Impact of Stigma on the Fight Against AIDS

Impact of Stigma on the Fight Against AIDS Stigma is an essential constraint in the fight against AIDS. Discuss. 1500 words. In 2008, the World Health Organization argued that ‘†¦HIV-related stigma and discrimination are often prevalent within health services, and are critical obstacles to provision and uptake of health sector interventions. Stigma and discrimination—often pervasive at all levels of society—sustain an environment where it is difficult for health services to attract the people who most need the interventions.’ (World Health Organization HIV/AIDS Department 2008: p.12) As the same organisation reports, every day, over 6,800 people become infected with HIV and over 5,700 die. This paper discusses the way in which the stigmatisation of Aids sufferers impedes understanding of their condition, and the ability of society to address the problem holistically. It argues that society has a tendency to vilify target groups over problematical and divisive health issues, and offers earlier examples of these practices . Commenting on preventative measures in South Africa, the World Health Organisation again points out that ‘†¦it is important to collect information on higher risk male-male sex, on sexual behaviour among sex workers, on both injecting behaviour and sexual behaviour among injecting drug users, and on sexual behaviours in other groups that may be at higher risk.’ (World Health Organisation 2008: p.14) Whilst their analysis is based on positivist evidence, the identification of certain groups as most at risk introduces the parallel risk that they will be perceived by others – as solely or especially responsible for the prevalence of the condition. The urge to discriminate against a range of social groups appears to be a very deep seated one in Western societies. As Rothman points out, ‘Individualsearn prestige on the basis of their own efforts†¦or personal attributes (physical attractiveness, intelligence), but there is also a powerful structural dimension to prestige.’ (Rothman 1993: p.12). How ever, certain social groups appear particularly vulnerable to stigmatisation around issues of sexuality and disease: HIV and AIDS sufferers, it may be argued, are the latest group to suffer the re-interpretation of such prejudice. It seems fair to argue therefore that the defeat of stigmatisation is instrumental in the eradication of HIV/AIDS, and almost as important as the medical phenomenon itself. As one commentator puts it, If AIDS is to be defeated, war must be waged against poverty, ignorance, stigmatisation, violence and promiscuity.’ (The Economist 2002). Historically speaking, social explanations and interpretations of disease have always been mediated through cultural perceptions, and frequently manipulated for political purposes. Dirt, disease, sexuality and danger were frequently and unfavourably juxtaposed in public discussions of epidemics, whether relating to sexually transmitted diseases or not. A common theme in such discourses is a moralising view of the infected, and an inference that their behaviour was a major contributory factor in the spread of the disease to others. For example, when Cholera struck nineteenth century Britain, which had not yet developed a germ-theory of disease, its spread was attributed to ‘noxious effluvias’, ‘poisonous vapours’ and ‘obnoxious atmospheres’ generated in the environment of the poor and labouring classes. (Jones 1992: p.38) It was they who were effectively stigmatised with the dissemination of the disease, despite its prevalence amongst all social groups. As Mort reports, the official response was ‘†¦to isolate the human sources of infection, subjecting them to a regime of compulsory inspection and detention, combined with propaganda to educate the poor into a regime of cleanliness and morality.’ (Mort 2000: p.13) Official efforts to limit prostitution focused exclusively on female sexuality through the notorious Contagious Diseases Acts, which exposed any woman within certain geographical areas to arbitrary arrest, medical examination and detention. A common theme in these scenarios, many of which were mirrored elsewhere, is the subjective location of societal health problems in the behaviour and identity of disempowered groups. In each instance – as in the case of HIV/AIDS, responsibility for wider societal ills is linked to a largely voiceless faction, who not only  have poor lateral integration into society, but also less than sympathetic media representation. These behaviours and attitudes are obviously culturally mediated, and vary according to the host society: there is, however, no shortage of empirical examples. In Jamaica, otherwise respected social platforms such as evangelical churches and political parties, as well as popular music celebrities, combine the fear of AIDS with virulent homophobic attitudes. ‘†¦Dance-hall music—todays reggae—blasts across Jamaica. Its lyrics are often direct exhortations to kill gay people, or others who displease the islands gangs. Jamaica Labour Party supporters tauntingly played â€Å"Chi Chi Man†, a song about killing and setting fire to gay men, at their rallies during the general election†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ (The Economist 2004). Elsewhere, it has been shifting positions and indecision which have delayed an effective response. In Mozambique, educational programmes aimed at 14 year olds are of uncertain utility, because 40 per cent of the nation’s children do not attend school, and, as The Economist points out, ‘†¦their parents find it difficult to talk to them about sex. So do most public figures. Even ministers are loath to say they have taken a test. Rarely, if ever, does anyone famous admit to being HIV-positive.’ (The Economist 2002) This situation is mirrored in South Africa, where, as Campell et al. indicate ‘†¦many parents simply refuse to acknowledge the very possibility of youth sexuality†¦that their children are sexually active†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢. (Campbell et al. 2006: p.132) The South African government has been engaged in a rearguard against international attitudes which, it felt, were unfairly slanted against its citizens. Recently however, it has rounded on the latter, admonishing those who it perceives as most responsible for the virulence of the disease. President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa said that ‘†¦You cant be going around having hugely promiscuous sex all over the place and hope that you wont be affected by something or the other.’ (The Economist 2002) Campbell et al. argue that such stigmatization is a form of ‘†¦Ã¢â‚¬ psychological policing†, where those who break power relations of gender and generation are disciplined and punished.’ (Campbell et al 2006: p.132). In Tanzania, Haram reports it is again women who are stigmatized in this way, through images of ‘defilement and displacement’: ‘†¦particular concern is directed towards the displacement of young†¦women, who m isuse their sexuality to achieve a†¦luxurious life , by luring wealthy†¦men†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ (Haram 2005: p.5) The overriding point here is that stigmatization, as much as mis-information and chimerical moral panics, are ultimately as damaging to those disseminating them as they are the stigmatized and abandoned victims of HIV/AIDS themselves. As Mort point out, ‘Two themes have surfaced repeatedly: competing understandings of perversion and normality and the social meanings attached to sexual acts and lifestyles.’ (Mort 2000: p.xviii) The obscuring and short-circuiting of accurate knowledge or effective counter measures merely ensures the continued presence of the infection in society, making it statistically certain that further innocent victims will fall prey to the disease. An analogy with earlier models of stigmatization illustrates this mechanism of self destruction. It was completely useless to persecute nineteenth century paupers and women as the sole sources of cholera or venereal disease, since this stood no chance of eliminating either condition. Similarly, the stigmat isation of women or the gay community cannot eliminate an HIV virus which is equally capable of infecting other social groups. In the twenty-first century, the social stigmatization of these groups overlooks the specificities of the condition, such as the growing convergence of HIV/TB epidemics. There are notable and laudable exceptions to these patterns of behaviour: for example, in Botswana, mining companies such as Debswana have introduced educational and non-discriminatory protocols as an operational strategy, not only for health, but for commercial survival. As The Economist points out, the company ‘†¦reckoned that if it did nothing, its mines would go the way of Zambias, which have to train four people for each skilled job in the knowledge that three will die. Even in 1997 the annual cost of AIDS per employee in the Botswana Diamond Valuing Company was calculated to be $237.’ (The Economist 2002) . As these pages were being written, the World Health Organization was attempting to polarize global attention and effort through an international AIDS effort, and focusing very much on prevention and understanding. First and foremost, we must do a much better job of prevention. This is the only way to get ahead and ensure an adequate long-term response. We u rgently need to scale up the use of proven context-specific prevention methods. We also need to expand linkages between sectors – for example, to introduce and scale up comprehensive sexuality education for young people.’ (Chan 2008). The problem is, as Haram argues, that such efforts need to be mediated through local knowledge, identifying the obstacles to behavioural change. (Haram 2005: p.9) Bibliography Campbell, C., Y.Nair, and S Maimane, (2006). Aids Stigma, Sexual Moralities and the Policing of Women and Youth in South Africa. Feminist Review 83 (Special Edition on Sexual Moralities). P. Chan, M., (2008), ‘HIV/AIDS: Universal Action Now’ World Health Organisation Website, INTERNET, available at http://www.who.int/dg/speeches/2008/20080803/en/index.html [viewed 5.1.08] Haram, L. (2005). AIDS and risk: The handling of uncertainty in northern Tanzania. Culture, Health and Sexuality 7 (1): 1-11. Jones, K., (1992), The Making of Social Policy in Britain, 1830-1990, Athlone Press, London. Mort, F., (2000), Dangerous Sexualities: Medico-Moral Politics in England since 1830, 2nd Edition, Routledge, London. Rothman, R., (1993), Inequality and Stratification: Class, Colour, and Gender, 2nd Edition, Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey. Unattributed, ‘The Fear that Spreads Death’, The Economist, 25 Nov 2004, INTERNET, available at http://www.economist.com/world/americas/displaystory.cfm?story_id=3437101 [viewed 5.1.08] Unattributed, ‘Fighting back’, The Economist, 9th May 2002, INTERNET, available at http://www.economist.com/world/displaystory.cfm?story_id=E1_TTNDTDJ [viewed 5.1.08] World Health Organization HIV/AIDS Department, (2008), Priority Interventions, HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment and care in the health sector, WHO. World Health Organization/Unaids/Unicef, (2008), Epidemiological Fact Sheet on HIV and AIDS: South Africa, INTERNET, available at http://www.who.int/globalatlas/predefinedReports/EFS2008/full/EFS2008_ZA.pdf [viewed 5.1.08]

