AIDS is Political

I had never really thought about the politicalization of AIDS until this class brought it up. I was quickly struck with how complicated this disease actually is. I have done a lot of work with AIDS patients and have been contemplating going with my uncle to Cameroon to work in a clinic for a few months. I raise money for the MN AIDS Project, which is a great organization in Minneapolis that provides education, resources, and services to people coping with AIDS in Minnesota. Even though I have only known one HIV positive individual personally, I feel a tie with this disease I think because it has affected members of a community to which I belong.

Recently, in my biochemistry class, we talked about the rapid HIV test and how it worked biologically. I was instantly intrigued. Despite my inquisition and my thorough understanding of the biology of this disease, I have, until now, failed to understand its political impact. Being the staunch Republican that I am, I always feel the need to defend my fellow conservatives. Especially at Carleton, I find it difficult to engage in conversations with people who fail to spend as much time as I do thinking through their political viewpoints and the consequences of their political actions. (I mean, come on, a gay Republican must have SOME reason for not voting democratic and better damn well be able to defend everything they say) For example, there was a table in Sayles the other day which I casually approached. The students sitting there asked me if I would like to call my senators, Norm Coleman and Amy Klobuchar, to encourage them to vote on a bill that would eliminate federal cooperation with companies in the US that do business with the Sudanese government. I immediately asked the companies to which they were referring and the students had no idea. In fact they knew nothing about the bill. It was appalling to me that myriad students were calling Senators Coleman and Klobuchar and advocating for something about which they knew absolutely nothing.

Because of this, this whole week I have been searching for materials I can use to defend who I think was one of the better presidents our country has ever seen, Ronald Reagan, against the accusations that he did nothing about the AIDS crisis. So far, I have found nothing. The federal government, under conservative control, was unnecessarily slow at responding to this crisis that was right in its backyard. I am a huge advocate of personal responsibility and small government. Kramer, in Reports from the Holocaust, talks about the trauma that was endured by the gay community during the 80’s. How can a population that is so debilitated by disease possibly help themselves, especially from something they had no idea was coming? The federal government does have some responsibility for its population, and the blatant dismissal of this disease was nothing but heinous. Even though there was work being done scientifically on the disease, its absence from the political arena was deadly.

My political life is filled with compromises. I compromise my potential right to marry for my economic viewpoints every time I go to the poles. I prioritize everything. Can I live with the status quo socially if it means that my family will be better off economically and will be safer? Can I still defend Reagan even though his silence caused so many deaths? There is so much that we, as the general American population, don’t know about politics, economics and foreign policy that it’s hard to make an informed decision about anything. The only thing we can continue to do is research thoroughly and listen to our heads and our hearts.