POZ Community Forums
Off Topic Forums => Off Topic Forum => Topic started by: mecch on October 13, 2012, 06:23:46 am
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Magic Johnson is the pitchman for OraSure - the home HIV test.
John Stewart had him on the Daily Show this week.
http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/wed-october-10-2012/magic-johnson
Stewart announced the interview by mentioning Johnson's spokesperson role.
Well shit, Stewart did NOT have a single damn interesting followup question about HIV or the home test. Magic discussed it well enough. But the subject seemed to escape Stewart. He just wanted to discuss Johnson's legendary basketball career. He changed the subject TWICE, in fact.
NOT A SINGLE DAMN intelligent question about HIV. Didn't even ask Magic about his own status or about his good health.
I would guess that Magic did not dictate these talking points, that's why I'm laying this criticism on Stewart.
Pathetic, Stewart.
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I saw that too. I was hoping to hear something interesting and instead got to hear stories about how Magic and Larry Bird are such good friends (because Larry's mom didn't poison Magic when he was invited over for dinner LOL)
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I don't know , its a comedy show so I wasn't expecting much to begin with .
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OMG -- imagine someone asking Magic Johnson about his basketball career on a TV talk program? No wonder America is going to hell in a handbasket!! ::)
HIV is a big focus in our lives -- for most of the folks watching John Stewart -- not so much -- having an all time great basketball star on the show, well, one should expect basketball talk to predominate.
M
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I much prefer to watch Chelsea Handler.
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I much prefer to watch Chelsea Handler.
She would have asked him whether he was really on the DL and that's how he got the butt flu. I usually catch up on The Daily Show and Colbert on the weekend. I'll have to watch.
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I like Chelsea Handler but her Greek Chorus often sucks and about nothing.
Yeah she would ask at least one good and snarky question. Plus: she has great shoes.
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I rather like the notion that HIV is no longer the focus on Mr. Johnson's life. Says a lot, that.
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I rather like the notion that HIV is no longer the focus on Mr. Johnson's life. Says a lot, that.
Not buying that. Why he and many of us can be blasé could be explained to Daily Show viewers by a question that leads to Johnson explaining how manageable HIV is, his own or anyone's, directly linked to the rationale for the home test and for regular screening for everyone.... It would have taken maybe 5 sentences. He's getting paid to hawk the product at least go into the subject a bit. Plus it could have been a however-brief opportunity to discuss access to health care issues in an election season.....
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Not buying that. Why he and many of us can be blasé could be explained to Daily Show viewers by a question that leads to Johnson explaining how manageable HIV is, his own or anyone's, directly linked to the rationale for the home test and for regular screening for everyone.... It would have taken maybe 5 sentences. He's getting paid to hawk the product at least go into the subject a bit. Plus it could have been a however-brief opportunity to discuss access to health care issues in an election season.....
When you get your own talk show, invite him on and ask your questions. The FACT remains, right or wrong, the majority of the public doesn't care about this subject and a TV show is, first and foremost, about ratings. The public sees Magic as a Basketball legend -- not an HIV+ one.
M
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Hmm, would be interesting if MJ just takes the normal aidsmeds or why he's so healthy. There are hundreds of theories about his good health in the Internet. Most of them are surely quack, but he should tell the truth to everybody.
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Hmm, would be interesting if MJ just takes the normal aidsmeds or why he's so healthy. There are hundreds of theories about his good health in the Internet. Most of them are surely quack, but he should tell the truth to everybody.
All of us that have lived with aids for 30 years will never tell our secrets about why we are so healthy so I don't expect MJ too . I will give you a hint though , the first part of the secret is med adherence ;) .
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Hmm, would be interesting if MJ just takes the normal aidsmeds or why he's so healthy. There are hundreds of theories about his good health in the Internet. Most of them are surely quack, but he should tell the truth to everybody.
NOPE, he only takes the meds that rich folk can afford. All of us LTS just scraped by on luck. ::)
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Hmm, would be interesting if MJ just takes the normal aidsmeds or why he's so healthy. There are hundreds of theories about his good health in the Internet. Most of them are surely quack, but he should tell the truth to everybody.
What are "non-normal" aids meds?
Another reason to take advantage of him being paid to shill for home HIV testing... Precisely because the message of his experience has never been crystal clear.
Some people gripe about his contribution, or lack, to the "fight against HIV" but personally I've always been neutral on that. Not his fault urban legends built up around his experience.
Just seems like another missed opportunity.
No big whoop I guess.
Stewart just seemed like an unctuous star fucker and MJ's basketball career is old news.
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Stewart just seemed like an unctuous star fucker and MJ's basketball career is old news.
Since I aint got no learning and don't know what the fuck this means I will agree . ;) .
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IIRC, the only "magic" Magic had was having David Ho (AIDS researcher) as his personal doctor. In that Endgame: AIDS in Black America documentary that came out earlier this year it was all discussed. As the director of the Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center in NYC, Ho was instrumental in establishing HAART as standard treatment in 1996.
I can't recall if they stated that Johnson was in a clinical trial for protease inhibitors or not, but even if so there obviously were others that were as well, so in that sense there wasn't special treatment as long as he met the same criteria as others.
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I do not think he is at all obligated to discuss HIV at every interview....
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I rather like the notion that HIV is no longer the focus on Mr. Johnson's life. Says a lot, that.
I agree.
On a side note, if my memory serves me correctly.. When Magic Johnson was diagnosed it sent the porn industry upside down because he was sleeping with most of the porn starlets, namely Heather Hunter and I think the other one was Ebony Ayes.
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I do not think he is at all obligated to discuss HIV at every interview....
+1
Totally up to Magic how much space he wants to give HIV. Thumbs down for Stewart thou in this interview for cutting short with a load of nonsense and jibberish.
