March 30,1994
Campus News 7
ATOS
continued from page one
captioQ on thescieen infonns the audience that what
killed the village was not AIDS, but it was related and
a sign of things to come.
The scene switches to Co|>enhagen, Denioaik, in
1977, where the first known AIDS death occurred,
even though no one understood at the time what the
disease was. A woman in a hospital there baffles
doctors by d)^g of some kind of pneumonia, an
event made even more disturbing by seeing it in
hindsight and knowing how for the disease has
permeated almost ev^ry country on the fece of the.
earth.
The movie then moves to Atlanta and the Center
forDiseaseControlinl981 where investigations into
what America was calling the “Gay Cancer" were
beginning. Matthew Modine’s charaaer is involved
with these investigations, and with very little Amding
he and the committee start putting together the
pieces of the disease that as for as they know is billing
only gay men. For the next two years, research
proves that not only is the disease (GRID—Gay
Related Immune Deficiency—as the media called it)
not exclusive to gays, it can be transmitted sexually,
by blood transfusions and by dirty hypodermic
needles. Eleven infonts in a Bronx hospital died of it,
there was an outbreak of the disease among Haitian
refugees, and hemophiliacs began to die as well. The
impression that many right-wii^ers had during this
time that God was punishing gays for their ‘unnatu
ral" ways was proven tneUcally wroi^ when several
hospitals were found guilty of knowingly giving
transfusion patients tainted blood. A chilling 89 per
cent of hemophiliacs who received transfusions be
came infected during this time.
As the movie progresses, it documents January 4,
1985. Modine and his committee argue for extra
funding and tempers rise, and a member of the
financial panel exdain)s that it is unlikely that the
government would spend millions of dollars research
ing a disease that didn’t even have a name yet He
suggests calling it Acquired Immune Deficiency Syn
drome, and the foceless disease finally has an iden
tity. During the course of these discussions, another
member of the financial board argues the cost effec
tiveness of AIDS education and altering hospital
policy. In what is possibly the most moving moment
of the movie, Modine stands up and demands, ‘How
many people will have to die before this research
becomes cost effeaive for you people?" Even ten
years later, this statement still carries a lot of signifi
cance, even though more money has been allotted.
According to the movie, the French were the first
to pinpoint the cell that causes AIDS, but they share
the credit with American doctor Robert Gallo. The
film portrays the French scientists as workii^ to
wards a cure for the common good, but Gaik) is
shown as self-serving and egocentric, wanting to find
the cell to further his own career. The messs^e, even
if prejudiced, is dear AIDS is something we all have
to wori( on together. None of us can afford to stand
alone in front of such a deadly disease.
Thanks to amazing performances by Matthew
Modine. Alan Alda (Gallo), Phil Collins. Richard Gere,
Steve Martin. Angelica Huston and Lily Tomlin. H^-
lywood made what NBC heralded “the most impor
tant movie of our time." Even before Philadelphia,
the entertainment industry has banded together to
inform the rest of us about AIDS' history.
But what about AIDS’ future? Accorc^ to statis
tics run after the film, 25,000 Americans had died of
AIDS even before President Re^n made his AIDS
awareness speech in 1985.-As of July 1995,194,544
Americans had died, and experts speculate that at
these rates, at least 40 million people world-wide will
be infected with HIV by the turn of the century. Right
now, one in 250 Americans is infected with the HIV
virus. Those odds are frightening. Until a cure is
found, 1 applaud every organization and mediabranch
that is hdping to educate our socioy. In this case,
ignorance is not bliss—it's deadly.
\
Wlhfflit is Liarkiaag
tlhe Shadows?
You don't have to be a victim!
Capstone 945 presents ^deo and
lecturer
Mr. Jeff Landreth
Vice president of security Glaxo, Inc.
Wednesday, April 13
6:30 p,m. in 103 Joyner
V J
Le Commissaire Est Bon Enfant
may seem foreign to you, in feet it is. It's French. It's a French play, it’s funny
and it's a must sec. If you don't know French, comc to relax and be
entertained.The lead is being played by Dr. Jacques Comeaux.The other
roles are being performed by professors and students.
So be sure and mark your calendars for Thursday, AprU 7 at 7:00 p.m. in
the Cate Center.
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