HIV Conspiracy??? Has anyone heard this crap?

[VersatileBreeder]

The other night I was on BBRT just glancing around and a neg bottom guy messaged me if I wanted to play. I messaged him back thanking him, but letting him know that I am poz, not on meds just yet (but soon), and don't really feel comfortable topping a neg guy at this point. His reaction was totally not what I was expecting. He responded that he doesn't believe in HIV/AIDS, but rather that it is a made up conspiracy. I asked him where the hell he got that information from and he sent me a bunch of links. Out of curiosity, I took a look at them.

The links were websites preaching these paranoid, far fetched, crazy ideals about how HIV is actually a harmless virus and people progress to AIDS not because of HIV, but because the medicines that the pharmaceutical companies are dishing out to us are poisoning us. Basically, a conspiracy theory that the pharmaceutical companies make a fortune selling fear to HIV+ people and then sell us poisonous drugs that will kill us anyway. There was another article regarding how poppers kills T-cells and causes AIDS. All bullshit if you ask me.

I told him that I found the articles to be extremely far fetched and asked how he can really believe in any of that crap. He basically asked me back how I can believe the information that doctors and the media feed us about HIV/AIDS to be correct. I told him I don't buy into conspiracy theories and am not going to rest the future of my health in the belief of this crap, therefore, going on the "poisonous conspiracy" meds soon. His response was, "cool, well it sounds like you drank the Kool-Aid." Ironic response as it's coming from someone who believes information that is pretty much almost cultist bullshit.

Now, I'm not going to say that I don't believe conspiracies exist or that they have never happened, but I don't buy into them very easily. And all of this sounds WAY out there. I stay away from conspiracy beliefs because I feel like once you get sold into one, it's very easy to start believing that everything is a conspiracy. I have a friend like that. He believes everything is a conspiracy: 9/11 was a conspiracy of the Bush administration, the missing Malaysia Airlines flight 370 is a conspiracy, ObamaCare is a conspiracy, the Illuminati rules the world, Princess Diana's death was a conspiracy, he believes that we are watched 24/7 by satellites that can see through windows. You get the picture. Me, personally, I'd rather believe in humanity than constantly live in fear that there is some authority out there to get me.

Just wondering if any of you guys ever came across this HIV hoax/conspiracy crap and if so, what do you think about it? I highly doubt anyone on this site puts any stock into it, but I am curious to know your reactions. Thanks.

[BarebackFan]

a recent poll found that 10 percent of Americans believe Elvis Presley is alive. &, 8% believe that if you send him a letter he will get it

[VersatileBreeder]

a recent poll found that 10 percent of Americans believe Elvis Presley is alive. &, 8% believe that if you send him a letter he will get it

Oh yeah I heard that too. Apparently he lives in a subterranean lair hundreds of feet below Graceland and still vacations in Vegas, blending in with all the Elvis impersonators. He's alive along with Tupac Shakur, Keith Richards, Michael Jackson, Jim Morrison, Jimmy Hoffa and plenty of others.

What scares me aren't the whackjob people who sit at their computers formulating these crazy stories and pushing them out on the internet, but rather, the millions of seemingly normal people who actually believe them.

[BarebackFan]

And to your point, it is hard to believe that gay guys could buy into a theory like that. I would have encouraged him to test his belief by taking a toxic poz load, but that's just me.

[NYCBearpig]

Just wondering if any of you guys ever came across this HIV hoax/conspiracy crap and if so, what do you think about it? I highly doubt anyone on this site puts any stock into it, but I am curious to know your reactions. Thanks.

This conspiracy theory is as old as when AIDS first appeared on the scene, but it changes form as time goes on. The basic premise, that HIV isn't a dangerous virus that can kill people, is the root of all the so called theories. And seriously, TV shows like SVU often mirror stories of the day and there's an episode about this very thing.

This "theory" conflicts with the other one that claims "the government" released the virus into the gay and drug communities to kill them off.

Then again, people still believe an alien space ship crashed in the Nevada desert or (one of my faves) those streams of smoke that you see trailing a jet is really a "chem trail" and it's "the government" spewing this out to make us passive.

[VersatileBreeder]

And to your point, it is hard to believe that gay guys could buy into a theory like that. I would have encouraged him to test his belief by taking a toxic poz load, but that's just me.

I was actually thinking of testing him by asking him if he would like my poz load. I decided not to because I grew tired of listening to him try to recruit another believer and figured it was time to stop feeding the troll.

[rawTOP]

Prior to the advent of ARVs theories like that were quite prevalent. But as soon as people stopped dying talk like that gradually died down - it was hard to argue with the results. If the meds could make that big of a difference then clearly the scientists understood the basics of how HIV worked.

BTW, Jeff Palmer (the porn star) was one of the more visible proponents of those theories. I'd love to know what happened to him and whether he finally got with the program. His wikipedia page discusses his denialist beliefs in more detail.

Edited April 30, 2014 by rawTOP

[dickluva]

OINK~! I threw my meds away September 2007, after billing dispute between my Insurance & my Doc's bookkeeping dept. I thought it immoral that she would not renew my Rx if I didn't bring my balance to zero. I asked her if the only reason I was on Rx was so Doc's could get paid.

I had the counts checked in Fall 2008, new Doc agreed I did not need to be on meds. I have not had #'s checked since. I do not regret my decision. I have never had an opportunistic infection, other than the various std's one gets from anonymous unprotected sex. I have never missed worrying about missing a dose, forgetting to reorder on time, having my meds stole out of the mail, waiting in Doc's office, waiting for test results, or side effects like chronic indigestion, painful neuropathy, & inconvenient diarrhea. My weight & mood has stabilized too. I would suggest reading "Built to Survive" by Dr Nelson Vergel if anyone is considering alternative therapy. I also refer people to listen or watch lectures by Doctor Peter Duesberg( Nobel prize winner, & head of a research lab at UC Berkley). Dr Duesberg & Dr Nelson Vergel have some damn good questions that the whole medical field ignores. I don't have any answers or any evidence. I just know I'm healthy today in spite of ignoring advice from best American Doctors in my area, Mid West USA. XOX

[dickluva]

Oh by the way, I have put my beliefs to tests by never refusing a load. I have take many loads of poz cum since 2007 with no ill affects.

