http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/topic/stephen-fry-hiv-and-me Just another bbPress community en-US Thu, 23 May 2013 19:19:08 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=1.0.2 q http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/search.php http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/topic/stephen-fry-hiv-and-me#post-44276 Mon, 19 Nov 2007 08:21:24 +0000 TOKYOGAL87 44276@http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/ I WATCHED THE SHOW YESTERDAY ON YOUTUBE AND IS VERY MOVING. SOMEBODY ON THE ON FORUM SAID THAT HAS READ ON METRO THAT THE SHOW WAS AIM FOR 20 SOMETHING PEOPLE BUT PBABLY THESE HAVEN'T WATCH THE SHOW. IT MIGHT BE, PROBABLY THEY GOT SOMETHING BETTER TO DO, AND I SAY THEN AS STHEPEHN SAID SPREAD THE WORLD AND NOT THE VIRUS, THERE'S EVEN A PAGE ON BBC.CO.UK/HEALT. I WAS REALLY SHOCKED ABOUT THE GIFT GIVING, THIS IS ORRIBLE I CAN BELIEVE IT I MEAN I DON'T UNDESTAND WHY. AS I AM 20 YEARS OLD (TODAY IS MY BIRTHDAY) I THINK THAT W GOT TO DO SOMETHING, WE'RE THE NEXT GENERATION. REALLY LEARNED A LOT THANKS FRY http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/topic/stephen-fry-hiv-and-me#post-40544 Mon, 15 Oct 2007 22:18:17 +0000 Two-left-feet 40544@http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/ A very serious topic dealt with using impeccable tact and also with some humour. A very touching and moving documentary, that was needed. Highlighting how easily we have forgotten how dangerous this illness is.<br /> <br /> just seeing the traillers for this had me worried and in tears. I certainly feared the worst from the title of the show.<br /> <br /> <br /> I really feel for all involved in the show.<br /> <br /> Simon. http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/topic/stephen-fry-hiv-and-me#post-40417 Sun, 14 Oct 2007 15:09:32 +0000 Carrie 40417@http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/ I was very pleased that a new HIV documentary was made. I recorded it for my daughter, and her best mate, a gay man, the same age as her, 24.<br /> Because they were born in the 80's, they think of HIV and Aids as something that happened to people &quot;in the olden days&quot;, and because the profile of the virus has dropped off the radar they think they are as likely to catch it as they are to contract the plauge.<br /> What can we do to make our youngsters realise this is not something that has gone away, just because the treatment has got so much better, and we no longer see as many people who look like ill aids sufferers?. <br /> One thing I did find really disturbing about the program was the revelation that much of the money donated for the welfare of HIV sufferers in other countries is syphoned off by corrupt officials [it probably is here in the UK too if the truth was known], and people of those countries were not getting the treatment that they should as the money is disapearing. This is a massive problem - what do we do? stop donating, as the people who need the money arent getting it anyway? , or keep giving and hope that some gets through? - I dont know any more. http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/topic/stephen-fry-hiv-and-me#post-40342 Fri, 12 Oct 2007 21:44:12 +0000 Trouble 40342@http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/ Firstly I just want to say what a brilliant documentary this was. As with the documentaries Stephen has done on manic depression and the more personal 'Who Do You Think You Are', parts of this had me in tears. I was especially incensed to hear about the stigma surrounding the disease, the belief that infected people somehow deserve it for being promiscuous, or in the 'wrong' kind of relationship, and the idea that there is 'good' AIDS (that caught via blood transfusions) and 'bad' AIDS (that caught via sex). I cannot get my head around some people; why do certain cretins on this planet believe that they are qualified to inform others' how to live their lives? I've always believed in the simple maxim, that as long as what you do has no harmful impact upon another human being, then you are a good person. By comparison, the idiots who abuse, slander and generally disrupt the lives of others are a reason to believe in karma ... I can only hope they'll get their commuppance.<br /> <br /> Regarding those who go out of their way to get HIV, I can only think that these are the same types of people you see destroying their livers or their septums with reckless abandon every weekend, or cutting their wrists then rolling their sleeves up as a fashion statement ... I've even begun to notice a trend amongst young people for 'fashionable' eating disorders: i.e. starving themselves and then talking about it constantly. Not only does this sort of behaviour make a mockery of people with crippling addictions, depression, eating disorders, or those who truly self harm, it also raises pertinent questions about the mental state of young people in the West. There's always been a tendency amongst adolescents of any geographical origin for recklessness and fulfilment of the Freudian death wish, but in recent years (in affluent countries where life is considered 'safe') it really does seem that, if you're not prepared to risk your health or your life, you're an outcast amongst your peers ... this wish to catch a truly life changing, terminal disease such as HIV takes this idea to the next level. Put simply, people who desire to catch it want to belong to a newer, more exciting club; drugs and alcohol have lost their stigma, sexuality is an open book, therefore, actively seeking HIV is the biological equivalent of 'tombstoning'.