Are black people more likely to catch HIV

mikhail · 12-09-07, 02:07 PM

I know this is a very touchy subject but it needs to addressed i came across a statistic that "Black women are 19 times more likely to be infected with HIV than white women and 13 times more likely to die from the disease".

Why is this is this because of lack of condom use in the black community or have they just estimated from all black women including africa this link isnt as detailed as what i originally read but i cant find it now.

Teen Health 411

This is one of these things that is so sensitive people wont address it which is stupid because lives are more important than peoples feelings.

While i realise this sort of thing could be taken the wrong way and used by white racists i think most people on here are mature to talk this through logically.I would really appreciate any knowledge on this people have because this is just the type of thing you can only find out about on the internet because well nobody on tv would touch this with a ten foot pole.

1069 · 12-09-07, 02:45 PM

I saw an interesting documentary once that put forth the theory that bubonic fever/ bubonic plague has some sort of similarity to the HIV virus, and therefore offers some immunity or resistance against it.
Bubonic plague- depending on the strain- is approximately 70% fatal (some strains- the less common pneumonic strains- were 100% fatal; other, later bubonic strains were milder, and perhaps more than half of those who contracted it survived).
Plague swept through Europe again and again throughout the middle and dark ages, decimating it, until virtually every white person alive today is probably- one way or the other- descended from one or more survivors of the plague.
But bubonic plague never really reached Africa in any significant way.
So it could be that those of European (or East Asian) origin, who are likely descended from survivors of plague, might have a bit more of a built-in resistance to HIV that those of African origin, whose ancestors were never touched by plague.

Anyway, it's an idea.

I have a black (female) friend who told me that the reason HIV is more common among blacks in the US is because a lot of black men are secretly bisexual.
I kid you not. She said it's very common, that a lot of black guys engage in homosexual sex while living as straight men and considering themselves straight. She said it's a very common phenomenon in the African American community, and it's referred to as "on the DL" or "on the down low".
She referred me to some book about this supposed phenomenon, called "On the Down Low", by JL King (I haven't read it, though).
link
I don't believe her. I think it's crap. She's married to a white guy, and by her own admission doesn't like black guys, so I don't think she's really in a position to know this.
I don't believe black people are inherently more promiscuous than white people (although I believe poor people of any race- especially those who grow up in generational poverty- are often less discriminate about their sexual partners than wealthy or middle-class people of any race; when you're poor, there's less to do for entertainment and distraction, less incentive not to have sex with whomever you feel like).
And it seems to me that black people are less likely to be IV drug users than whites (around here at least, black druggies smoke and whites shoot, as a general rule. The black people I've known who did shoot up didn't even know how to hit themselves, and had to have others do it for them, which indicates to me that they are neither regular or habitual IV drug users. Crack seems to be more popular among blacks around here, while speed and heroin are more popular with whites. Of course, these observations are entirely anecdotal; it's not like I've conducted scientific studies on the matter, or would even be qualified to do so).

As for HIV transmitted via heterosex in Africa, I think a lot of it has to do with the prevalence of FGM, especially in the subsaharan regions.
Because of FGM, ordinary intercourse becomes a bloody and traumatic ordeal of torn flesh and damaged tissue, obviously placing both partners at greater risk for contracting bloodborne pathogens.
Prostitution- born of dire poverty and hunger- is also common in many parts of Africa, especially in towns and cities.

Anyway, those are my ideas.

mikhail · 12-09-07, 03:05 PM

Thanks for not labelling me some kind of racist.

Yea ive read about in Africa a belief its somehow unmanly to wear condom dont though if this has spread to other places.

I dont think its likely black men would be more likely to engage in homosexual sex than anyone else wouldnt make any sense in evolution.I imagine poverty is a big factor but uknow if someone and tv said african americans should take extra care with contraception they could get themselves in serious trouble which is worrying.

Its depressing because if people actually learnt about genetics they would difference between individuals is much greater than between races.The sad thing is this goes against what we basically think that we are more like someone who looks more like us.It really is time we got over this in the western world at least.We have every oppertunity to fix are ignorance yet so many people still wont do it.

1069 · 12-09-07, 03:22 PM

Quote:

I dont think its likely black men would be more likely to engage in homosexual sex than anyone else wouldnt make any sense in evolution.

