Critical race theory

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Our forefathers have a pretty sullied history, but that was then

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If you live long enough, you can look back and see how cultural memes of the day come and go in your own lifetime. Sometimes I see footage from the 60s and 70s and am reminded how crazy that time period was. Here lately it seems like we are going backwards though.

I'm currently watching a documentary on YouTube called Patient Zero--the myth of the AIDS super spreader, which references the zeitgeist of the seventies. It was a very hopeful time.

My brother died of AIDS and I was his caretaker. There were a number of times when EMS was called and they would enter his apartment with hazmat suits on as there was lots of fear over it back then. Sound familiar?

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Originally Posted by JaneV2.0

I'm currently watching a documentary on YouTube called Patient Zero--the myth of the AIDS super spreader, which references the zeitgeist of the seventies. It was a very hopeful time.

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If this is about the Canadian flight attendant, Gaeten Something, yes—-Randy Shilts’ book blamed him as pretty much patient Zero.

My friend’s sister did her medical residency in St. Louis hospitals at the time this hit decades ago, and because American Airlines was headquartered here, there were many flight attendants. In fact as I think about it, around a quarter of the gay men in our neighborhood were flight attendants before American folded. Anyway —the doctor/sister talked to my friend about the strange new thing they were seeing among young men hospitalized in St. Louis.

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Originally Posted by iris lilies

If this is about the Canadian flight attendant, Gaeten Something, yes—-Randy Shilts’ book blamed him as pretty much patient Zero.

My friend’s sister did her mefical residency residency in St. Louis hospitals and the time this hit decades ago, and because American Airlines was headquartered here, they were many flight attendants. In fact as I think about it, around a quarter of the gay men in our neighborhood were flight attendants before American folder. Anyway —the doctor/sister talked to my friend about the strange new thing they were seeing among young men hospitalized in St. Louis.

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Gaetan Dugas. Shilts' book remains one of the best books I've ever read, but he greatly over-estimated Dugas' role in the American spread of AIDS. The documentary does say he single-handedly played a major role in spreading the virus from coast to coast.

Fun fact--I went into Barnes and Noble to buy And the Band Played On when it was literally hot off the press, and the clerk tried to sell me I'm With the Band, the charming tale of the exploits of a rock band groupie. Um, no.

That book by Shilts was fantastic, absolutely riveting.

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Originally Posted by Tybee

That book by Shilts was fantastic, absolutely riveting.

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And the book by Pamela De Barres was pretty good, too! She was With .the Band.

I didn’t even have to look that up, I remembered her name

Every time I find a book I absolutely love, the author drops dead--usually before fifty. So far, I've lost Randy Shilts, Thomas Thompson (Blood and Money), and Michelle NcNamara (I'll Be Gone in the Dark). I'm reluctant to name a new fave...

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Originally Posted by nswef

Mschrisgo- excellent explanation. I remember when (70s and 80s) our reading texts were questioned at a school board meeting. Those objecting had all the exact passages that were offensive on a piece of paper. they had not read the book. One they objected to was "The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe"!

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“oh, MY! A WITCH! We cannot have children reading about witches.“
Of course, no context provided, probably nobody objecting had actually Read the book

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Originally Posted by mschrisgo2

“oh, MY! A WITCH! We cannot have children reading about witches.“
Of course, no context provided, probably nobody objecting had actually Read the book

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That book was a hugely influential book when I read it as a child. I think Aslan was my first heroic literary figure.