[lbo-talk] AIDS denialism

[Andy]

On Tue, Nov 16, 2010 at 7:55 PM, Chuck Munson <chuck0munson at gmail.com> wrote:
> On Tue, Nov 16, 2010 at 5:55 PM, Doug Henwood <dhenwood at panix.com> wrote:
>> There's quite a spirited comment thread on AIDS denialism on my "blog," mostly in response to Mitch Cohen, a moderate denialist and moderate 9/11 Truther who is chair of WBAI's local board (and a poet of some sort, too). Worth checking out:
>>
>> http://lbo-news.com/2010/11/15/pacifica-death-watch-cont-gary-null-edition/
>
> That is a very fascinating thread, one of the rare online arguments
> where you learn a few things just be reading replies by people
> well-versed in the subject. I'm really bothered by the existence of
> AIDS denialists. When people promote conspiracy theories about 9/11,
> that's pretty harmless compared with spreading misinformation that
> affects people's health. It's important to be skeptical about the
> scientific establishment, accepted theories and the medical industry,
> but you also have to root that skepticism in science and solid
> arguments. It's foolish to adhere to a position simply because you
> don't want to admit that you've been wrong.

I've never followed HIV/AIDS denialism, but it's interesting how
certain patterns in the thread match up with AGW denialism, like
holding violently mutually exclusive premises that both lead to the
same conclusion.  So you have a groupings such as "HIV doesn't
exist/HIV doesn't cause AIDS/the gummint made HIV" and "it's internal
variation/the sun did it/the Chinese are the big emitters".  But the
conclusions are not quite spoken: with AGW the only consistency from
"there's no greenhouse effect" to Bjorn Lomborg is the aim to do
nothing about it.   With AIDS it seems a little more subtle, maybe a
belief in alternative medicine going up against The Man.  I find AGW
denialism more understandable, it's bad news that entails upheaval,
notwithstanding the ample no-regrets measures available.  With AIDS it
seems like all there is is sullen paranoia.

-- 
Andy