This week, I read the Chavez article about HIV. I think it is really interesting to look at the ways laws and regulations are discriminatory without explicitly even targeting the groups the discrimination is intended for (Chavez 2012). By enacting policy that limits Haitians who are HIV positive from migrating into the United States, Bush was also targeting the queer, Haitian population and telling them the United States didn't want them. The fact that the government could decide to pick and choose so only certain people could take refuge in the United States seems so evil.
The article discusses the organization, Act Up, whose mission was to incite civil disobedience that would draw public attention to the AIDs crisis. I find this to be a really interesting mode of protest just because it is so controversial. It is difficult to sympathize with a group who doesn't adhere to the rules, but oftentimes, that is the only way to see results.
Chávez, Karma R. “ACT UP, Haitian Migrants, and Alternative Memories of HIV/AIDS.” Quarterly Journal of Speech, vol. 98, no. 1, 2012, pp. 63–68., doi:10.1080/00335630.2011.638659.
Hi Iris,
ReplyDeleteI also found this article to be very interesting because it shows the ways in which the US government is able to control populations through fear and propaganda. By making HIV out to be a disease only contracted by black and queer populations, they were able to further the discrimination against these groups. I think that this use of power is absolutely egregious, and shows how easy it is to turn people against each other. Act Up was a very important group in the HIV/AIDs epidemic, and chose a good route of protest. Although civil disobedience is frowned upon by some, history has proved that it does work when executed correctly.
Hi Iris, I found the topics you brought up in thinking critically about this article to be very important when discussing communication ethics and healthcare. Not only is the history of healthcare and the marginalization of immigrant and queer individuals problematic, but the repercussions and still ever-present discrimination of these groups today is seemingly still acceptable. It pains me to think about this as so many human beings are to this day being treated like disposable animals, especially when it comes to proper healthcare. As a queer, white, cis woman, I have experienced my own levels of discrimination within the American healthcare. However, I can't begin to imagine the horrors these communities have experienced as they navigate their intersectional identities within the healthcare systems that are supposed to support them but leave them abandoned and displaced. To use your verbiage, it truly is evil.
ReplyDeleteHi Iris, after reading this article, I was shocked like you were but at the same time I wasn't. America has a very long history of discriminating black and queer communities especially when it comes to healthcare. Having the type of power to that is just crazy to me because clearly the Haitians needed to seek refuge in the US but they got denied just because they have HIV and are black and queer. It just shows how disgusting the US is because they get to pick and choose who should receive help and healthcare. Everyone deserves proper shelter and healthcare yet America thinks otherwise. It's interesting to me that America claims they welcome everyone yet they continue to discriminate minorities every single day.
ReplyDeleteHi Iris,
ReplyDeleteI also found this very interesting and appalling at the same time. It is insane to me that any government would even consider picking and choosing who to accept based on certain health conditions. I agree that this is clearly targeting the queer community of Haiti.
The only way to fight against this is civil disobedience. While there are laws and regulations that should be followed, it is important to speak up and act out when these laws and regulations are amoral or unjust. Great post!