Public perception of HIV/AIDS, then vs. now

[Prism]

I was googling around, trying to find information about Nancy Reagan and the early reaction to the AIDS epidemic during her husband's administration when I came across http://www.actupny.org/reports/reagan.html">this gem.

I told one of my students that the most memorable Reagan AIDS moment for me was at the 1986 centenary rededication of the Statue of Liberty. The Reagans were there sitting next to French President Francois Mitterand and his wife, Danielle. Bob Hope was on stage entertaining the all-star audience. In the middle of a series of one-liners Hope quipped, "I just heard that the Statue of Liberty has AIDS but she doesn't know if she got it from the mouth of the Hudson or the Staten Island Fairy." As the television camera panned the audience, the Mitterands looked appalled. The Reagans were laughing.

First, I had no idea Bob Hope was that much of an asshole.

Second, it is absolutely stunning that anyone in this country could make such a joke at the height of a national celebration in front of so many foreign dignitaries. No one would dare today. But that attitude, a scant twenty-three years ago . . .

Speechless. How far we've come. How far we've yet to go . . .

[izquierdista]

1. Typical Republican

He sucked up to Republicans for years. When China opened up to the west in the '70s, he went and did one of his TV specials there. Very irreverent, and full of racist double entendre.

[Libertas1776]

2. Vile

simply vile. The rotting carcass' of Ray-gun and Bob Dope can kiss my grits.

[greennina]

3. He supported the military...

so of course he is uncouth and racist.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

5. ???? really?

[tbyg52]

6. Uh, welcome to DU, I guess.....

It's possible to support the military and also not be a jerk, you know.

[ruggerson]

4. Get ahold of Koop's autobiography

They were criminals. And it wasn't just indifference. Buchanan (who was the communication director) Phyllis Schlafly and others actively made sure that Reagan did nothing for years. They wanted people to die. The White House would call ahead of time when the Surgeon General was going to do an interview, and the press would be instructed not to ask him any questions about the epidemic. Koop is the one who finally became so disturbed by all this, after years, he finally confronted Reagan directly. The whole story is pretty horrific.

[Toasterlad]

7. "I had no idea Bob Hope was that much of an asshole"

Me either. I'm shocked. Even by the standards of those days, that was an unbelievably crass thing to say in front of the President of the United States, let alone foreign dignitaries.