HIV/AIDS, COVID-19, Monkeypox, Public Health vs. Politics, Opportunism, Freedom, Liberty, Media Narratives, Power, Gaetan Dugas aka 'Patient Zero' Revisited, Fauci
I lived through this period in California. I so look forward to this effort to describe it and to understand the differences it made. The nexus between the Aids Epidemic and same sex marriage is especially important, I think.
Since you mentioned History's most overrated thinker, Nietzsche's dingleberry, Foucault, I just want to add the perspective of dueling moralities and how mainstream morality has been flipped upside-down since the days of disco and Mapplethorpe's bullwhips.
In the 40ish yrs since the initial AIDS crisis, Queers have gone from maligned marginalized w super-wicked cooties to the protected darlings of the global corporate state with so much of our culture now dedicated to excavating History to find out who may have once had a same-sex crotch tingle and What That Means Today—quite an unexpected turnaround!
How the New Left managed to replace the proletariat w the Historically Marginalized and swap out the labor theory of value with a repurposed Christian morality (The Good Samaritan, the first shall be last, the meek shall inherent the earth etc) is the foundation of so much of our culture and discourse now and how we perceive the world, esp the past.
A new strong morality has cleared the field of all its enemies, and I have to be right because Foucault said so!
I have seen that earlier thread you wrote and it’s commendable that you are revisiting it with the benefit of hindsight, reflection and the newer experiences with COVID and now Monkey Pox. The social aspects and politicization of public health to the detriment and physical destruction of those they ostensibly cared for have to be more widely understood.
While the rabbit hole is a good metaphor, I am also reminded of the Minotaur, the labyrinth, the sacrificing of young men in response to a plague.
Regarding your paragraph about the plagues in Europe and subsequent rise in fortunes, parallels with gay marriage and what didn’t kill them made them stronger: this is potentially a post hoc ergo propter hoc fallacy and lacks a counterfactual.
Gallup data from 2021 has estimates of 9.6% of all LGBT adults in the US being in same sex marriage, only slightly up from 7.9% prior to the SCOTUS decision in 2015. I can’t agree that this is a major response and enough of a win.
Are you also reflecting on the lessons from the AIDS experience and how they might apply to the transgender phenomenon? It has become so destructive for so many young people, accompanied by politicization, exploitation, censorship and coercion.
I’ve been waiting for this topic from you, can’t wait!
This may be a three-parter, or even longer, depending on how I put it together.
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This is the content your totally straight readership has been clamoring for.
As with most things, the people that need to read this will not. Pity.
I lived through this period in California. I so look forward to this effort to describe it and to understand the differences it made. The nexus between the Aids Epidemic and same sex marriage is especially important, I think.
Very timely. The story needs to be retold, especially now that the Global Villlage is living in the shadow of Anthony Fauci.
There was a documentary released in 2005 flat-out called "Gay Sex in the 70s."
https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0455953/
Going down the rabbit hole of California 60s and 70s? Classic case is Tom O'Neill in Chaos,
Looking at the guy at 33:45 here, it's no wonder sympathy for gays went up due to AIDS.
https://youtu.be/w2XiVd8wfEI
Understandable, no worries!
Looking forward to this one.
I'd come across the Thread before in dingy corners of the internet, no idea why it's so controversial. Well I do, but...
Since you mentioned History's most overrated thinker, Nietzsche's dingleberry, Foucault, I just want to add the perspective of dueling moralities and how mainstream morality has been flipped upside-down since the days of disco and Mapplethorpe's bullwhips.
In the 40ish yrs since the initial AIDS crisis, Queers have gone from maligned marginalized w super-wicked cooties to the protected darlings of the global corporate state with so much of our culture now dedicated to excavating History to find out who may have once had a same-sex crotch tingle and What That Means Today—quite an unexpected turnaround!
How the New Left managed to replace the proletariat w the Historically Marginalized and swap out the labor theory of value with a repurposed Christian morality (The Good Samaritan, the first shall be last, the meek shall inherent the earth etc) is the foundation of so much of our culture and discourse now and how we perceive the world, esp the past.
A new strong morality has cleared the field of all its enemies, and I have to be right because Foucault said so!
I happened to catch part of the opening ceremony for the commonwealth games this evening.
Bedecked in 'Progress' flags carried by teams and sown onto jackets.
Times certainly do change.
Very excited for the upcoming articles. I have a PDF of "The Thread" that I reread back in early 2021. Thanks for your work.
I have seen that earlier thread you wrote and it’s commendable that you are revisiting it with the benefit of hindsight, reflection and the newer experiences with COVID and now Monkey Pox. The social aspects and politicization of public health to the detriment and physical destruction of those they ostensibly cared for have to be more widely understood.
Trust in US institutions is falling off a cliff https://news.gallup.com/poll/394283/confidence-institutions-down-average-new-low.aspx
While the rabbit hole is a good metaphor, I am also reminded of the Minotaur, the labyrinth, the sacrificing of young men in response to a plague.
Regarding your paragraph about the plagues in Europe and subsequent rise in fortunes, parallels with gay marriage and what didn’t kill them made them stronger: this is potentially a post hoc ergo propter hoc fallacy and lacks a counterfactual.
Gallup data from 2021 has estimates of 9.6% of all LGBT adults in the US being in same sex marriage, only slightly up from 7.9% prior to the SCOTUS decision in 2015. I can’t agree that this is a major response and enough of a win.
Are you also reflecting on the lessons from the AIDS experience and how they might apply to the transgender phenomenon? It has become so destructive for so many young people, accompanied by politicization, exploitation, censorship and coercion.
Thank you!