[VersatileBreeder]

Oh by the way, I have put my beliefs to tests by never refusing a load. I have take many loads of poz cum since 2007 with no ill affects.

dickluva, it is kind of an apples to oranges comparison. You are already poz. It is likely that you should have much less fear in taking poz loads than a neg guy would. This other guy seems to believe that HIV is a relatively harmless virus that doesn't progress to AIDS and that someone with HIV can live a regular life off meds with no consequences. Obviously, someone who is neg and believes that should have no issues with taking a poz load, because there will be no ill consequences for them if they do. That was my point in saying I was thinking about testing him.

[TigerMilner]

I've seen the youtube videos and read this crap. Usually it comes from someone trying to make me "feel better" by denying I am sick in any way. You are right, it is a load of crap. I love the one that poppers causes AIDS. There is a "journalist" in Ft Lauderdale who spreads that lunacy. No doubt the pharmacuetical companies are making a fortune, but that doesn't mean it's not real.

Anyway, in reality, Santa Clause gave me HIV. Right? Cause I was a bad boy.

[VersatileBreeder]

I've seen the youtube videos and read this crap. Usually it comes from someone trying to make me "feel better" by denying I am sick in any way. You are right, it is a load of crap. I love the one that poppers causes AIDS. There is a "journalist" in Ft Lauderdale who spreads that lunacy. No doubt the pharmacuetical companies are making a fortune, but that doesn't mean it's not real.

Anyway, in reality, Santa Clause gave me HIV. Right? Cause I was a bad boy.

Tiger, to be honest, in my opinion I don't think it is people trying to make us feel better. Support groups, outreach and resource programs do that for us in a much more genuine and much less twisted way. I think that the people spreading this conspiracy propaganda are people who have an innate fear and distrust of governments and authority. They will twist ANYTHING they can to believe (and make others believe) that the government is out to get us and they have their own agenda. Most people who believe in one conspiracy theory also believe in many others. Do I think that governments do have their own agendas on certain issues? Of course. But am I going to believe that our government made a virus to try to kill us off and conspire with the healthcare industry to make a fortune in the process? Nope sorry.

By the way, I had no clue Santa Claus is poz! Learned something today...

[GermanFucker]

Prior to the advent of ARVs theories like that were quite prevalent. But as soon as people stopped dying talk like that gradually died down - it was hard to argue with the results. If the meds could make that big of a difference then clearly the scientists understood the basics of how HIV worked.

I think it's a bit more complicated than that. I think you're right in that the first wave of AIDS denialism was born out of shock and helplessness. But I don't think it died away, it just moved to other groups with financial interests, who often have very little contact with poz people themselves.

Today IMHO AIDS denialism is perpetuated by a coalition of esoterics, vegans, animal rights activists, and all kinds of alternative medicine quacks (not saying that all alternative medicine is per se bad, just saying that there are quacks who make money by hurting people).

Just one REAL example of a poz denialist from a german-speaking raw food forum:

http://27718.foren.mysnip.de/read.php?27820,107593

But be forewarned, it's neither pretty nor does it have a happy end.

Dr Duesberg & Dr Nelson Vergel have some damn good questions that the whole medical field ignores.

That's simply not true. There are countless essays and lectures that have comprehensively debunked Duesberg's claims, which for the most part rely on outdated information, unfounded conjectures and outright lies.

[DannyGoodman]

Oh yeah I heard that too. Apparently he lives in a subterranean lair hundreds of feet below Graceland and still vacations in Vegas, blending in with all the Elvis impersonators. He's alive along with Tupac Shakur, Keith Richards, Michael Jackson, Jim Morrison, Jimmy Hoffa and plenty of others.

What scares me aren't the whackjob people who sit at their computers formulating these crazy stories and pushing them out on the internet, but rather, the millions of seemingly normal people who actually believe them.

Shame on you! For a moment, that made me think, "HOLY SHIT! Did I really miss a beloved genius's death?" LOL. :-D

[Rayne]

I haven't heard of someone claiming this kind of conspiracy, but it doesn't really surprise me. Personally, I am a conspiracy theorist, but as I've stated before, that remains a theory to me until it's proven. I get annoyed by those who create a conspiracy theory, believe it to be true with minimal evidence, and then they try to make others believe in it more than the corner preachers chucking bibles at the heads of passer-bys. That kind of shit makes people like myself look like incompetent fucks; and it's getting on my nerves. This conspiracy probably has as much weight in the present day as the Reptilian Elite theory *facepalm*

If I came across someone with that line of thinking, I'd definitely ask them to do some scientific experimentation with his theory. Most people who believe in that kind of conspiracy are hypocrites. Personally, I find it absurd; and this is coming from someone who thinks pharmaceutical companies are less inclined to create cures, and more likely to treat, as cures are less profitable than long-term treatment. Hey, it's a theory, and it's my opinion, but I'm not going to avoid taking medication when it's my only hope for a healthier life! If I get HIV, I'll likely be on meds ASAP; the only way I wouldn't be on them is if they were ineffective and/or cause me more problems than being off the meds. I'm not going to let a theory run my life. I'm quite surprised others would.

Meh, some people would rather believe in an absurdity because it fits their world view better, rather than altering their world view to make things comprehensible. To each their own, I guess.