# Har Har Har! Porn industry has major AIDS scare **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [April 17, 2004, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/har-har-har-porn-industry-has-major-aids-scare/240478 "2004-04-17T03:19:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![agiantdwarf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8c91f0/32.png) [@agiantdwarf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/agiantdwarf)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2004, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/har-har-har-porn-industry-has-major-aids-scare/240478/41 "2004-04-17T18:50:21Z")
> [@gotpasswords](#): > > Big fat nit to pick - the performers tested positive for HIV. They don’t have AIDS. In populations where people have good medical resources and access to the modern “cocktail” meds, having HIV develop into AIDS has become fairly uncommon. [hijack]So are you saying that if you’re rich and you get HIV, you can still live a regular, fairly long life? That’s wonderful.[/hijack] ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2004, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/har-har-har-porn-industry-has-major-aids-scare/240478/42 "2004-04-17T19:08:47Z")
> [@agiantdwarf](#): > > [hijack]So are you saying that if you’re rich and you get HIV, you can still live a regular, fairly long life? That’s wonderful.[/hijack] Those who say things should be available to everybody or to nobody are demagogues. Remedies which are new and expensive are, by necessity, limited to a few and it is better that they be available to some than to nobody. Fifty years ago antibiotics were only available to a very few and today they are cheap and common. ---
**Author:** ![Eats\_Crayons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Eats\_Crayons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eats_Crayons)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2004, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/har-har-har-porn-industry-has-major-aids-scare/240478/43 "2004-04-17T19:14:22Z")
> [@agiantdwarf](#): > > [hijack]So are you saying that if you’re rich and you get HIV, you can still live a regular, fairly long life? That’s wonderful.[/hijack] Yup, that’s pretty much it. And it really, really does suck. (Particularly in low-income or third-world countries where it’s hard to make a profit off the sick locals.) ---
**Author:** ![Danalan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/76d3ee/32.png) [@Danalan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Danalan)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2004, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/har-har-har-porn-industry-has-major-aids-scare/240478/44 "2004-04-17T19:28:44Z")
I was most impressed that the adult film industry has a well thought out protocol for dealing with potential infections. They apparently keep detailed records about who ‘works’ with who when, and can assign risk based upon this. So they have ‘tier 1’ actors, who worked directly with this potentially infectious actor, and ‘tier 2’ actors, who worked directly with ‘tier 1’ actors. Not only that, but they put a moratorium on filming – not a light step, considering the money involved. This shows an impressive amount of organization and mature thinking at the corporate level. I wish more american companies were so responsible. As far as the OP, why on earth were you even watching Fox? Don’t support what you know to be evil, in any way. If you want to change their behavior, you have to: 1) Not watch that channel, ever; 2) Write the advertisers who support that channel, and tell them you won’t buy their product because they advertise on that channel. Or you can simply add hours of meaningful time to your life, and increase your general attitude by killing your television completely. I’ve only used mine to watch movies for over 3 years now, and I don’t miss it at all. ---
**Author:** ![vanilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f19dbf/32.png) [@vanilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vanilla)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2004, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/har-har-har-porn-industry-has-major-aids-scare/240478/45 "2004-04-17T19:47:12Z")
I think the world would be a better place if the porn industry were to shut down(and theres a good debate idea). My second thought is :they couldn’t have found other jobs? Did they want the money THAT badly? ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2004, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/har-har-har-porn-industry-has-major-aids-scare/240478/46 "2004-04-17T19:50:15Z")
OK, I’ll bite: How will the world be better? Are you encountering porn that you cannot avoid, and it’s degrading your quality of life? ---
**Author:** ![Tower\_Dweller](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bc79bd/32.png) [@Tower\_Dweller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tower_Dweller)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2004, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/har-har-har-porn-industry-has-major-aids-scare/240478/47 "2004-04-17T19:56:55Z")
I agree that it’s in extremely poor taste to chuckle at a group of people that may have contracted a potentially fatal disease. It’s unfortunate that we seem to demand porn featuring unsafe sex - I think it shows that the importance of protection is still not reaching us. And i’m impressed at companies that draw a line and insist on condoms at all times, for the protection of their workers. If we can mandate that constuction workers wear hard hats, and health workers wear gloves and masks, why can’t we mandate that adult industry employees wear condoms? What’s the difference? Eats\_Crayons, your knowledge of “the industry” is impressive. Would you consider an “Ask the Porn Industry Guy” thread? I have many, many questions… ---
