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How Young Is Too Young To Teach Kids About AIDS?
"She's Not A Troublemaker. She Is Gay."
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Study: Family Education Ups Eating Disorder Risk
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Would You Let Your Kids Walk To School Alone?
GOP? STFU! Obama Is Not "Indoctrinating" Kids Into Socialism
Time For School: Afghan Girl Struggles To Get Education

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BytheSea
11/13/09

In reply to How Young Is Too Young To Teach Kids About AIDS?
Kami may be controversial for a westeran audience, but in parts of Africa, the pediatric AIDS rate can go as high as 50%. AIDs is not an "issue" there, it's a daily reality. #sesamestreet
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whynotshesaid
11/12/09

In reply to How Young Is Too Young To Teach Kids About AIDS?
I knew about AIDS when I was about eight or nine years old. Two words: Ryan. White. #sesamestreet
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you've got red on you
11/12/09

@whynotshesaid: That's exactly what came to mind for me, too. His story was fascinating and sad to me. I grew up in Bloomington, Indiana, so it was also extremely close to home--and caused the first stirrings of disgust with the intolerance of the bible belt. I have no issue with an HIV-positive muppet; I think it's a wonderful way to teach children acceptance and tolerance. #sesamestreet
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Red-headed bookworm
11/12/09

@whynotshesaid: Me too. I lived in Indianapolis as a kid, EVERYONE knew about Ryan White there. #sesamestreet
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whynotshesaid
11/12/09

@Red-headed bookworm: @you've got red on you: I actually lived in Utah at the time, and a lot of kids didn't know anything about AIDS, but those who did were pretty ignorant and mean about it. It just wasn't something that was discussed, you know? Plus our educators were too busy sending home fliers warning our parents about drug dealers who were hanging around playgrounds and pushing LSD on Mickey Mouse stickers to spend any time clarifying things related to the "gay disease."

But I used to sneak my stepmom's People magazines, and I watched the made-for-TV movie with Lukas Haas when it came out, and I was so upset by the whole thing. Not just that he had this fatal illness through no fault of his own, but that other people were so cruel about it. I mean, I was old enough to know that people could be real dicks to each other - I knew about slavery and the civil rights movement and sexism and sex abuse and ugly divorces and custody battles - but even so, the language used to discuss people with AIDS was shocking to me.
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Edited by whynotshesaid at 11/12/09 10:34 AM whynotshesaid was starred whynotshesaid was unstarred

TubOfTaft
11/12/09

@Red-headed bookworm: They even have a section of the Children's Museum in Indy dedicated to him - with his actual bedroom furniture and all. #sesamestreet
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Lin-Z [linguist on duty]
11/11/09

In reply to How Young Is Too Young To Teach Kids About AIDS?
A while back I watched a documentary about Sesame Street and how they launch the series and localize it in different countries. And I have to say that lambasting an HIV-positive puppet for the South African series is just ignorant. A huge percentage of children have HIV/AIDS and/or have lost a family member to it. Introducing this character is a way for kids to know what's going on. This is a very real issue there. #sesamestreet
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Lin-Z [linguist on duty]
11/11/09

@Lin-Z [linguist on duty]: This isn't the part about South Africa, but here's a bit of the film anyway #sesamestreet
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KATE!
11/11/09

In reply to How Young Is Too Young To Teach Kids About AIDS?
if sesame street really wanted to push the gay agenda, Bert would get aids from a late-night cruise in central park and pass it along to Ernie. That would be a great scandal. #sesamestreet
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DutchessOfDork
11/11/09

In reply to How Young Is Too Young To Teach Kids About AIDS?
Kami probably got it from her mother as I read somewhere that mothers have about 1 in 4 chance of passing it on to their children if they give birth through the birth canal.
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Edited by DutchessOfDork at 11/11/09 7:47 PM DutchessOfDork was starred DutchessOfDork was unstarred

Penny
11/11/09

In reply to How Young Is Too Young To Teach Kids About AIDS?
Personally, there is no "too" young, and I think this character is great. One of my best friend's hubby is HIV+ and it's important for kids (hell, grown ups) to understand that 1) this is not just a developing world illness and 2) it does not mean you're going to drop dead any second. Oh, and it's not contagious. Seriously, it still baffles me how some people retract.

