The Eighties Through My Mother’s Eyes: The AIDS Epidemic

Looking Back Through History

Introduction:

The Eighties are no doubt known for wild fashion, and funky music, but it was also known for its emergence of AIDS, which became one of America’s biggest epidemics of all time.In researching for this project it became clear, that this period of time brought a lot of concern, fear, and discrimination. In the end people would come together and help each other cope with such a terrible disease. I thought it would be interesting to interview my mom of this event, and get her insight. Being 20 years old she was able to live through the moment and experience ,the different reactions to a disease that was very serious. It was the year 1981, while the existence of AIDS was around prior to the 80’s, it became more prevalent toward the early and mid 80's. When my mom first heard of the AIDS outbreak she was attending nursing school. When I had asked her if she remembered where the first outbreaks occurred, she recalled California and Florida.
After doing some more research I had found that California, was in fact one of the first places to have out breaks, but also New York; “At the beginning of the 1980’s, reports began to emerge in California and New York of a small group of men who had been diagnosed with rare forms of cancer and/or pneumonia” (Avert p. 1). Medical workers were confused, because the cancer, Kaposi’s Sacroma, normally affected elderly men of Mediterranean or Jewish heritage, also young men of African decent. (PCP) also known as Pneumocytis Pneumonia Carinii, is usually found in individuals who have a seriously compromised immune system. The individuals that were affected by the rare cancer and/or pneumonia all had generally good health, the only characteristic that connected them was they were gay. My Mom explained to me, "Not only were doctors and researchers confused of what this unknown cancer was at the time, so were the general public. No one knew how to protect themselves, I know I wasn't sure how I was going to keep myself safe and healthy"(Dor). While AIDS effected many people in the U.S. other countries were experiencing major impacts of the disease as well, such as Africa. "AIDS iteself changed from a disese that killed gay men and drug addicts to a global scourge that decimated the African Continent, cut a large swath through black America and infected almost as many women as men worldwide" (Jefferson "et al" ). I asked my mom to pick one thing that was scary to her about AIDS and she responded by saying, "It wasn't that I was scared persay I just wanted more answers to what this disease was and how i could protect myself from getting it. As more and more research was being done and Doctors were figuring the disease to be sexually transmitted then it was easier to know how to protect myself" (Dor).

















Figure 1 Pictured above is a group of gay males angrily protesting. I picked this picture to represent how gay men were discriminated against because they were the first people diagnosed with the disease source: "The Bilerico Project"

Discrimination and Stereotyping

When asked if there were any particular groups, that were being associated with the outbreak of AIDS my mom replied with homosexuals.Gays were discriminated against during the outbreak AIDS because, they were the first persons who were diagnosed with the disease. According to my mother gays were not the only group being associated with the growing disease, small minority groups and druggies were being associated with the disease, because the sharing of needle. As it states in in the article How AIDS Changed America, "People with the disease were routinely evicted from their homes, fired from their jobs and denied health insurance" (Jefferson "et al"). This shows just how discriminatory people were towards people affected by AIDS all because they did not wan to cath the disease. When the news of the AIDS outbreak went world wide many people, started having this fear of coming in contact with anyone who was infected with the disease. “It was spreading fast, people were very cautious around infected individuals. There was a fear of treating infected patients and general fear of being around infected individuals because, many thought that even being in general contact with an infected individual you could easily get infected as well”. (Dor) While my mom was a nursing student at the time, even though she did't deal with infected patients there was still a sense of fear and precaution. Scientists had investigated AIDS and already had a strong hunch that the disease was related to sexual contact and transfer of contaminated blood, other than just regular contact, but there was no concrete evidence to support their ideas. Research camee to halt because, "Some researchers were reluctant to investigate the causes of AIDS further because of their pre judicial beliefs"(Avert p. 1).

Figures 3&4 Pictured above is a male affected by AIDS and a ribbon representing hope for infected victims source: "A Global Problem" and "World Aids Day"




Looking Ahead

As I continued on with my interview I was curious to know when the first treatments were introduced to help infected individuals live a longer life. In response to this question my mom explained that there were treatments but they weren't as effective as they are today because there was still research being done, "by the end of 1983 the number of AIDS diagnoses reported in America had risen 3,064 and of these people 1,292 died" (Avert p. 2). My mom also informed me that some people couldn't get treated because it was so expensive, and she knew of a few people who had Aids that could not afford treatments. I can remember my mom telling me, "It just broke my heart seeing people I knew suffering from AIDS because they could not afford treatments, it just made this disease even more difficult to deal with"(Dor).

Figure 5 Picure of interviewers mom April 16, 2011 source: Danielle Dor

Life During the 80's

During the 80's my mom lived in Somerville Massachusetts which is a small suburb outside of Boston. An intersting fact is Obama also was living in Somerville and my mom happened to live in the apartment building right next to his. I was really fascinated by this and my mom responded, "At the time I didn't know who he was I might have passed him a few times and exchanged a brief hello, but that was it. It's funny how the people you encounter in life later show up in a bigger picture than you would have expected, it really is a small world"(Dor). My Mom went to nursing school and graduated in 83' and has been a nurse for over 2o years. She spent most of her time working to jobs, one as a nurse and another working with handicapp children. When she wasn't working she enjoyed listening to some of her favorite artist, Neil Diamond and John Denver and currently owns every album theyhave made. My mom also enjoyed doing cross stitch. The 80's were known for the fashion and hairstyles. Some popular hairstyles in the 80's were perms, skater hair, which is where you hair is shaved on one side and then the rest of your hair hangs down on one side. Some popular fashion fads were jean jackets, leg warmers, and Keds. My mom told me, "I wasn't one to follow the crowd I enjoyed doing my own thing and I was content with that" (Dor).

Figures 6&7 These are some of my Mom's favorite singers growing up source: "Neil Diamond Hot August Night" and "Percolations"

Wrap Up

I really enjoyed doing this reasearch project. I got great insight from my subject. Also my knowledge off AIDS expanded through research and getting personal insight.

Works Cited

Percolations. Web. 17 May 2011. .




"Neil Diamond Hot August Night NYC Music Front Cover Covers Hut." Covers Covers Hut. Web. 17 May 2011. .

www.avert.org/aids-history-america.htm (5/10/11)

"World Aids Day « What’s Your Excuse?" What’s Your Excuse? Web. 17 May 2011. .

Dor Kerry Personal Interview 16 Apr. 2011

"A Global Problem." The Access Project. Web. 17 May 2011. .


"Do You Know Someone Who Died of AIDS? The Bilerico Project." The Bilerico Project Daily Experiments in LGBTQ. Web. 17 May 2011. .

Jefferson, David, and Ramin Setoodeh. "How AIDS Changed America." Newsweek 147.20 (2006): 36-41. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 17 May 2011.