FEAR AND LOATHING IN TV LANDDaytime television has robbed me of my intellect. That sounds alarmingly
like the opening statement of an episode of Trisha; something these days I
know a great deal about. Brain cells previously occupied by a rapier grasp
of the interaction between tuberculosis medication and antiretrovirals, have
been usurped by vacuous housewifely titbits gleaned from This Morning. I can
tell you how to get red wine stains out of your shag pile carpet, but bugger
me if I know how to string together an informed sentence.
I may be stupefied by television, but even I came close to the resurrection
of my shattered power of thought after seeing news coverage of a supposedly
new strain of HIV. Headlines screamed of a mutated killer strain, resistant
to all classes of anti-HIV medication, which developed to full blown Aids
within one year. Pursed-lipped ‘experts’ lectured news readers
about the dangers of casual sex and a cavalier attitude to HIV. You may think
it’s not so bad, they indicated, but the spectre of Aids is going to
get you unless you repent your evil ways. Fear and HIV is back on the agenda,
it would seem.
I became sexually active during the first HIV awareness campaign that featured
ominous tombstones and icebergs. I was in no way enlightened about what HIV
was, only a vague suspicion that it had something to do with the Titanic and
that it was something to fear and avoid at all costs. Didn’t stop me
from catching it, mind. Will alarmist news reports prevent the spread of HIV
today?
I realise there is still a lot of ignorance about the virus and an alarming
percentage of young people erroneously believe there is a cure for HIV. However,
should prevention campaigns focus on fear? News reports on the ‘killer
strain’ seem based on the case of one individual living with HIV, yet
were extrapolated extensively. Little significance seemed to be given to the
possibility that it was his body’s unique reaction to HIV, not a mutated
super-virus on the loose, which had led him to progress to Aids within a year.
Should this story have really been given such prominence in the news? Is it
really news or simply part of a fear-fuelled prevention agenda?
I’m concerned prevention campaigns that focus on fear of HIV will fuel
the public’s fear of us; people living with the virus, and heighten
stigma and discrimination. Just when news coverage on Chris Smith MP, living
a normal full life with HIV, prominently dispelled many of the myths, this
‘super bug’ story exploded on the news, with echoes of the fear-filled
furore of the past.
One of the many accusations levelled my way (as the Myra Hindley of the HIV
world) is that I glamorise HIV to such an extent that impressionable young
girls will rush out to contract the virus in a frenzy of fashionable bug chasing.
For the record, HIV is not the new black this season and I would not recommend
it. However, I make no apology for the fact that HIV has so far failed to
prevent me from living an enjoyable, full life. I recognise this is not the
case for many people living with HIV, in particular the many millions who
do not have access to medication. And certainly, given a choice, I would opt
not to have contracted the virus. I am sometimes fearful about the future,
but more often I am optimistic.
A close friend was recently featured in The Guardian talking about his experiences
of living with HIV. His story is occasionally harrowing, like the time he
contracted TB and almost died, but mostly it is positive, humorous and inspiring.
My best friend was diagnosed HIV positive a few months ago and continues to
work tirelessly, travel extensively and describes HIV as “a bit of a
bore” despite an erratically fluctuating CD4 count and my onerous demands
on his time. Both of these men have not allowed the virus to consume their
lives or define who they are. However, are their stories of being HIV positive
too positive for the mass media’s hunger for alarmist tales of woe?
At any rate, HIV has not been a barrier to me getting knocked up, having a
baby and descending into staggering stupification through daytime telly. Excuse
me, gotta go or I’ll miss The Weakest Link.
