From 'Sex, Lies and Videotape' to Sex, OMG and ... WTF?!

I'm torn!

I see one side ... while also seeing another!

My thoughts are circling quite quickly through my head regarding a German ad campaign just brought to my attention. I'm going to attempt to give you all my thoughts on the subject but I would, first, like for you to see the video in question. It raises many different emotions, feelings, questions, thoughts and concerns. Before you view this, I would like to say that it is graphic in nature. It does depict sexual acts and this video is not likely suitable for children or to those who might find offense in sexual matter. I recently added the 18+ stamp to my blog, not for my own content but because I know that some of the blogs I follow tend to be of a graphic nature. I didn't think that I would need it for myself, but - I'm glad I changed it now.

Many of you know that TV in other countries is looked at and censored a lot differently than it is here in the US. These ads would likely not make it past the FCC cuts and so I implore you to look at this with eyes wide open - although you might blush and want to cover your face. It is extremely NSFW but is necessary for a good piece of healthy debate on the subject. I will follow the video with my own thoughts on it and welcome your comments, questions and concerns thereafter. I do want to respond to any and all comments so please bring on the debate. Without further ado ... take a gander.

AIDS Is A Mass Murderer from Laborarbeiter on Vimeo.

WOW, right?!

We might as well state the obvious facts first: The ad is extremely successful in being provocative, attention-grabbing, sensational, etc, etc. It causes an immediate reaction of some sort (probably due to the sexual nature) and then it might take you somewhere else. You may begin to rethink your initial reaction as you watch more of it. Thirty-Six seconds into the video, your total frame of mind changes as you realize this sex-clad mini-movie is about something more than just sex. Then you get the caption "AIDS is a Mass Murderer ... Protect Yourself!" and you get a glimpse of the point they are trying to drive home.

Truth: Sex grabs your attention and causes you to take a look at what's being displayed.
Question: Why doesn't this sexual encounter ever show a condom to drive the point?

Truth: Correlating AIDS to Adolf Hitler will likely make you think twice.
Question: What does Adolf Hitler's involvement really make you think?

It's true, sex sells. When we're talking about a STD/STI, it's obvious that the best way to drive it home is to utilize sex. The virus IS transmitted during sex. This is not disputed. Adolf Hitler automatically makes you think back to The Holocaust and his quest for racial purity. You're automatically lead to recalling the many people killed and placed into concentration camps. These are the successful accomplishments the designers of this advertisement are seeking. But does this correlation of his mass murdering to the deaths caused by HIV and AIDS drive the point or create a larger problem?

I look at this advertisement and question the ostracism caused. This way of thinking lends a hand in taking us back into the age of thinking those who are carriers of the disease to be the enemy of those without. They are now to be likened with an evil dictator. The truth behind this: there are many who have contracted the disease and do not care about those who might contract the disease from them. They do have un-protected sex and might even seek out transmitting it to others. On this point, I agree with the ad. I will venture to say, however, that the vast majority of those who have the disease do live their lives responsibly and make their partners aware and act accordingly. It (the ad) leans to the thought that there are good people who are guilty of committing the crime of willingly killing others. This ad somehow seems a bit destructive to those who are trying to do the right thing and it's motives, although seemingly genuine, can be misconstrued as blatantly counter-productive

One of the ad's creators says, "Basically, we wanted to give the virus a face and this cannot be a beautiful face ... that's why we hit on Adolf Hitler. (Amongst others - see the end of this blog for those pictures)" I believe there is an apparent level complacency regarding this disease that has been developing over the years and the level of awareness has decreased. This brings about the need for measures we haven't seen previously - the old means may not be as effective anymore since we have made strides in medicine to keep the disease at bay. Many feel as though it's just something they can get and they will be fine to live their lives as they had always. And so this sort of shocking, in-your-face, new age way of bringing attention might be necessary.

I suppose my thoughts on this issue ride delicately along a tightrope as if I am an elephant on a unicycle. I have yet to fall to one side and make a definitive decision on which more compels me. I have many different things that I wanted to discuss yet the length of this post scares me into belief that people may not read it and therefore the discussion will not be had. This is an important debate and the need for constant debate is why the ad was called for by Germany's Regenbogen (German for 'Rainbow'). So if this is not discussed, the ad, the need for awareness, and this blog are all moot points.


I would love to hear your thoughts and points on this topic and I open the floor for discussion. This topic affects each and every one of us in one way and/or another. I will likely bring up more of my thoughts as the discussion continues

Ciao for Now,
VWayne

EDIT: I forgot to add the pictures from the non-TV spots they are circulating as well:


Adolf Hitler Poster

Saddam Hussein Poster

Joseph Stalin Poster

I would also like for you to read through all of the comments posted before your own as the debate would be better served if we are actually participating in a full dialogue.

Afraid to Dream

I'm sure the first thought at seeing this title will be that I may have some sort of fear of failure. Or that I am afraid of the fight to achieve my dreams. That isn't exactly what my dream fear entails or means.

I FEAR MY DREAMS BECAUSE THEY COME TRUE!

I fear only the dreams that I can remember, however. When I wake up and, after the grogginess of attempting to get a handle on being awake, I can still remember many of the details, I then am nervous. I'm sure this can seem somewhat irrational but it bothers me greatly. To go deeper into it, I consider them to be premonitions of sort - but only those that I can remember ... vividly.