Technology and Happiness in Civilization and Its Discontents and Waitin

Technology and Happiness in Civilization and Its Discontents and Waiting for Godot Happiness is something most humans value above everything else. The various things in life that make us happy, such as family, friends, and cool cars, to name a few, are the very things we hold dearest to us and place the most value on. People fill their lives with things that please them to ease the gloom that comes as a result of the seemingly never-ending trials and tribulations of life. We gladly accept any amount of pleasure we can extract from the monotony of our daily lives, and we will do almost anything to achieve happiness. Throughout Civilization and Its Discontents, Freud talks about happiness-why we don't have it and how to attain it. He blames civilization for people's general unhappiness. Civilization is obsessed with technology, figuring out how the world works, and controlling nature. This focus on and excess of technology and science may have advantages, but it also has many disadvantages, the main one being unhappiness. Civilization hinders man's instinctual drives. Man is born with these innate drives, and when he is not able to fulfill them, he becomes miserable. There are restrictions placed on the members of a society through cultural norms and beliefs. All these things put together add up to an unhappy society. Freud believes that aggression is a primal instinct, and civilization thwarts this instinct, making man unhappy. Civilized society controls man's tendency toward aggression through rules and laws and the presence of authority. These mechanisms are put in place to guarantee safety and happiness for all individuals in a society. However, the necessity of suppressing the aggressive drive in m... ...r us, and we will become lazy. What are we going to do all day if we have machines to make meals for us, to do our laundry, and to clean our houses? We would do nothing. We would become like Vladimir and Estragon in Waiting for Godot-we would be doing nothing more than existing, which we have seen does not bring much happiness. The fact that happiness is valuable is proven when one takes a look at the various aspects of an individual's life. Each person surrounds him/herself with the people and things that bring him/her the most pleasure. Our happiness is so important to us that we will do almost anything to be happy. While many people believe that technological advancements can bring happiness, there are too many problems that come along with these advancements that in the long run do not bring happiness. Better technology does not equal more happiness.

New Technology: Police Body Worn Cameras Essay

Our department is currently going to purchase new technology in the form of officer worn cameras. Over the next five years this technology will be put in place. The police department will see many benefits from this technology in the areas of evidence preservation, reduced liability and improved efficiency for the police department. The officer worn camera is a device that has become cost effective and efficient in size and capabilities. The camera is attached to the Officers uniform and allows the officer to capture video and audio of his activities throughout his tour of duty. This will be used to document traffic stops, consent searches and â€Å"res gestae† statements made to officers. The officer worn camera will reduce false allegations made against officers, and the investigative overhead that comes along with these allegations. The future benefits from the officer worn cameras in the reduction of liability to the city, the police department and the officer. According to Sir Ronnie Flanagan’s policing review published last week, not only do cameras provide improved evidence, they can also reduce the time taken to file incident reports by 22 per cent, which would give officers an extra 50 minutes of patrol time per officer per day, according to the report (Kelly, 2008) In this new era of budget shortfalls and diminished manpower this new technology can provide a more efficient police department by freeing up time that is normally spent on unnecessary investigations. Implementing reporting procedures using cameras and video can also reduce time spent on report writing duties. In Conclusion, the purchase of the officer worn cameras will reduce liability in cases where false accusations are made. Video statements can be used preserve evidence and the capability of reporting will create a more efficient police department. References: Foster, R. E. (2005). Police technology. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall Kelly, N. (2008). Police pilot body-worn cameras. Computing, 6. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/212414151?accountid=32521

Progressivism, The New Deal, And The Fair Deal - 1267 Words

An Overview of Progressivism, the New Deal, and the Fair Deal in the US Nameï ¼Å¡Xuan Wang Course: HIST 13C Date: 2017-08-26 The 20th century is one of the influential periods in the history of the United States. The period was characterized by the introduction of a wide range of policy frameworks with the purpose of bringing about necessary social and economic change. The government based interventions relied on the premise of ensuring that the country development was sustainable and equitable. The following is an evaluation of progressivism, the New Deal, and the Fair Deal, which had a significant impact in shaping the current status of the US. Even though different policy initiatives have been instrumental in modeling the US,†¦show more content†¦The New Deal had a rather different approach to the social and economic issues as its primary objective was through empowering people with adequate employment capacity and addressing the decreasing value of the US currency. Importantly, the New Deal initiative was initiated during the Great Depression in the 1930s; therefore, unlike the progressivism, this initiative was inclined towards reforming the lives of US citizens both socially and economically. Therefore, the creation of employment through government recruitment in various posts including firefighting and military was a major initiative of alleviating the crisis. Additionally, restoring public confidence in the government system was one of the essential approaches that would facilitate increased trust in the government, which was influenced through the enactment of monetary policy initiatives (Billington and Jackson 2017). Further, this reformative endeavor was characterized by the use of agricultural statutes to ensure that farmers in the rural areas were adequately empowered. Increasing the rate of employment would be vital in ensuring that the recovery was undertaken from a holistic point of view. 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