3 ms·

He was known for smoking a pipe. And that many sex partners has to be dangerous

toomuchtodo 9y ago
Dangerous enough to live to 91. I can't speak to the less scary STDs, but the risk of female to male transmission of HIV without protection is actually very low (0.04% chance per act in high income countries) [1]. On a long enough timeline, everyone dies. Live accordingly. [1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19179227 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19179227
KGIII 9y ago
Smoking a pipe isn't healthy but a few daily puffs aren't going to shorten your life all that much. Pipes go out, get relit, and generally aren't dragged on like a cigarette. Many people don't even inhale the smoke. As for the sex? Given his frequent recommendations about practicing safe sex, I suspect it involved protection and, possibly, testing. Hugh the public figure wasn't quite the same as Hugh the individual. There are some good documentaries about him and his life. This isn't directed at you, really. Though it may be? You used the number of sex partners almost as a pejorative? At least that is how I read it. I noticed quite a few people opining that his sex life was wrong and that his magazine was sleazy, or somehow bad. A magazine that empowered women, a magazine that offered choice, a magazine that promoted healthy sexual relationships is being considered bad. I haven't seen this much angst over Playboy since the mid-60s. It's like they forgot we had a sexual revolution, and we won. That sexual revolution helped lead to greater equality, understanding, and happier people. It helped the gay people come out of the closet. It helped transfolk become even more accepted. It liberated women from sexual repression where they were no longer expected to be barefoot and pregnant. Seriously, it's like some of these posters are in a mid-60s Southern Baptist Church.
- elchief 9y ago
  I'm not judging his # of partners, but am suggesting it is a little dangerous. HPV for example, isn't stopped by condoms, and can cause cancer.
  - KGIII 9y ago
    Ah, alright. It read, to me, as if you were using it as a pejorative. Reading other comments may have biased me, sorry if I read more into it than you wrote. It can cause cancer, though I believe the odds are low for males. He also may not have contracted it. After a time, especially after the AIDS epidemic, I suspect there was a lot of testing and scrutiny. Obviously, I'd not suggest his lifestyle was all that healthy, but I don't think it is a miracle that he survived to live as long as he did. He also, surely, had great medical care and was able to afford a less stressful life. Statistics are like that. You can do all sorts of silly crap and live to be a great grandfather. You can do all the right things and die of cancer before you hit puberty. I had a grandmother who surpassed 100 and she drank whiskey and smoked rough cut tobacco from a corncob pipe. I'd not suggest you try that, if longevity is your goal. On the other hand, if longevity is not your goal than smoking, drinking, and having lots of sex seems like a pretty good idea. Bonus points if you beat the odds and live long enough to bury your detractors.
    - toomuchtodo 9y ago
      > On the other hand, if longevity is not your goal than smoking, drinking, and having lots of sex seems like a pretty good idea. Bonus points if you beat the odds and live long enough to bury your detractors. Solid life advice. Welcome to HN, I'm a fan already.
      - KGIII 9y ago
        Thanks, I've been here for a while but didn't start commenting until fairly recently. I like to lurk before posting. It helps me to better understand the rules, especially the unwritten ones, before posting. I'm the same KGIII from Slashdot, etc... Yeah, that guy. But, I don't want to meander too far off topic. I will say that I come here for the comments, I read quite a few articles, but I prefer the comments. Some of you are really intelligent. I don't always agree with some posts, and some common themes, but I can respect a well presented and logically consistent argument. I do sometimes see the most innocuous comments getting negative moderation. That sometimes confuses me, but I've seen it on other sites so it's not unique to HN. Besides? What good is karma if you can't spend it?

Dangerous enough to live to 91. I can't speak to the less scary STDs, but the risk of female to male transmission of HIV without protection is actually very low (0.04% chance per act in high income countries) [1]. On a long enough timeline, everyone dies. Live accordingly. [1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19179227 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19179227

KGIII 9y ago

Smoking a pipe isn't healthy but a few daily puffs aren't going to shorten your life all that much. Pipes go out, get relit, and generally aren't dragged on like a cigarette. Many people don't even inhale the smoke. As for the sex? Given his frequent recommendations about practicing safe sex, I suspect it involved protection and, possibly, testing. Hugh the public figure wasn't quite the same as Hugh the individual. There are some good documentaries about him and his life. This isn't directed at you, really. Though it may be? You used the number of sex partners almost as a pejorative? At least that is how I read it. I noticed quite a few people opining that his sex life was wrong and that his magazine was sleazy, or somehow bad. A magazine that empowered women, a magazine that offered choice, a magazine that promoted healthy sexual relationships is being considered bad. I haven't seen this much angst over Playboy since the mid-60s. It's like they forgot we had a sexual revolution, and we won. That sexual revolution helped lead to greater equality, understanding, and happier people. It helped the gay people come out of the closet. It helped transfolk become even more accepted. It liberated women from sexual repression where they were no longer expected to be barefoot and pregnant. Seriously, it's like some of these posters are in a mid-60s Southern Baptist Church.

elchief 9y ago
I'm not judging his # of partners, but am suggesting it is a little dangerous. HPV for example, isn't stopped by condoms, and can cause cancer.
- KGIII 9y ago
  Ah, alright. It read, to me, as if you were using it as a pejorative. Reading other comments may have biased me, sorry if I read more into it than you wrote. It can cause cancer, though I believe the odds are low for males. He also may not have contracted it. After a time, especially after the AIDS epidemic, I suspect there was a lot of testing and scrutiny. Obviously, I'd not suggest his lifestyle was all that healthy, but I don't think it is a miracle that he survived to live as long as he did. He also, surely, had great medical care and was able to afford a less stressful life. Statistics are like that. You can do all sorts of silly crap and live to be a great grandfather. You can do all the right things and die of cancer before you hit puberty. I had a grandmother who surpassed 100 and she drank whiskey and smoked rough cut tobacco from a corncob pipe. I'd not suggest you try that, if longevity is your goal. On the other hand, if longevity is not your goal than smoking, drinking, and having lots of sex seems like a pretty good idea. Bonus points if you beat the odds and live long enough to bury your detractors.
  - toomuchtodo 9y ago
    > On the other hand, if longevity is not your goal than smoking, drinking, and having lots of sex seems like a pretty good idea. Bonus points if you beat the odds and live long enough to bury your detractors. Solid life advice. Welcome to HN, I'm a fan already.
    - KGIII 9y ago
      Thanks, I've been here for a while but didn't start commenting until fairly recently. I like to lurk before posting. It helps me to better understand the rules, especially the unwritten ones, before posting. I'm the same KGIII from Slashdot, etc... Yeah, that guy. But, I don't want to meander too far off topic. I will say that I come here for the comments, I read quite a few articles, but I prefer the comments. Some of you are really intelligent. I don't always agree with some posts, and some common themes, but I can respect a well presented and logically consistent argument. I do sometimes see the most innocuous comments getting negative moderation. That sometimes confuses me, but I've seen it on other sites so it's not unique to HN. Besides? What good is karma if you can't spend it?