Anything that promotes tolerance for something that has been so stigmatized is a positive in my book.
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Edited by Penny at 11/11/09 7:12 PM Penny was starred Penny was unstarred

Elaken
11/11/09

@Penny: Not only tolerance but actually knowing anything about it. I had a human sexuality teacher at a community college tell the class that HIV can skip generations. A woman can have it, not give it to her child, but then the grandkid can be born with it because apparently he thinks it becomes part of the DNA. Like, wtf. I was the only one to call him on it. The amount of misconceptions I have come across when it deals with HIV/AIDS is just staggering. #sesamestreet
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la.donna.pietra
11/11/09

@Elaken: My sixth-grade teacher told my class that AIDS came from people having sex with monkeys. Really. 1987 was a weird time, but still. #sesamestreet
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Elaken
11/11/09

@la.donna.pietra: I still hear people say that and it shows such a limited knowledge about how things work. #sesamestreet
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wannabegossipgirl
11/11/09

@Elaken: This is actually possible, any university microbiology/virology classes will tell you that HIV can be intgrated into the host genome (AKA human DNA) and remain in a dormant like state called latency. It probably wasn't passed through the mother's DNA because HIV doesnt tend to attack gamete cells, they go for immune cells which could have been given to the child in many possible ways, through the placenta, or the breast milk. And then the child carried the latent form throughout her life and then in the grandchild the virus decided to manifest itself. #sesamestreet
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thechibster63
11/12/09

@la.donna.pietra: Kids in my class ask me about this all the time. #sesamestreet
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la.donna.pietra
11/12/09

@wannabegossipgirl: Your definition of "latency" seems to be unsupported by the scientific community:

[pathmicro.med.sc.edu] #sesamestreet
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la.donna.pietra
11/12/09

@thechibster63: I suspect that it's some sort of conservative meme that won't go away. It's certainly very popular online. #sesamestreet
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thechibster63
11/12/09

@la.donna.pietra: Sometimes they tell me that the government created AIDS to kill black people. To which I reply, "Then why did gay white men have it first in the U.S.?" #sesamestreet
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la.donna.pietra
11/12/09

@thechibster63: Gay white men didn't have it first. Gay white men were diagnosed with it first. Big difference. #sesamestreet
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wannabegossipgirl
11/12/09

@la.donna.pietra: The section from that website about post-integration latency is says that the HIV genome is, in some cases, integrated into the host genome. Maybe I was a little unclear with my definition of latency? Latency in viruses is just when a virus establishes a domant state in a host cell, some viruses are incorportated into the genome and some just lie within the cytoplasm, but in the website article it is talking about clinical latency which is different. I just wanted to make a point that it could be possible for someone to have it, their kid "not have it" (latent virus stage) and then the grandkid have it, although this is probably very common, and that the HIV genome being integrated into the human genome is not some absurd idea (look at retrovirus, almost 10% of our human genome has ancient retroviral DNA). I'm not an expert (yet haha) by any means, I've only taken a few courses on this stuff. #sesamestreet
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thechibster63
11/12/09

@la.donna.pietra: I understand this, but try explaining it to high-schoolers. #sesamestreet
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jemandtheholograms
11/11/09

In reply to How Young Is Too Young To Teach Kids About AIDS?
Oh Traditional Values Coalition--you never stop amazing me in your ability to not get it. The issue with Kami presumable has nothing to do with homosexuality since she's a 5 year old orphan--presumably infected by her now deceased mother! #sesamestreet
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ladyfalcon is skin deep
11/11/09

@jemandtheholograms: Another "what?" moment was when they said that HIV is primarily spread by homosexuals in the U.S. Now, I know in my area (DC) this falls under the Super Not True category, and while I'm not certain I would be willing to bet that it's not true elsewhere, either. But the big moment of confusion is, What the fuck does the US rates and means of infection have to do with the presentation of an HIV+ muppet to South African kids? #sesamestreet
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jemandtheholograms
11/11/09

@ladyfalcon is skin deep: Anything they can do to hate on the gays and prevent the spread of knowledge is good in their book. #sesamestreet
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jigglyball
11/11/09

In reply to How Young Is Too Young To Teach Kids About AIDS?
My dad did HIV research when I was a little kid, and by the time I was 10, I'd gone to several HIV research conferences, awareness events, pride parades, etc. My dad never hid the "realities of the virus" from me, and I don't remember ever feeling traumatized (The Hot Zone and Outbreak, though, are a different story).

