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Making Myths
Why do people make myths to explain the unknown?

Humans are curious creatures that require an explanation for everything. But when faced with a new situation, our explanations usually reveal more about our preconceptions and prejudices than any attempt to reveal the truth.

In this episode of the Correx Archives we look back at the early history of AIDS. A number of misconceptions and myths sprang up concerning the origin and nature of AIDS that made sad statements about our society. Ironically, more was revealed about our intolerance of minority groups than the true nature of AIDS. Professor John Penny remembers those turbulent early years.


(Radio Announcer) "In AM this morning we talk to a man sentenced to death by AIDS."

(Radio Announcer) "AIDS, or Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, has apparently caused the death of three babies in Brisbane."

(Radio Announcer) "The fear of AIDS has made a difference to male homosexual's way of life."

(Radio Announcer) "... he left hospital, he handed the deadly disease AIDS."

(Radio Announcer) "... fines on those people who could be suspected of having AIDS and yet still ..."

(Radio Announcer) "... Anglican Dean of Sydney he says homosexuals who carry the virus have blood on their hands."

(Paul) When faced with a seemingly inexplicable situation, its human nature to try to find an explanation. Unfortunately, all too often, our guesses reveal more about our prejudices than the reality of the problem at hand. Take the appearance of AIS for example. This disease burst into the public consciousness in the early 1980's and all kinds of myths suddenly appeared concerning its origins. Doctor Ronald Penny of the Centre for Immunology at Saint Vincent's Hospital remembers some of the early chaos.

(Dr Penny) It was really quite an intriguing time because some of the speculations were prejudicial: it was the Russians trying to infect the Americans; it was the Americans trying to infect the Africans; it came from outer space it was a virus that had been genetically engineered in America and tested. I mean there was some of the most extraordinary hypotheses that people put forward, mainly because, when something's unknown, then the scientific approach is to try and do experiments to find out why. The general public's response to the unknown is to make up any idea that comes to mind that happens to satisfy an individual's belief system, knowledge base, prejudices and so on.

(Paul) So where did AIDS come from? It now understood to be most closely related to a similar disease in monkeys.

(Dr Penny) Once it was found that the virus was most closely related to the monkey virus, the question then arose is how did that virus jump species? There's actually no real evidence that the virus has jumped species. You can make up plenty of hypotheses for that, I mean it is traditional for people to consume monkeys in Africa for example and in Asia. So you could always make reasons for saying that the virus can cross species but we don't have any convincing proof of that. The other argument is that the monkey virus was introduced into humans as a result of the polio vaccine which is grown in a monkey's kidney cells. There's absolutely no epidemiological support for that and I think most serious scientists would not give that theory currency. The point however is that we don't know and when people don't know there's no shortage of fertile imaginations in what I would prefer to call science fiction, where people create a hypothesis.

(Person 1) "AIDS of course first started with the homosexual community in ..."

(Person 2) "It is disturbing though to find that prostitutes now might be carrying AIDS ..."

(Person 3) "Once you contact Aids you can never go to work again."

(Person 4) "Talking with homosexuals as if they're criminals is not going to help solve it."

(Sir Jo) "I think they ought to be down right ashamed of themselves. They are in fact supporting these people who cause the death of a lot of people."

(Paul) Another myth that sprung up was that AIDS was a gay disease. Although heterosexuals could become infected, homosexuality and AIDS were some how linked to each other. In fact the association between and AIDS and homosexual men only occurred in some societies.

(Dr Penny) It's a disease transmitted through male to male sexual contact in countries like American and later in Australia. In Africa it's clearly transmitted predominantly through male to female sexual transmission and in Europe the dominant mode of HIV transmission is through injecting drug use and now in the United States the major cause of new HIV infections is in injecting drug users sharing equipment. So it is not a gay disease in the sense that it is a disease that gays have produced it is a disease that gays are susceptible to if they engage in unsafe sex.

(Paul) After one and a half decades of living with the AIDS virus, our early attempts to deal with this disease seem embarrassing and shameful. But have we, as a society, learned anything about ourselves from the experience?

(Dr Penny) What HIV and AIDS have brought out was two things. The first thing was that the mixture of drugs and sex and death was a profoundly emotive area and very fertile for any journalist or anyone who wanted to get their attention in the media. So it became very easy for those so called experts and at times the lunatic fringe to get attention in the media. The second more disturbing elements in the that HIV brought out is the thin veneer that society has to contain discrimination. At the moment we see discrimination against Asians and Aborigines at the forefront in society but in the 80's the gay community I think was subjected to profound discrimination which the AIDS epidemic almost legitimised. I think that is where society shows its true colours.

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