Conference quark::mennotes-v1

    
    This can't be that surprising. Teenagers are most likely to believe
    that they are immortal and immune. In the past, we've already seen that
    many of them won't use condoms to avoid venereal diseases or pregnancy.
    Now there's AIDS, even worse that your d*ck falling off, but lots of
    kids still don't think it can happen to them.
    
    If Magic Johnson can become HIV+, so can any other unprotected sexually
    active person not currently in an exclusive relationship with another
    HIV- person.
    
    But its very difficult to tell kids that they aren't immune, and some
    of them will have to learn the hard way. Perhaps this will shake up the
    school system, AND the kids... sometimes the message has to be
    peer-to-peer before it sinks in.
    
    I really believe that until either condoms and/or celibacy become "cool in
    school", the HIV problem among teens will continue.

The report is false.  It never happened.  I don't want to diminish people's
caution, but it's foolish to spread stories like this which have no basis
in fact.

				Steve

    Re .0: Would you mind entering the source for the HIV+ numbers? Seems
    to me there was a story going around some months ago to that effect,
    and it turned out that, in fact, the "50" referred to the number of
    blood donations that were rejected for any reason, not just for testing
    HIV+.
    
    Whether those figures are correct or not, I suspect there is a higher
    HIV+ percentage among teens than many people would be prepared to
    believe...
    
    -b

    This does sound simalar to an urban myth that made the rounds of the US
    last year.  Mike Royko even had an article on it, pointing out that he
    had heard it about 4 high schools, two of which hadn't even had a blood
    drive. 
    
    While HIV+ infections are on the rise significantly in teenagers of all
    orientations, and kids should be warned, I fail to see what is gained
    by passing on worse than average news.  

I thought you had to be 18 to give blood.  It wouldn't make a lot of sense to
have blood drives at high schools when most students are younger.

    Steve...
    
    Prove that what I said is false with documentation and absolute
    certainty that anything to the contrary of what I stated is indeed
    true.....you accuse me of lying and I want proof. The information I got
    was from a nurse who I believe has no reason to lie or make up numbers.
    What would be the advantage to do so?
    
    Ken 

    
    Ken, may I suggest that you do the following:
    
    	1.) speak with the nurse who had the info
    	2.) get the name of the school, or at least the county involved
    	3.) contact that school/county or
    	3a.) contact the local newspaper there
    
    You will get the facts. Right now, what you have is hearsay. Even when
    its from a reliable-seeming source, a person can still be wrong.

    Where did your nurse get his/her numbers?  The way urban legends get
    started is "I heard this from a friend who heard it from ..."  Not to
    say, Ken, that this is an urban legend, but I prefer to look upon it
    with skepticism until I see it in a legitimate journal.  When the
    subject is one as frightening as HIV, scare stories do spread rapidly
    and without foundation.  All I ask is that you document the legitimate
    source; if you can do so, then your stody will have the ring of truth. 
    As of now, it doesn't.
    
    -dick

I did not accuse you of lying; that would imply that I thought you 
deliberately stated something you knew to be untrue.

There was an article in the Nashua Telegraph a month or so on this particular
rumor as it related to Nashua High School.  I'll be going by the Nashua
library tomorrow and will see if I can find it in their back issues.

			Steve

.6>  you accuse me of lying and I want proof. The information I got
>    was from a nurse who I believe has no reason to lie or make up numbers.
>    What would be the advantage to do so?

Ken,

Many people, when they re-tell something they heard, change the details.  The
changes are usually not random, but follow several identifiable patterns:

	it gets closer to home, but not too close

	the emotion it evokes, usually fear, becomes stronger

	it is rationalized, supporting details are added and details which 
	do not fit in are dropped

	it better supports other current ideas in the culture

These patterns have been documented in the growth of many urban legends.

Nobody is accusing others of lying, so nobody has to supply a reason for 
others to lie.  

You have given us information which has several characteristics of an urban
legend: localized but not too close, undated, undocumented, second-hand and
associated with other locations.  As often happens in notes, you have been
asked to supply some supporting information.

Please don't be offended by the request.  You can respond or not; in any case
readers can reach their own conclusions.

Personally, I'd guess there are HIV+ high school students, but I would not
care to guess at a number or percentage.

Wally

I went to the Nashua Library, but they had not indexed the article and I
wasn't able to find it by a brief scan of the microfilm.  I will try to
get the exact reference for the debunking article.

		Steve