Reflections on World AIDS Day...

[marmar]

It takes me back to freshman year at college, when I was a reporter for the paper, covering an event at which people living with AIDS told their life stories. After the event was over, I interviewed one of the main speakers and he shook my hand. Despite my perception of myself as the posterchild for openmindedness, and despite everything I knew about how you can and cannot get AIDS, I went into the bathroom after he shook my hand and washed my hand.
But I couldn't stop thinking about it all day. Later on in my apartment, a tear rolled down my cheek, because I was so FURIOUS with myself for washing my hand. It's not like the speaker saw me do it, so his feelings weren't hurt, but I was furious with myself for giving in to such irrational paranoid fear and prejudice.
But in the end, I'm glad it happened. It raised my consciousness, about the victims of AIDS and how vigilant we have to be in fighting the prejudice.
And most importantly, we can never forget. There are all kinds of horrors we've tackled here on DU - the Iraq War, Hurricane Katrina, Sept. 11. And let us not forget that those events, as horrible as they are, combined didn't kill as many people as AIDS will in a month or so in Africa.
Never forget.

:grouphug:

[marmar]

1. self-kick....

n/t