Posted by: Noel Jones
Local filmmaker Robe Purdee is producing a screening of this new documentary Living With The Tiger, by Mike Thomas, about children with AIDS who perform in Thai opera productions despite all odds will be screening at The Grand Eastonian on World AIDS Day, December 1st at 7:00 p.m. with a reception at 6:00 p.m.
Watch the trailer here:
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2 comments:
orphans infected w/ HIV are victims, whereas adults w/ HIV because of lifestyle choices are just cleaning out the gene pool.
Anon--i'm going to side-step the "gene pool" comment for a moment to address the fact that many adults with AIDS are women whose partners bring home the disease without their knowledge.
now, as for the "gene pool" comment, i'm not sure whether that is meant as an judgment of intravenous drug-users or as bigotry against gay men (or both), but either way, hiding behind prejudice does nothing to combat a disease epidemic that is assaulting our country (and our globe).
rationalizations for the AIDS epidemic kill me, because they are so obviously selective. children with AIDS deserve sympathy but not adults. or straight people with AIDS deserve compassion, but not gay people. or my favorite--that AIDS is God's punishment for a gay lifestyle--even though I have never heard of a case of a lesbian getting AIDS without being an intravenous drug-user--and even though plenty of straight people have contracted AIDS as a result of their partners. so then does God also hate the children that die of AIDS, and does God only hate the gay male lifestyle, but not the gay female lifestyle?
rather than getting into a blame game we need to understand that this disease is brutal and not going anywhere soon. but just as brutal as the disease itself is the bigotry of those who dismiss the plight of millions of people infected who are already suffering terribly without being shunned by an uncaring society--or worse--the targets of hate.
we also need to increase education to eliminate myths about AIDS that feed people's fears, i.e., people need to know far and wide that AIDS CANNOT BE TRANSMITTED VIA TOUCH OR EVEN SALIVE. so interacting with an AIDS victim in our society poses no risk unless there is an exchange of either blood, or sexual fluids.
i saw this film last night, and believe it or not, although the topic is so heavy, it was a totally inspiring film. inspiring because of the brightness of the children themselves, but also inspiring because a community found a beautiful working solution for children that previously were being shunned and left to die. instead, now, they are getting daily medicine, friendships, and an education, living bright lives into adulthood and rejoining their families, who have learned not to be needlessly afraid of the disease.
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