**Author:** ![yosemite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/3ab097/32.png) [@yosemite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yosemite)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2004, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/har-har-har-porn-industry-has-major-aids-scare/240478/48 "2004-04-17T20:02:48Z")
> [@Danalan](#): > > As far as the OP, why on earth were you even watching Fox? Don’t support what you know to be evil, in any way. I’ll watch what I want, thank you. I watch for my own reasons and I didn’t start the OP to be told what is appropriate for me to spend time watching. What next? Are you going to tell me what music I should listen to? :rolleyes: > [@](#): > > Or you can simply add hours of meaningful time to your life, and increase your general attitude by killing your television completely. There have been people who would start Pit threads over such a comment. (I’m not one of them, though.) That’s a really annoying, smug attitude, you know. I think we’re all big boys and girls and know what we want to see, how much time we want to spend seeing it, and so forth. I don’t go around telling other people that they shouldn’t (for instance) watch porn, even though I have no interest in it myself and would personally consider it to be a huge waste of my time. I’m sure if I made comments about people who “wasted time” watching porn, I’d be called a smug asshole. :shrug: Getting back to the OP: yes, it is immensely STUPID that these porn stars put themselves at risk. Frustratingly, mind-bogglingly STUPID. But it just ain’t funny. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2004, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/har-har-har-porn-industry-has-major-aids-scare/240478/49 "2004-04-17T20:06:06Z")
> [@agiantdwarf](#): > > [hijack]So are you saying that if you’re rich and you get HIV, you can still live a regular, fairly long life? That’s wonderful.[/hijack] Pretty much, if the doctors can find a mix of drugs that work on you. There are a ton of drugs available, and typically the types have to be switched regularly as the strain in the person mutates. Of course, this could involve taking a few dozen pills every day just to keep the HIV under control, and then there might be some other medications to deal with the side effects of the antiviral drugs. Some cause serious cholesterol problems so while the virus might be under control, you might need drugs and/or diet to prevent from clogging your arteries and having worries about heart attack or stroke. There are a ton of other potential side effects, depending on what drug you’re on. One of the patients I work with showed me a picture of him when he was down to 90 lbs. He’s probably about 5’10" or so. These days he’s got a lightly muscular build and is in great health. You’d never guess that he’d ever been in that condition just by looking at him. Another patient is in his 60s, and when I saw him 4 months ago he was working out daily, probably in better health overall than I am. Then last month he was tired all the time, run down, etc. - his meds had to be switched after the previous visit, and this new set of meds wasn’t working and would be switched to another mix that hopefully would work. It’s no guarantee, though. Not by a long shot. And certainly no reason to not practice safer sex. (Note: I’m definitely not laughing at the people who got HIV in this case. I’m surprised that outbreaks haven’t happened more in the porn industry (than the 3 already listed), frankly.) ---
**Author:** ![yosemite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/3ab097/32.png) [@yosemite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yosemite)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2004, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/har-har-har-porn-industry-has-major-aids-scare/240478/50 "2004-04-17T20:09:51Z")
> [@Tower Dweller](#): > > It’s unfortunate that we seem to demand porn featuring unsafe sex - I think it shows that the importance of protection is still not reaching us. **Excellent point.** Since I’ve been living under this rock over here, completely oblivious about what goes on in the porn industry, I was never aware that porn stars would have unsafe sex (until this story broke). The reason given on the news was because there was a “demand” for the stars to be filmed unprotected, because wearing a condom “ruined the fantasy.” Apparently these porn stars are being stupid and foolhardy and risking all of this because _this is what their customers expect_. Doesn’t excuse them for being so stupid (nothing is worth risking your life, dammit), but still—this is a pretty appalling concept to me. This is what the public _wants?_ For people to have unsafe sex, for your enjoyment? Yikes! ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2004, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/har-har-har-porn-industry-has-major-aids-scare/240478/51 "2004-04-17T20:12:10Z")
Until there is a major change in human nature itself (I’m not holding my breath), there will always be commercial sex workers, pornography, and prostitution. We as a society can choose to drive it deep underground, where the workers are the most hopeless, at-risk people imagineable. Or we can regulate it, monitor it, _tax_ it, and thus minimize the human misery. ---
**Author:** ![htns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ba8739/32.png) [@htns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/htns)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2004, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/har-har-har-porn-industry-has-major-aids-scare/240478/52 "2004-04-17T20:12:45Z")
> [@Blalron](#): > > No, but there’s a little thing called “decorum” and I think most people agree that it’s not ok to laugh at people who have cancer or AIDS, even if their own actions put them at risk for these conditions. I’m groaning and rolling my eyes, not laughing. Let the slu^H^H^Hactresses take a little personal responsibility. ---
**Author:** ![yosemite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/3ab097/32.png) [@yosemite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yosemite)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2004, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/har-har-har-porn-industry-has-major-aids-scare/240478/53 "2004-04-17T20:21:59Z")
> [@htns](#): > > Let the slu^H^H^Hactresses take a little personal responsibility. What? Just the actresses? The (male) actors get a free pass from you? ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2004, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/har-har-har-porn-industry-has-major-aids-scare/240478/54 "2004-04-17T20:51:18Z")