I've awaken to thoughts of many people being hit by cars, struck by lightning, shot in gang crossfire, etc. These wouldn't be such awful things if I didn't get some sort of validation of all the things I had seen. These wouldn't be such horrible things if they weren't always such bad dreams that I remembered. There is a possibility I just have a bit more emotion toward the ones that cause the most grief. It is possible that I have had more good-natured dreams yet the less than appealing ones have overshadowed them due to the gravity of the realization that these bad things do, in fact, come true. This causes some weighted imbalance. The anger, frustration and confusion of these foreboding dreams leave a greater weight on the side of my mind housing their existence, thereby overshadowing the existence of their opposite counterpart.

Perhaps the biggest and most significant of the dreams, and probably the last one that I can actually remember, happened 8 years ago today while I was away at school. In fewer details than those that run through my mind ... I was on an airplane - a passenger. I don't know where I'm going. I just recall being in a plane. Who knows if the movie (dream) started when I first fell asleep that night or if it began early the next morning. Who knows if the dream started with me sitting in my seat, or getting onto the plane. Funny how dreams work, I can see everything as though it's a movie, my own thoughts and fears, those of the other passengers, as well as see the outside of the plane *I'm guessing this is my mind telling me it is, in fact, a dream.*

We are all too scared to move and, despite all the other things my mind is showing me, I don't look out the window - it doesn't appear that anyone does. *I try not to look out the window on planes anyway - have I mentioned I have a fear of flying? I need to sit next to the window just in case I feel the need to look out on those rare occasions that I need to see the clouds to ensure I'm still up there. I digress.* Suddenly we make a turn and I'm just about on my side. As my heart races to speeds resulting in a sound which could only be described as that of a hummingbird, the 'camera' pans out and I can see the AA on the tail of the plane. Minutes or seconds or no time at all *it's a dream, remember?* go by and I see buildings. My heart sinks because we are too low. We aren't "going back to the airport." *When was I told that was where we were going? I dunno* Just then the 'camera' pans again and we are headed for a building. It seems like slow motion but I'm sure it isn't. Impact is nanoseconds away and I close my eyes to pray ...

My eyes snap open and my breathing is extremely fast. As I try to calm myself, I say over and over that "it's just a dream and everything will be OK." I can't, however, shake the thought that I will die in an airplane crash.

I look at the clock: 7:46. A new wave of panic ensues as I have an 8am set design class. I think to myself, "Why didn't my alarm clock go off? If my roommate turned it off AGAIN...!?" I don't have time to speculate as I scramble to get my clothes on and brush my teeth before darting out the building.

The Theatre Building isn't that far and so I make it to class @ about 8:02 or 8:03. It's quiet - the instructor apparently hasn't made it yet and so I relax.

A couple minutes later, a classmate, Emily, walks in and shouts, "Those FUCKERS blew up the twin towers!" The looks on the faces around me range from shock to confusion, groggy to bewildered. I'm not totally sure what the twin towers are. *I'd never been to NYC until my birthday this year (2009)* She then, hysterically, explained the events, as she knew them, and tears streamed down my face.

After some time, one of the faculty members came in and explained more of what happened and dismissed everyone. As I ran back to my building, my cell phone rang, my mom. Our conversation was a blur, especially since I was an emotional wreck - things were slowly starting to come together with my dream. In the lobby of my building, they were setting up a television so the students without TV's could watch the news. I ran to my room and woke up my roommate minutes before his own cell rang - his mom. I finished explaining to him all that I knew just before he picked it up and I turned on the television to begin watching, OVER AND OVER (on EVERY CHANNEL), the events from my dream.

I maintained a sedated state the rest of the day - crawling through different actions like a zombie - unable to tear myself away from the TV for more than a few minutes. I don't even think I heard the words from the newscasters for being so into my own thoughts. This was, by far, the absolute worst dream-come-true I had ever experienced and I was afraid to go back to sleep. I'm not certain that I even did for at least a couple days thereafter.

*************************************************************************

I apologize, I didn't really want this to be so long. I started writing this a couple weeks ago after I woke up from a bad dream about 2 kids almost being killed by a train. The details are a bit sketchy but, as this is the first dream (in a long time) I can actually remember SOME details, it scared me REALLY badly! Those of you following me on Twitter and friends on FB probably recall my messages of horror.

I'm not even sure where I was going with this post anymore, I got so caught up in the details of that day. Basically, I have quite a few blogs that aren't posted because they're unfinished works of some kind. Despite how much I wanted to post this a couple weeks ago, I didn't. I got caught up in something else and it didn't get posted. Nonetheless, I noticed how many people were posting questions about "where were you when the planes impacted?" and it made me think about it...again. I'm sure you can understand why I have some sort of mental block on this day every year. I don't really want to be reminded of it.

Anyway, there you have it: I have a fear of dreaming because if I can remember it, it will apparently come true. Now it has been 8 years since the worst dream I've ever had came true. Hell, it apparently was happening as I was dreaming it.

BTW, none of what I have just said has been fictional, these are true accounts of my day, 8 years ago.



Dear God, please watch out for the souls that transitioned on this day 8 years past. Please also take care of those who are still here and get a yearly - if not daily - reminder that their loved ones are no longer physically here to be with them. 8 years is not always enough time to console the heart from absence, especially when it's rehashed so many times in the media. So I ask that you watch over them and keep them closer to you in their time of need. These things and more I ask in Jesus' name. AMEN