Well, I don't think anyone is or was implying that they are genetically more prone to; I think my friend was referring to some sort of cultural phenomenon here in the US, in the latter part of the 20th century and the early part of the 21st (this was actually several years ago that she told me this; perhaps 3 years ago).
Like I said, I have not read that book, but I just read a couple of excerpts from it on Amazon, and this DL King guy (who has apparently appeared on talk shows, including Oprah, to promote his "down low" theory) is certainly strongly implying that this is an ingrained part of modern-day African American culture.
I am suspicious of him, however, because he claims that "God" told him to stop screwing around with men and "tell his story" to the world after he had a close brush with HIV.
It seems to me that he personally and a few of his friends might have been doing this, leading this duplicitous double life (just as many white men- Haggard, Craig, many, many others- are doing it), and because of his guilt and shame he'd like to believe (and make others believe) that it's more common than it actually is, that he is not some anomaly.
I think he's doing the black community a disservice by claiming this is more widespread than it probably actually is.
It seems to me that his "evidence" is little more than a series of personal anecdotes.
Of course, I'd have to read the book in order to know for sure if it contains any statistics or peer-reviewed studies or anything like that, but frankly I doubt it.
In the excerpts I just read, he does not sound particularly credible; it reads more like a cheap gay porn novel.

mikhail · 12-09-07, 03:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1069

Well, I don't think anyone is or was implying that they are genetically more prone to; I think my friend was referring to some sort of cultural phenomenon here in the US, in the latter part of the 20th century and the early part of the 21st (this was actually several years ago that she told me this; perhaps 3 years ago).
Like I said, I have not read that book, but I just read a couple of excerpts from it on Amazon, and this DL King guy (who has apparently appeared on talk shows, including Oprah, to promote his "down low" theory) is certainly strongly implying that this is an ingrained part of modern-day African American culture.
I am suspicious of him, however, because he claims that "God" told him to stop screwing around with men and "tell his story" to the world after he had a close brush with HIV.
It seems to me that he personally and a few of his friends might have been doing this, leading this duplicitous double life (just as many white men- Haggard, Craig, many, many others- are doing it), and because of his guilt and shame he'd like to believe (and make others believe) that it's more common than it actually is, that he is not some anomaly.
I think he's doing the black community a disservice by claiming this is more widespread than it probably actually is.
It seems to me that his "evidence" is little more than a series of personal anecdotes.
Of course, I'd have to read the book in order to know for sure if it contains any statistics or peer-reviewed studies or anything like that, but frankly I doubt it.
In the excerpts I just read, he does not sound particularly credible; it reads more like a cheap gay porn novel.

Well even over here in the UK black guys seem more homophobic which ive had a go at them a few times before so i think that accounts for it happening more secretly. But i really dont know about cultural effect to be honest i really feel quite repelled by the idea of even kissing another man and i dont think its just because of cultural reasons, its more like the same way im repelled from eating cheese.

1069 · 12-09-07, 04:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikhail

Well even over here in the UK black guys seem more homophobic which ive had a go at them a few times before so i think that accounts for it happening more secretly. But i really dont know about cultural effect to be honest i really feel quite repelled by the idea of even kissing another man and i dont think its just because of cultural reasons, its more like the same way im repelled from eating cheese.

Repelled from eating cheese??
Oh, but it's sooo good!

mikhail · 12-09-07, 04:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1069

Repelled from eating cheese??
Oh, but it's sooo good!

Id rather kiss a man.Just the smell of it make me feel sick.

1069 · 12-09-07, 04:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikhail

Id rather kiss a man.Just the smell of it make me feel sick.

So you don't like pizza?

jallman · 12-12-07, 02:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1069

I saw an interesting documentary once that put forth the theory that bubonic fever/ bubonic plague has some sort of similarity to the HIV virus, and therefore offers some immunity or resistance against it.
Bubonic plague- depending on the strain- is approximately 70% fatal (some strains- the less common pneumonic strains- were 100% fatal; other, later bubonic strains were milder, and perhaps more than half of those who contracted it survived).
Plague swept through Europe again and again throughout the middle and dark ages, decimating it, until virtually every white person alive today is probably- one way or the other- descended from one or more survivors of the plague.
But bubonic plague never really reached Africa in any significant way.
So it could be that those of European (or East Asian) origin, who are likely descended from survivors of plague, might have a bit more of a built-in resistance to HIV that those of African origin, whose ancestors were never touched by plague.

Anyway, it's an idea.

Actually, that is a very good idea and probably the best guess I have seen so far.

Quote:

I have a black (female) friend who told me that the reason HIV is more common among blacks in the US is because a lot of black men are secretly bisexual.
I kid you not. She said it's very common, that a lot of black guys engage in homosexual sex while living as straight men and considering themselves straight. She said it's a very common phenomenon in the African American community, and it's referred to as "on the DL" or "on the down low".
She referred me to some book about this supposed phenomenon, called "On the Down Low", by JL King (I haven't read it, though).
link
I don't believe her. I think it's crap.

Your friend's comments are echoing exactly what I was going to post as my guess. She is correct that many black men engage in homosexuality while considering themselves straight, even being married or having a girlfriend. I have noted this behavior to myself on many ocassions.