken points. <br /><br />does people being less careful about safe sex (or less careful about abusing drugs) really equal the situation in the 1980s? nobody had any idea what this "cancer" was, or how is was contracted, and various levels of government adopted measures that either ignored or exacerbated the problem. that sounds like a crisis, to me. a lack of willingness to adhere to preventative measures seems like something different, even if it is widespread (or regionally concentrated).<br /><br />my feeling is that not everything that kills someone is a "crisis." people choose to smoke cigarettes and drive drunk, yet we don't refer to the lung cancer crisis or the drunk driving crisis. people also make poor decisions that increase their risk for heart disease and diabetes (both of which kill more people and put a larger strain on the health care infrastructure in this country than HIV & AIDS). we, likewise, we don't have a breast cancer "crisis." <br /><br />these may seem like semantical points, but precisely defining a problem is important to treating it.bhhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10900492354634053246noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12243869.post-61706181955171074752006-12-28T09:28:00.000-08:002006-12-28T09:28:00.000-08:00Well, seeing as how Dan Savage is the authoritativ...Well, seeing as how Dan Savage is the authoritative voice in all things gay, I guess he's right that there's no more crisis. Or not. What I actually forgot to include in that post about "AIDS fatigue," is that AIDS is starting to make a big comeback in urban areas among 20-something men who don't remember everybody dying in the 80's. They don't know people with AIDS (although right at this moment, I can count at least 5 people I know or have dated that have HIV, all of them under 35), therefore they're being less careful about safe sex (aka "condom fatigue"), and well, the vicious cycle continues. There's also been a huge surge in cocaine and methamphetamine use in inner cities (particulularly on the east coast), which many HIV experts believe is contributing heavily to the cause of the rise in HIV. So Dan Savage can shove it up his self-righteous ass.<br /><br />I've become kind of obsessed with AIDS lately.ryanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12371313291486703652noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12243869.post-45928548696060036792006-12-28T09:20:00.000-08:002006-12-28T09:20:00.000-08:00please say you have a recording of your four-year ...please say you have a recording of your four-year old nephew speaking spanish. <br />i know you're not a fan, but dan savage has an interesting take on the "AIDS crisis." he believes the crisis phase ended once the virus was identified, and prevention methods became well known. (the epidemic, though, goes on.) i guess it all hinges on what one means by "crisis."bhhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10900492354634053246noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12243869.post-28366912032309728242006-12-27T23:41:00.000-08:002006-12-27T23:41:00.000-08:00You're a great uncle!You're a great uncle!Stacyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17689854556419076475noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12243869.post-31058601656985595872006-12-27T20:40:00.000-08:002006-12-27T20:40:00.000-08:00Geese totally scare the crap out of me. I was cha...Geese totally scare the crap out of me. I was chased by them at the Mill too many times.Mandyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02271871362091384360noreply@blogger.com