Some Say AIDS Epidemic Set the Stage for Contemporary Denialism

 

Earlier this week, NPR Morning Edition aired a story about the AIDS epidemic. The first news that a mysterious disease was killing gays appeared forty years ago. 

The reaction at the time was similar to the reaction to COVID-19 today. People preferred not to have their lives impacted so they pretended like the disease wasn't real. Government officials and world leaders questioned the facts. 

So did medical experts. One, interviewed for the story, published an op-ed saying rumors of a gay plague were unfounded.  Another published an article in a well-respected scholarly journal saying there was no evidence that HIV causes AIDS.

Sound familiar? The story raises the question of whether events forty years ago set the stage for the anti-science discourse and disease denialism we have seen over the past year.  

It's an excellent piece, well worth 11 minutes of your time.  You can listen here.


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