AIDS and HIV...Do we take it seriously anymore?

Today is World Aids Day. I have read numerous articles about HIV infection statistics, particularly in the Black and Hispanic community. Still I sit here and I have to acknowledge the truth. People are not as afraid of HIV anymore. Crazy as it sounds, you see it in the promiscuous behavior that goes on. The change can be broken down like this.

15 years ago: HIV is a Death Wish
Today: HIV is the new herpes

What do I mean by that? Let me take you guys back to an earthshaking event that took place a little more than 15 years ago. November 7, 1991. The day Magic Johnson announced that he was HIV positive. Earvin "Magic" Johnson was and is a pop culture icon. He transcended sports. He wasn't just an athlete he was a personality. He was pinned up on the wall of kids of all races across the country. When he contracted HIV, I remember people crying. They thought Magic was going to shrivel up and die. This was promoted as the ultimate cautionary tale.

Funny thing happened though. Magic lived. He thrived. He actually gained weight, came back to the NBA as both a player and coach. He won a gold medal with the Dream Team in 1992. He went on to become one of the top Black businessmen in the country. His life didn't end with HIV. In ways it can be argued that is star burned even brighter after it.

I think this subconsciously lured many to sleep. Because of HIV drugs, people are living longer lives with the virus, continuing to prosper after contracting it. Because of this, those three letters don't strike the same fear in people as they used to. I think a lot of people in many communities look at HIV as an unfortunate thing that you have to live with, and not as something that you instantly die from.....It doesn'thave that same death sentence ring to it as it did years ago.

Many will not admit to this thinking, but actions speak louder than words. Shawn Deveney of the Sporting News wrote an article recently on the anniversary of Magic's announcement. He wrote of how Magic's announcement is a distant memory for today's basketball players and the impact of it has worn off over the years. He pointed out that things are back to the status quo with NBA ballplayers,with a "Ho Row" behind the players bench at many games and the same groupie action taking place in hotel lobbies.

The unfortunate reality is that many poor people who contract the virus dont have the money to keep up the prescriptions for the cocktail of drugs that it takes to survive with HIV. People are contracting it at stunning levels and dying. In spite of this, the paralyzing fear of HIV is not there. People say "Magic look better now than he did when he was playing". Our music promotes pimpin' and being a playa, defining manhood in how many women you sleep with and womanhood in how many men you get to chase and give you money. People are still hooking up and having sex. As for people using protection? Out of wedlock births are at an all time high, with nearly 4 of 10 babies born each year being born out of wedlock according to a recent article by the AP. These rates have risen progressively through the 1990's and into the current decade, as the HIV rates have risen.

So we read the statistics, we see the commercials, we have our AIDS days.....but do we really have any change? If so, I am really not seeing it.