My dad was also careful to destigmatize the disease in an age when rumors were flying fast and furious. #sesamestreet
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lp8790
11/11/09

@jigglyball: I read the Hot Zone for my high school bio class. That book was ridiculous. #sesamestreet
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jigglyball
11/11/09

@lp8790: I couldn't sleep through the night for weeks after I read that book. At one point, I woke my dad up in the middle of the night to ask him if he though my skin was disintegrating from Ebola (at this time, he happened to work at the only center in the country that handles the Ebola virus - FEAR). #sesamestreet
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tiredfairy
11/11/09

In reply to How Young Is Too Young To Teach Kids About AIDS?
I grew up in the 80's, when they still didn't know that much about AIDS. So I learned about it when I was in kindergarten because a lot of IV drug users peppered the schools playground with used needles at night. They need to keep the kids from picking them up, or telling someone if they got stuck with one.

I was about...4. And we continued to learn about it every year I was in school, because my school system started health classes that included sex ed in about 2nd grade.

And didn't a recent study just find that AIDS is the leading cause of death among young women worldwide? That would seem like something that's likely to effect a lot of children, whether we think they're ready for it or not.

I'm just not in favor of acting like kids should be "protected" from reality. Life isn't one big fun-fest. I'm not saying we should depress the shit out of them every day, but acting like kids can't handle anything important/serious is making less and less informed and tolerant adults. #sesamestreet
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Where The Mild Things Are
11/11/09

In reply to Same-Sex Education: The Separation Debate
First thought: "Fat acceptance comes in an envelope?!"

Second thought: Gah, I'm stupid.

Third thought: But....if this trend continues, what will become of the Van Wilder franchise?!
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Edited by Where The Mild Things Are at 11/11/09 12:43 PM

Vivien Smith-Smythe-Smith
11/10/09

In reply to "She's Not A Troublemaker. She Is Gay."
The things that bothers me most about uniforms is the show Gossip Girl. Seriously, like any of those girls would ever be allowed to get away with those 'alterations' (i'm looking at you Little J), let alone the makeup, or the untied hair, or whatever. Especially if it's private school! I know- realism, GG, never the twain shall meet, but as someone who once had her ear studs confiscated for not being 'plain' enough, the disregard for the small details bugs. #dresscodes
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SylvanSylph
11/09/09

In reply to "She's Not A Troublemaker. She Is Gay."
The Morehouse event leading up to this was probably a lot of fun. The students there are generally pretty snazzy dressers and super smart (I always thought it would be a good place to look for dates if I ever needed one), but I would guess there would be a sizable gay population there. I wonder if Spelman's dress policy similarly rules out men's clothing. #dresscodes
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randomnessish
11/09/09

In reply to "She's Not A Troublemaker. She Is Gay."
I went to an all-girls uniform school, and while most girls opted to wear the skirt, we were allowed a lot of options (comparatively), like khaki pants. Sure, they were fug and I never wore them (itchy polyester), but lots of girls did, and I appreciated the fact that we weren't only allowed to wear skirts and skorts. #dresscodes
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Zombie Ms. Skittles
11/09/09

In reply to "She's Not A Troublemaker. She Is Gay."
All this with school pictures always makes me wonder what my school would have said if I'd asked to wear the tuxedo for my senior portrait. I could have definitely worn one to prom without anyone saying anything. Our administrators selectively enforced rules (skinny girls could get away with wearing tank tops but heavier girls like me would get yelled at and told to put on our sweaters or go home whereas since I generally kept my nose clean, the assistant principal told me exactly what class I wasn't allowed to knit in anymore when someone's mother complained) and I strongly suspect I could have worn the tuxedo shirt, but a boy asking for the drape would have been in trouble. #dresscodes
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jenilane
11/09/09

In reply to "She's Not A Troublemaker. She Is Gay."
I'm a disappointed at this statement from Morehouse College, if not shocked. There are some interesting dynamics going on in Atlanta right now on several fronts. Atlanta is divided on racial lines, as indicated by our current race for mayor. We also have large populations of athletes, soldiers and conservatives (fields not known IN GENERAL for openness towards those of alternate sexual preferences) as well as a large gay population. People seem to mix well on the surface, but there is an underlying tension that is threatening to come to a head when nobody is looking. #dresscodes
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