Staff Writer – Katrin Callender
Some years ago, I drew a look of concern and disdain when I turned away from an advertisement in disgust. It would have been understandable, but for the fact that my friend did not fully comprehend the meaning of the action or the source of my irritaton.
The advertisement was actually a public service announcement seeking to raise awareness on HIV. The actress featured played the part of a young wife finding out that she had contracted the disease, and explaining that because she had only engaged in sexual activity with her husband, she had been twice wronged, having been cheated on and then given the disease.
It was certainly not the first time I ever saw a story such as this one presented in the media. There are advertisements with similarly wronged individuals; the children of addicts or other faithful spouses. Then there are the ones where some very ‘modern, chic, attractive” young people go to the club and smile over drinks and wake up with the disease or those where a wraith-like being looks into the camera, apologises for living the carefree lifestyle that led to this. And I have been privileged to live in a society that is not afraid to discuss HIV, educate the young about the disease and put some systems in place for persons living with HIV.
My displeasure came from the fact that the tone of this advertisement was vastly different from a few others, in that it was as though a line was being drawn between groups in society. And it seemed to be a sort of condemnation of the persons, and not the lifestyle, though many would say that the former was their aim.
Photo courtesy lifeistrinidad.com
Is it not cruel to sit on a pedestal judging a person and their choices as their bodies degrade into nothing? I am a firm believer in monogamy, both as a Christian and as a woman who does not want to endure the sort or heartache that an unfaithful partner introduces into a relationship. But I cannot sit in judgement of a person who is suffering- it is not my right and it is not humane. Worse than that, I felt that such messages hindered rather than helped persons living with the disease. They possessed the ability to alter the way such persons were viewed and set further back, efforts to raise awareness and reduce discrimination.
Fate seemed to confirm my fears later in life when I overheard a conversation between a group of young men who seemed to believe that any of them would remain disease-free if they slept with seemingly the most conservative girl in the room. She was a “bess ting”- a high class female. They were going on the values she expressed, and her dress and manner only. And while analysing these are a means of assessing character, they are not at all as accurate as a blood test.
Furthermore, I don’t want to be treated as though I could not possibly empathize without the most horrific extremes of a situation being portrayed, or see these portrayals in the media for no other reason than ratings. I honestly hope that we can all exercise good judgement as we relate to all our neighbours, with genuine affection and respect.
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