3 ms·

Seems to me like every improvement in medical science will be accompanied by a corresponding decrease in individual responsibility. Just like hardware and softw

Seems to me like every improvement in medical science will be accompanied by a corresponding decrease in individual responsibility. Just like hardware and software. I've heard young people basically say 'HIV isn't a big deal nowadays so no need to worry'.

notmindthegap 4y ago
This is what technology does.
flemhans 4y ago
Yeah - it's nice not to have to care about and be scared about stuff that is no longer relevant.
- majikaja 4y ago
  Maybe better to keep people a bit fearful, is what I'm saying.
  - flemhans 4y ago
    I guess it's just different opinions. What I'm saying is that when given the opportunity to get rid of fear, we should. Same way I'm not afraid of wildlife attacking me, or cholera.
    - majikaja 4y ago
      I probably won't die if I get food poisoning but I'm not going to go around eating raw meat for the thrill of it and expect the taxpayer to pay for me every time I get sick.
      - bolanyo 4y ago
        Ah, so underlying the 'moral' argument is the uncontrollable FEAR that you, a wealthy but unadventurous person, are somehow subsidizing other less wealthy people as they enjoy their lives.
        majikaja 4y ago
        No I am saying young people have gotten the impression that it's completely cured now and can be as reckless as they want which sounds to be incorrect according to the other comments here.
        bolanyo 4y ago
        Do you visit gay sex clubs? I do, and I would say that it is far from true that people feel they can be as reckless as they want. Rather, they are generally risk-aware, but within a context where the risk tradeoffs are completely different to the AIDS awareness climate of the late 80s and 90s. For example, there is a distinction between low risk activity such as oral sex and higher risk activity such as anal. The latter will often involve a brief discussion of risk: condom use, PrEP, status, so that both participants are on the same page.
- karencarits 4y ago
  But you suddenly become dependent on someone else, in this case what if they suddenly increase the price of the HIV medication? Or there is a global shortage? Or we discover that a subpopulation has a resistant variant?
tsimionescu 4y ago
If HIV were really not a big deal anymore, why should people still worry? If you could have risk-free sex with the seediest of characters, why would it be "not a responsible thing" to do so?
- majikaja 4y ago
  It's not quite as benign as a common cold yet, is it?
  - tsimionescu 4y ago
    It's definitely not - which is why I said "if it really were". Hopefully, one day technology will get it there. Note that the treatment in this article, as others have pointed out, is really not that. This is an extremely violent treatment that no one in their right mind would use for HIV - it's just a last-resort treatment for fatal blood cancers that happened to have cured HIV in some patients.
raxxorraxor 4y ago
You really should tell your partner if you are infected, on medication or not. You are still dependent on medicine for the rest of your life apart from these cases. So it still is a big deal, but it isn't a death warrant anymore. Responsibility shouldn't be taught by deadly diseases, you could have said the same about antibiotics.

notmindthegap 4y ago

This is what technology does.

flemhans 4y ago

Yeah - it's nice not to have to care about and be scared about stuff that is no longer relevant.

majikaja 4y ago
Maybe better to keep people a bit fearful, is what I'm saying.
- flemhans 4y ago
  I guess it's just different opinions. What I'm saying is that when given the opportunity to get rid of fear, we should. Same way I'm not afraid of wildlife attacking me, or cholera.
  - majikaja 4y ago
    I probably won't die if I get food poisoning but I'm not going to go around eating raw meat for the thrill of it and expect the taxpayer to pay for me every time I get sick.
    - bolanyo 4y ago
      Ah, so underlying the 'moral' argument is the uncontrollable FEAR that you, a wealthy but unadventurous person, are somehow subsidizing other less wealthy people as they enjoy their lives.
      - majikaja 4y ago
        No I am saying young people have gotten the impression that it's completely cured now and can be as reckless as they want which sounds to be incorrect according to the other comments here.
        bolanyo 4y ago
        Do you visit gay sex clubs? I do, and I would say that it is far from true that people feel they can be as reckless as they want. Rather, they are generally risk-aware, but within a context where the risk tradeoffs are completely different to the AIDS awareness climate of the late 80s and 90s. For example, there is a distinction between low risk activity such as oral sex and higher risk activity such as anal. The latter will often involve a brief discussion of risk: condom use, PrEP, status, so that both participants are on the same page.
karencarits 4y ago
But you suddenly become dependent on someone else, in this case what if they suddenly increase the price of the HIV medication? Or there is a global shortage? Or we discover that a subpopulation has a resistant variant?

tsimionescu 4y ago

If HIV were really not a big deal anymore, why should people still worry? If you could have risk-free sex with the seediest of characters, why would it be "not a responsible thing" to do so?

majikaja 4y ago
It's not quite as benign as a common cold yet, is it?
- tsimionescu 4y ago
  It's definitely not - which is why I said "if it really were". Hopefully, one day technology will get it there. Note that the treatment in this article, as others have pointed out, is really not that. This is an extremely violent treatment that no one in their right mind would use for HIV - it's just a last-resort treatment for fatal blood cancers that happened to have cured HIV in some patients.

raxxorraxor 4y ago

You really should tell your partner if you are infected, on medication or not. You are still dependent on medicine for the rest of your life apart from these cases. So it still is a big deal, but it isn't a death warrant anymore. Responsibility shouldn't be taught by deadly diseases, you could have said the same about antibiotics.