The AIDS Epidemic of 1980s

Video: When AIDS Was Funny

Link: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5260372/

When AIDS Was Funny is a documentary by Scott Calonico that comprises a series of audio recordings of Larry Speakers during his press conference as the press spokesman of the Reagan administration (Calonico, 2015). These recordings are mostly about the press conferences that took place during the AIDS epidemic that started in 1981: The AIDS Epidemic of 1980s.

One thing that is clear from these recordings is that the Reagan administration did not take this epidemic seriously, which was mainly because it affected the gay community. The audios have instances where the press spokesman and the members of the media are joking about the epidemic and call it the “gay plague” (Vanity Fair, 2015). Notably, this was after thousands of people had died from the disease.

In addition, the audio also reveals that the government knew very little about the epidemic; for example, they thought that it was transmitted through saliva, which was never the case. There was a lot of misinformation and homophobia, especially fueled by the church, which only made the dismissal of the epidemic easier. This disregard for the disease has, over time, caused a lot of debate about whether the spread of the disease to other populations would have been stopped if the administration had taken it seriously from the beginning.

This documentary agrees with what American Yawp says about Reagan and his administration being indifferent to the epidemic, leaving the afflicted community to forge their own response to the crisis (Locke & Wright, 2019). Both of these sources are complementary to each other, with one going into more detail about a topic that one only highlights briefly. American Yawp only highlights the dismissal of the epidemic by the Reagan administration.

However, the documentary provides detailed audio recordings of this dismissal and all the unprofessional behavior that the government displayed in regard to the topic. Due to this dismissal, about 1.2 million people today are infected with the virus (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, n.d.), which would not be so if the epidemic had been addressed as soon as it started.

References

Calonico, S. (Director). (2015). When AIDS was funny. In IMDb. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5260372/

Locke, J., & Wright, B. (Eds.). (2019). The American Yawp: A massively collaborative open U.S. history textbook. Stanford University Press. https://www.americanyawp.com/text/wp-content/uploads/yawp_v2_open_pdf.pdf

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (n.d.). HIV basics: Statistics. HIV.gov. https://www.hiv.gov/hiv-basics/overview/data-and-trends/statistics

Vanity Fair. (2015, December 1). Reagan administration’s chilling response to the AIDS crisis [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yAzDn7tE1lU

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American history-discussion 4

Textbook link

• https://www.americanyawp.com/text/wp-content/uploads/yawp_v2_open_pdf.pdf
  • Between Chapters 16-30

For this assignment, you will:

FIRST: search for a video clip, a documentary or film that talks about events or issues that happened in the 1980s, 1990s, or before 2010. Look on YouTube or Vimeo or any other platform. For documentary or short clips, check PBS, NBC Learn, History Pod, History Channel, BBC, TED-ED, or another reputable source.

For films you can also check the Kanopy website through the ENMU library website.

If you use AI for this assignment, list the name of the AI database.

SECOND: Copy the link to the source indicating if your video clip

THIRD: Write a 1 to 2-paragraph long explaining how the content of the video clip agrees or not with what the American Yawp says about the same topic.

For example, both the clip and the American Yawp agree on how significant the topic you chose was for similar reasons. Or maybe the American Yawp focuses on various points related to the topic you chose, whereas the video clip gives a limited explanation of one aspect of the topic. Or you may explain which of the two sources –the video clip or the American Yawp—does a better job at explaining the topic and why?

The AIDS Epidemic of 1980s

Rubric

• Show an understanding of the topic discussed 
• Explain why the topic is significant to know about or how this topic helps us to better understand an issue or event in US history.
• Draw connections between the video clip and the American Yawp.
• Analyze if both sources agree in presenting the issue similarly or not?
• List a reference to the American Yawp and AI.