This column by Charles Blow on the AIDS-shaming of Magic Johnson — and by extension, millions of people who are H.I.V. positive or have full-blown AIDS — is a must-read. Blow makes the point that Donald Sterling, the owner of the Los Angeles Clippers whose racism was caught on tape (we can discuss whether the taper was acting ethically and whether Sterling was also wronged in this mess), in attacking Magic Johnson, was engaging in “one of the most revolting things to come out of this whole revolting episode,” because
It feeds into the ignorance about the disease itself and the stigma attached to it that is an enormous hindrance to bringing it more under control in this country.
And yes, the stigma still exists, as Johnson said the other day, and it has real-world impact on whether people get treatment or admit they have it, as Blow points out.
Blow’s ultimate point is to remind Sterling — and his readers — that H.I.V. is a disease and not some sentence imposed on people for their behavior. Behavior may be a factor — as it is with heart disease, diabetes, etc — but it “is not evidence of a character defect.”
As Blow says (and I’ll give him the last word),
We must extend our empathy and demonstrate our compassion toward all people living with and dealing with any disease, and encourage better understanding and education to reduce the number of people affected by such illnesses.
What we don’t need is a man of Sterling’s dubious motives and questionable character spreading pernicious misinformation and hurtful poison about a disease he seems to little understand.
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Hank Kalet 