<br /> <br /> Incredulous behaviour aside, I hope this documentary goes some way to counteracting the stigma surrounding HIV / AIDS; I think Stephen was right to say that, because it's sexually related, people frown upon it (why when we know so much about science are we still so mortified about sex?). I also think that people continue to associate AIDS with sudden and certain death, thus a sufferer is treated as those with Leprosy, TB or Plague once were. Unfortunately, there are still many human beings whose minds exist in the middle ages, we can only hope that they watched this documentary. Hopefully, in the near future HIV / AIDS will be accorded the same status as cancer within society, something which nobody deserves and something which deserves to be beaten. http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/topic/stephen-fry-hiv-and-me#post-40165 Thu, 11 Oct 2007 04:15:56 +0000 Anonymous 40165@http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/ through some bizarre fairy magic, i saw both parts of hiv and me... um, revealed to me in a dream &lt;img src=&quot;http://www.stephenfry.com/bb-content/plugins//bb-smilies/default/icon_wink.gif&quot; title=&quot;;-)&quot; class=&quot;bb_smilies&quot; /&gt; <br /> <br /> the last couple that were interviewed are so wonderful and inspiring. to go on having a family and doing as much as they can to fulfill thier wishes in life. and without self pity.<br /> <br /> i'd like to be that way.<br /> <br /> i know that heather and perry evans may never read this, but i will think about them a lot in the future. cheers. http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/topic/stephen-fry-hiv-and-me#post-40103 Wed, 10 Oct 2007 16:45:45 +0000 Fryphile 40103@http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/ La-la-la. La-la-la. pm me if you want part two La-la-la. Pleasant day, what? http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/topic/stephen-fry-hiv-and-me#post-40063 Wed, 10 Oct 2007 08:31:49 +0000 Gertrude Susanne 40063@http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/ <br /> Even though it was exasperating obvious that the test was going to be negative, I can empathize with the illogical anxiety; when my period's a little late, I've had the thought, &quot;There's absolutely zero chance I'm pregnant, and yet . . . &quot;<br /> <br /> Seriously, though: All in all, very good documentary. I liked TSLOTMD because my mom's a psychiatrist and was glad that people were learning more on the subject (well, other than the fact that people are STILL calling it &quot;depression&quot; online . . . ), and I liked HIV and Me because *I* learned a lot and was encouraged to look up more on the subject. Almost convinces me to be an AIDS researcher.</blockquote><br /> <br /> The wait for the test result to come back IS indeed quite nerve-racking, even when you <em>know </em>there is absolutely NO chance it would be positive. I had one done back in the 1990s, just for fun actually, because it was made available at the pharmaceutical company I worked for at the time (which was involved in AIDS research) and back then it took weeks for the (indeed negative) result to come through... <br /> <br /> I wish they had elaborated even more on treatments, I know that AZT was mentioned, but I remember 3TC and dt4 and all the rest, and all the research into candidate vaccines derived from IIIB and MN virus strains (which turned out to be not as successful as was expected). It is shocking to hear that young people think, all it takes to keep the disease under control is to take a tablet &lt;img src=&quot;http://www.stephenfry.com/bb-content/plugins//bb-smilies/default/icon_eek.gif&quot; title=&quot;8-O&quot; class=&quot;bb_smilies&quot; /&gt; <br /> <br /> But I am glad they also mentioned that haemophiliacs contracted the disease through blood transfusions... there was no test available to screen blood donations for HIV-1 or HIV-2 (or for HCV), but the arrival of both the HCV test and PCR (polymerase chain reaction) has contributed enormously to the safety of blood transfusions and blood products in general....<br /> <br /> AIDS is a fascinating field of research, wouldn´t it be excellent if one day you found yourself working in it, MinervaMoon &lt;img src=&quot;http://www.stephenfry.com/bb-content/plugins//bb-smilies/default/icon_biggrin.gif&quot; title=&quot;:D&quot; class=&quot;bb_smilies&quot; /&gt; (if that is what you really want)<br /> <br /> Thank you Mr Fry for getting involved in making this documentary. All we can hope for is that it has been a wake-up call to many, not only to perhaps reconsider their conduct in certain situations, which is in their own best interest, but also to take a more open-minded view and shed some of the prejudices, in order to make the lives of those affected by the disease not even more bleak by shunning, abusing or humiliating them, but rather support them in their - let´s face it - fight for life... http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/topic/stephen-fry-hiv-and-me#post-40058 Wed, 10 Oct 2007 01:59:56 +0000 MinervaMoon 40058@http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/ I was preoccupied with recreating the thoughts of the two other people waiting for their results at the clinic, obviously nail-bitingly worried, when they saw him (of all people) walk out the door to join them.