Personally I really like MJ, great guy and huge inspiration.
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As I drive by the points of interests this afternoon as pointed out above, they all captivate me.
My take: John Stewart appears to be rather clever and he and Magic are quite aware of the expectation to discuss HIV. They could have easily sprinkled the patter with a bit of substantive chatter about HIV beyond the endorsement of the OraQuick home HIV test kit. Apparently both chose not to.
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Not buying that. Why he and many of us can be blasé could be explained to Daily Show viewers by a question that leads to Johnson explaining how manageable HIV is, his own or anyone's, directly linked to the rationale for the home test and for regular screening for everyone.... It would have taken maybe 5 sentences. He's getting paid to hawk the product at least go into the subject a bit. Plus it could have been a however-brief opportunity to discuss access to health care issues in an election season.....
Have you HEARD Magic Johnson when he's been quoted at length about HIV? About ten years back he claimed he tested negative because he didn't understand what "undetectable? meant.
As a FACE of HIV, I applaud him. As a VOICE of HIV? His knowledge of the virus is not exactly to be relied upon. Nor should it. Get Peter Staley on the Daily Show and you'd have an argument if they didn't talk AIDS the whole time.
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Hmm, would be interesting if MJ just takes the normal aidsmeds or why he's so healthy. There are hundreds of theories about his good health in the Internet. Most of them are surely quack, but he should tell the truth to everybody.
lolwut?
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lolwut?
Yes, jkinatl2 - a reason why I consider it a missed opportunity.
but no big whoop..... i guess.......
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Hmm, would be interesting if MJ just takes the normal aidsmeds or why he's so healthy. There are hundreds of theories about his good health in the Internet. Most of them are surely quack, but he should tell the truth to everybody.
I dont believe he had access or do have access to some "miraculous" meds, but surely he gets good medical attention and have had that all along.
If memory serves me right he (or his wife did) claims to every morning get a rigorous workout, a habit which he took up shortly after quitting basketball professionally.
A few other things that springs to mind is his age, he was "just" 32 or so when he got it, he was dxd early since they had yearly physicals in the NBA and before getting sick (even no HAART at the time) and of course he had the means to take care of himself.
None of this would have helped for HIV progressing to AIDS but once science turned it "manageable" he was still in good shape.
Im just guessing that hes been quite lucky and probably genetics plays a part as well.
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I dont believe he had access or do have access to some "miraculous" meds, but surely he gets good medical attention and have had that all along.
By the way I read or heard somewhere that he had access to special meds "from Europe" (because they are obviously as distinguished as French pastry) at a time everyone else was dropping dead. :D
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I'm sure if Magic was asked why he survived the dark days when so many other people of means didn't? His answer would be the same as any other LTS-I was lucky.
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Rock Hudson had the European Special Cure in the 80's, remember.
The elephant in the room, is the history of urban legends (or as someone here refers to them, quack theories on the Internet) that attempted to explain the "miraculous" survival of MJ during the dark age of AIDS, when there was nothing miraculous.
I believe these legends are dying out finally but they held sway for a good 10++ years.
Of course there was a class issue mixed into the race issue, mixed into a taboo topic -- surely back then a highly taboo and confusing medical issue.
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why should MJ have to tell the "truth" to everyone? he has survived, the same way we have survived. he doesn't owe anyone an explaination, his private medical information is just that, private and his.
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Rock Hudson had the European Special Cure in the 80's, remember.
The elephant in the room, is the history of urban legends (or as someone here refers to them, quack theories on the Internet) that attempted to explain the "miraculous" survival of MJ during the dark age of AIDS, when there was nothing miraculous.
I believe these legends are dying out finally but they held sway for a good 10++ years.
Of course there was a class issue mixed into the race issue, mixed into a taboo topic -- surely back then a highly taboo and confusing medical issue.
What in the world are you talking about? The biggest issues surrounding Magic at the time were whether he was gay or could he infect others playing basketball. Connie Chung interviewed him (when she was still a respected journalist) and asked him if he had sex with men. Magic was all over the press saying his playing would not compromise the health of others and he continued playing basketball. Several basketball players at the time voiced concern about playing against him. The biggest question of the day was whether or not he was gay. The second question was whether his playing compromised the safety of others. Actually the second question resulted in the policy that exists today in sports. Players openly bleeding leave the game.
For those of us infected around the same time, I'm sure we tried many of the same "treatments." We can tell you the same thing Magic would. We were fucking lucky. We know you try to sound profound, but trying to reshape history to fit your narrative is not your strong suit.
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What in the world are you talking about?
What in the world are you talking about?
How is Mech trying to rewrite history?
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Magic didn't spread misinformation. Never said he did. (Although someone ELSE mentioned in this thread how he misspoke about undetectable and 'testing negative').
At the time, early 90's, there was discussion about whether the "black community" could have frank discussions about many of these topics - gay, straight, the down low, safer sex, "the origin of HIV", "hiv conspiracy theories", class and access to care, etc etc etc.
To this day, remnants of the lack of clarity and lack of info linger on. In such comments as "Magic had access to the 'special meds'."
I was only saying, he was invited on and announced as a spokesperson for the home HIV test, and Stewart changed the subject quickly twice to talk about other things.
Yes, both men can talk about whatever the fuck they want to. I was just expressing some discontent that another opportunity for some clear discussion of HIV issues is passed over.
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Actually Magic has been interviewed multiple times over the years. He discusses his life since diagnosis in candid detail. No mystery.
http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/nation/2006-11-30magic_x.htm
http://articles.cnn.com/2005-01-17/us/cnn25.tan.johnson_1_gay-disease-hiv-earvin-magic-johnson/2?_s=PM:US
http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2011/05/15/magic-johnson-20-years-of-living-with-hiv.html