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From Cultural Practice to Health Necessity?

A response to the New York Times article titled: "South Africa Is Seen to Lag in H.I.V. Fight."

In the beginning AIDS was the problem of isolated groups where people had many partners or where the partner selection was limited. AIDS was once known as the disease of the gay population and the curse of Africa, but those days are over. Even in the US, the most wealthy country in the world, ads in the Washington DC metro inform you that every nine and a half minutes someone in the US contracts AIDS. Time has shown that the challenge of solving world problems is not identifying how to overcome them, rather it is convincing governments and people to adapt and implement ways of life that lead to the solution. 

In the Washington DC, which has one of the the highest percentage of people with AIDS in the US, three percent of people have AIDS. In sub-Saharan Africa, roughly 22 million people are living with AIDS.  And as these numbers rise, the world still has not found a way to cure the disease. The only hope is to prevent more people from contracting it. 

Yet, despite the gravity of the situation, governments and individuals resist the measures being taken to prevent the disease from spreading. Still everyone (globally) does not have access to condoms and some cultural leaders have been resistant to endorsing their use. And now, the South African government has not made circumcision (which according to the New York Times article can reduce a man's chance of contracting AIDS by fifty percent) one of their top priorities. One can't help but wonder why people, as a species, are slow to change their lives in ways that lead to solutions of problems they created. AIDS is just one example of this, the other notable one is global warming. Look how difficult it was to pass a simple bill like Cap and Trade in the United States. 

Humans are resistant to solving problems they created. We have no trouble overcoming problems presented by environmental factors. Take for example the numerous dams that have been built or the number of predatory spieces we have eliminated from the regions where we live. But, there is something about us that makes it difficult to admit our weaknesses and mistakes and work to overcome them. 

In regards to AIDS, those individuals that live in South Africa and other places where they run a high risk of AIDS and who take the initiative to get circumcised or use a condoms should be respected. They have gone against the stream and recognized that they can be part of the solution to the problem 

Stopping AIDS will require everyone to rethink their beliefs and choose to take up practices that help prevent the spread of the disease. This doesn't mean we must dramatically limit our liberties, like only having sex with one person in our life. It means accepting slight inconveniences to help solve problem much bigger than each of us. The men in South African who choose to get circumcised despite the obstacles have proven that this is possible. 

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Unrest

While the deaths of significant cultural figures fill the news with easy-to-sell headlines, there are still stories of life-changing news bellow the fold and aired during the non-peak hours. And, those hidden stories reflect a trend that is difficult to ignore: Unrest. 

It seems that the world is changing more quickly than ever, especially as more and more of the West's attention  is directed homeward with the hope of overcoming economic trouble. In the past months, we have seen people in some of the most government-controlled societies break out of the mold and speak out for change. In Iran, the election was nearly overturned, and still (you'll see it in the B-section news) there is discontent with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad remaining in command. In the weeks after the election, the Iranian people seemed to find the ferocity and strength of their ancestors once again, and made their voices heard. The coup in Honduras reiterates that no leader, despite his strength, is safe. And now, there is conflict between the Han and Uighur in China. 

Why are these conflicts more alluring than those in, for example, Darfur? The answer is be simple. In Iran, Honduras, and China, people are acting out against authority and tradition. In Iran and China, to protest people are risking their lives and sidestepping their government's attempts to control the media. It is the battle of the underdog against the powerful--and everyone likes to see the underdog win. The situation in Honduras has created a global paradox. The USA hated the president the military ousted, but once Manuel Zelaya lost his power the USA has supported him. All these events reflect a change in thought and a change in process. Meanwhile, it is easy to turn a blind eye to Darfur because it is a familiar seen.  Genocide is not new, and the method of Genocide that has been adopted in Darfur has been seen in Africa before (Rwanda). And so, the media looks to news that is deliciously horrific, but also more than current events. To make the cut, the news must be fresh.

And that is what the happenings in Iran, Honduras, and China are. They are something sightly different than anything that has happened previously. With the world connected by easy travel and the internet, there is no longer a place for ethnocentrism or isolation. The powers of the world have had to consider the ideas of others and all people have seen that their way of life is not the only one. Social change is happening, and it is being promoted by war and the modern area. This has happened before, but never in this exact way. But, as old customs become the foundation for new ones, it is proven once again that revolution seldom comes peacefully.  And this is what the media believes new worthy, well at least worthy enough to include somewhere in the paper.