I was a little kid in the early 90s so by the time I knew about this disease the whole world was pretty much educated about it.
If I don't reply, you're most likely on my ignore list
Actually Ryan White did much more. He aquired the disease when he was 13. He died at 18. The Ryan White act did more for the cause than any movie or basketball player ever did.
shareUnfortunately, the Ryan White case did a lot to promote the judgemental "innocent vs. lifestyle choices" attitude a lot of people had in the early days of the disease -- largely because of the way it was reported in the media, helped along by a lot of people's mean-spiritedness.
Neither Ryan White's illness, nor Magic Johnson's, did much to promote awareness nor to shift people's attitudes; what finally made the difference was when the epidemic grew sufficiently widespread that large numbers of people actually knew someone in their real-world lives who had contracted it. People generally don't care until an issue strikes someone they know and care about personally.
You might very well think that. I couldn't possibly comment.
Ryan helped breakdown the assumption that only gay people got the disease. His case helped spread the truth that HIV is a disease that is spread through bodily fluids and that because of that anyone could get it. His case also expedited the movement for better testing of donated blood and put a "innocent" face to the problem.
share