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July 17, 2002
The Innocence Mission
Ryan White always pissed me off.
No, that's not true. Ryan White was a child who died much too young. It's the use of him as a symbol that annoys the hell out of me. He was, essentially, advertised as an innocent victim of AIDS.
As opposed to the guilty victims. The ones who contracted the illness as God's Wrath.
Of course, prior to Ryan White, all of them were guilty victims. An idiotic notion, but younger readers may not recall the hysteria of the 80s. Lucky you. Acknowledging that it was "just" an illness, one that could strike anyone, was a step up. Using a blond, blue-eyed child to demonstrate this. . . wasn't quite a step up.
Heard a brief story on All Things Considered, about the brave Republican congressmen standing against the use of an HIV-positive muppet in the South African version of Sesame Street. If this sort of thing actually plays in their districts, praise Jebus I don't live in one of them.
E! Online, which is kinder than I, ends their story on the non-issue with:
In other words, the Muppet is staying in South Africa--leaving American kids with Elmo and Big Bird and certain American lawmakers with more pressing things to worry about.
The ATC story will be up later today. Give it a listen; one of the twats says, basically, that he doesn't buy the excuse that children in S.A. are affected differently than children here.
Doubt he can find South Africa on a map.
Hint: it's at the bottom of Africa
Hint: Africa is the one under Europe
Hint: Europe. . . ah, screw it.
Update 7/18: The All Things Considered link goes to the actual story now. Because deep linking is all good.
Posted by Aaron at July 17, 2002 04:37 PM
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Tracked on July 18, 2002 12:47 PM