> [@vanilla](#): > > I think the world would be a better place if the porn industry were to shut down(and theres a good debate idea). Better in what way? You propose to take away a major freedom from producers and consumers. What does the world gain? Apart from satisfying those who would like to impose their views on the rest of us. > [@](#): > > My second thought is :they couldn’t have found other jobs? > Did they want the money THAT badly? You can say that about pretty much any job you don’t like. There are hundreds of thousands of people in the army and the police where the risk of being shot and killed is rather serious. I would not do it for any amount but I understand other people are different from me and like other things. You do not seem to understand this concept. ---
**Author:** ![robertliguori](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/46a35a/32.png) [@robertliguori](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robertliguori)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2004, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/har-har-har-porn-industry-has-major-aids-scare/240478/55 "2004-04-17T21:02:08Z")
> [@Qadgop the Mercotan](#): > > … _tax_ it, and thus minimize the human misery. How would this minimize misery? (Yes, I know what you mean, but still…) ---
**Author:** ![Fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bc8723/32.png) [@Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fish)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2004, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/har-har-har-porn-industry-has-major-aids-scare/240478/56 "2004-04-17T21:14:28Z")
> [@Nithotep](#): > > So maybe that 1200 number refers to the established stars but doesn’t count the amateurs and **newcomers?** Please rephrase for full credit. ---
**Author:** ![kellner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c2a13f/32.png) [@kellner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kellner)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2004, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/har-har-har-porn-industry-has-major-aids-scare/240478/57 "2004-04-17T21:23:15Z")
> [@robertliguori](#): > > How would this minimize misery? We had this discussion recently in Germany when prostitution was formally legalized (before it was illegal but unpunished and de facto tolerated.) As soon as it is legalized the workers can get proper health, unemployment and other insurance. They can claim their salary in court. People who provide services to them can do so legally without being guilty of pimping or similar charges. The workers are less exposed to all kinds of blackmailing. In addition to that _effective_ medical tests become possible. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2004, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/har-har-har-porn-industry-has-major-aids-scare/240478/58 "2004-04-17T21:35:51Z")
> [@robertliguori](#): > > How would this minimize misery? > > (Yes, I know what you mean, but still…) The taxes can be used to finance regulation and testing. Or monitor industry compliance with standards of testing. ---
**Author:** ![holmes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e95f7d/32.png) [@holmes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/holmes)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2004, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/har-har-har-porn-industry-has-major-aids-scare/240478/59 "2004-04-17T21:44:22Z")
> [@yosemitebabe](#): > > Doesn’t excuse them for being so stupid (nothing is worth risking your life, dammit), but still—this is a pretty appalling concept to me. This is what the public _wants?_ For people to have unsafe sex, for your enjoyment? Yikes! Who’s being stupid? They are routinely tested, there are records of who performs with whom…which is a hell of a lot more than most people having sex with multiple partners are doing. Are you SURE your last partner (provided you’re not exclusive) isn’t HIV positive? When did YOU last have a test? What happened is what happens whenever someone breaks the program or cuts a corner, they sometimes get burned. James went to Brazil, a country that doesn’t take HIV as seriously (that’s the reason why it’s important that ALL people/countries have access to these drugs) and got sick. That’s no different than me going to Brazil and picking up HepC…accept James got tested and it got caught before too many people got infected. If it was me, I could be infected and spreading the disease till I got detected…what if I worked in a food prep…? The fact that we know he’s infected is proof that the system works. Push porn underground again and watch the bodies pile up…including people you may know. Has far as money goes, what’s the difference between taking a night job at a convenience store when the risk of robbery is higher, but the pay is better? If the clerk gets shot…it’s his fault for taking a risky job? These people have sex for money, it doesn’t make them evil or immoral or sluts, just people looking to pay their bills. It’s just a job. There was a time in the late 80’s-early 90’s when the industry was practicing safe sex…and the industry started dying…without the “money shot” people stopped watching. What happens is what always happen…people got paid more to take more risks…and without any type of safeguards…well imagine. It’s better to allow ‘unsafe’ sex and know and test everyone, than to rely on the “honour system”…especially when people are trying to keep working. Any attempt to stop this industry will only created the same type of underground industry that we had in the 70’s…only with the types of diseases we have today, you’re looking for trouble and yes there are only a few thousand performers that work REGULARLY, having sex and performing on cue isn’t as easy as people think. ---
**Author:** ![yosemite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/3ab097/32.png) [@yosemite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yosemite)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2004, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/har-har-har-porn-industry-has-major-aids-scare/240478/60 "2004-04-17T21:50:11Z")
> [@holmes](#): > > Who’s being stupid? They are routinely tested, there are records of who performs with whom…which is a hell of a lot more than most people having sex with multiple partners are doing. You’re kidding, right? You mean having unprotected sex with many, many people (who are also having unprotected sex with many people, and so forth) in the expanse of a few weeks is a smart thing? News to me. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/har-har-har-porn-industry-has-major-aids-scare/240478.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/har-har-har-porn-industry-has-major-aids-scare/240478.md?page=4)