<br /> <br /> Even though it was exasperating obvious that the test was going to be negative, I can empathize with the illogical anxiety; when my period's a little late, I've had the thought, &quot;There's absolutely zero chance I'm pregnant, and yet . . . &quot;<br /> <br /> Seriously, though: All in all, very good documentary. I liked TSLOTMD because my mom's a psychiatrist and was glad that people were learning more on the subject (well, other than the fact that people are STILL calling it &quot;depression&quot; online . . . ), and I liked HIV and Me because *I* learned a lot and was encouraged to look up more on the subject. Almost convinces me to be an AIDS researcher. http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/topic/stephen-fry-hiv-and-me#post-40055 Tue, 09 Oct 2007 23:32:21 +0000 Fryed-And-Tested 40055@http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/ I was strangely nervous, too, at that point. Although, the media being what it is, I think the news would have leaked if it was bad. Some people are bastards. Anyway, congratulations on another great documentary, Stephen! Keep up the good work! http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/topic/stephen-fry-hiv-and-me#post-40040 Tue, 09 Oct 2007 22:06:01 +0000 Dinkydaisy 40040@http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/ For whatever reason I was so nervous before Stephen was told he was negative... though the chances of him being positive were like nil. http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/topic/stephen-fry-hiv-and-me#post-39979 Tue, 09 Oct 2007 13:15:25 +0000 katysara 39979@http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/ Wow Banjo, I can hardly believe homosexuality was still illegal there until 2003, that's just... gobsmackingly awful. &lt;img src=&quot;http://www.stephenfry.com/bb-content/plugins//bb-smilies/default/icon_confused.gif&quot; title=&quot;:?&quot; class=&quot;bb_smilies&quot; /&gt; <br /> <br /> KSx http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/topic/stephen-fry-hiv-and-me#post-39607 Sat, 06 Oct 2007 01:57:44 +0000 Anonymous 39607@http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/ in oklahoma :<br /> <br /> homosexuality was decriminalized in 2003, and when i last read about a gay pride parade in tulsa they had to call it &quot;diversity day&quot; instead of gay pride, and most of the floats had trash thrown at them throughout thier very short route.<br /> <br /> my sex education became more and more about &quot;abstinence only&quot; as i got older. things got more conservative. one of the senators of that state wants to relabel condoms to say they do not protect against std's. (THEN who's going to use them or care??) <br /> <br /> abstinence-only sex education is not only unrealistic, it's sole reason for existing is religion. and it works on a curriculum of fear. <br /> <br /> i do remember being educated about aids, but it was often in a way that insinuated the govt was making the teacher do it, the teacher didn't want to talk about it, and most people thought it only existed in big cities.<br /> <br /> i wonder how things are there now. http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/topic/stephen-fry-hiv-and-me#post-39546 Fri, 05 Oct 2007 10:56:24 +0000 Anonymous 39546@http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/ Regarding the Polish situation - look up Roman Giertych on Wikipedia. ALso the fact that there are 'family values' marches following Gay Pride marches (as if the two were mutually exclusive for fuck' s sake). http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/topic/stephen-fry-hiv-and-me#post-39535 Fri, 05 Oct 2007 09:41:17 +0000 MinervaMoon 39535@http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/ The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bugchasing_and_giftgiving">Wikipedia article</a> about &quot;gift-giving&quot;. Enlightening and horrifying. http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/topic/stephen-fry-hiv-and-me#post-39533 Fri, 05 Oct 2007 08:36:27 +0000 Gertrude Susanne 39533@http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/ I don't know any people with HIV personally, thus I have no personal knowledge of the abuse they experience. But I bet many are as shunned and abused in Germany as they are in Britain. This is a disgrace for our societies who call themselves modern and educated, and almost makes me cry in anger and frustration. <br /> </blockquote><br /> <br /> One of the patients (and he happened to be a straight haemophiliac who had contracted the infection through some blood transfusion...) in our trial told me that he once was told by more or less a complete stranger that &quot;it served him right as he had brought the disease on himself&quot; &lt;img src=&quot;http://www.stephenfry.com/bb-content/plugins//bb-smilies/default/icon_eek.gif&quot; title=&quot;8-O&quot; class=&quot;bb_smilies&quot; /&gt; &lt;img src=&quot;http://www.stephenfry.com/bb-content/plugins//bb-smilies/default/icon_eek.gif&quot; title=&quot;8-O&quot; class=&quot;bb_smilies&quot; /&gt; <br /> Would anyone ever say to someone having been diagnosed with for example colon cancer &quot;well, serves you right, because you could not be convinced to go on a high-fibre diet?&quot; What is the matter with our societies? <br /> <br /> And yes, please expand on the situation in Poland, Mr Steed...