I can't remember exactly when I heard about HIV/AIDS but I can remember the leaflets that we got through the letterbox and, even more so, the rumours that quickly started to be spread about this killer disease.
Thankfully, though still too many, there are far fewer people in the world with this condition then was predicted or are there? (The understanding and treatment may be better but the stigma is still huge). I can still remember our government informing us that by the year ? HIV/AIDS would have taken over from cancer as the number one killer here in England - that every family would know of at least three people who had DIED of the disease by the year ????
Thank goodness then for WORLD AIDS DAY which, started on the 1st of December 1988, is all about raising money, increasing awareness, fighting prejudice and improving education. This years theme? Universal Access And Human Rights in which, amongst other things:-
Global leaders have pledged to work towards UNIVERSAL ACCESS TO HIV AND AIDS TREATMENT, prevention and care, recognising these as fundamental human rights.
And talking of prevention and care, well done Vatican City who earlier last month acknowledged that though condoms, in their opinion, were not an answer to the Aids pandemic, they were .....
a lesser evil than transmitting HIV to a sexual partner — even if that means a woman averts a possible pregnancy - YAHOO NEWS
Ok so it is a small step and we still have a long way to go but I can't help but think that this is a positive step forward.
Which brings me to the matter of ....
Condoms. Now advertised on English tv screens after the 9pm watershed when it is deemed acceptable, condoms are promoted largely as a form of contraceptive and to be honest, though aimed largely at a teenage/young adult market, are of a somewhat clinical nature that I'm pretty certain won't catch the attention of too many of its target audience. How much better this advert that I found on YouTube?
Though I do not personally find this in any way shape or form offensive, merely funny, inventive and a great way of getting the message across to younger people, I am aware that I have several blogger buddies who are under the age of 16 and because of this I'm not going to reproduce the ad here but will provide a link so that the individual concerned may choose to view the advert (with parental consent if necessary) OR not as the case may be.
Click HERE for Durex 'Balloon' Animals. (Oh, and be sure to have the sound turned on if possible).
glitter-graphics.com
glitter-graphics.com
19 comments:
OMG PW I was blushing while I watched the ad..OMG!!!!!!!!!!
But ahem yes, you would get the message across there :)
PW,
The best post I have read blog. I find your post far better than Youtube
The US never airs ads for condoms on TV. I never thought about it. It must be banned. Interesting.
Yeah no condom ads here! Off to click and smile!
No ads in the USA but sex education is part of middle school curriculum.
This is a very nice post. HIV came as a slow killer disease about 20 years back and still many do not know what it is.
Important issue but in most parts of the world like in India, its social taboo.
I am all for condom adverts.
Why in the 21st Century is this still a taboo subject?
I do think there should be adds in magazines etc for the older generations too as there is a rise in STD's in the over 50's.
This generation overlook barrier methods, possibly because they see condoms as contraception rather than protection from STD's and many dont need contraception.
This generation, at the height of HIV/AIDS awareness in the late 80's were not target of the ad campaigns either.
carol
Couldn't get the video to work, my computer is being wonky today. I'll have to go find it on youtube.
Great awareness post.
Nice post. As for the US, they DO in fact run ads for condoms and many other "after dark" products (sometimes to excess), they just shuffle them to the wee hours of the morning and VERY late night when little kiddies should be in bed. But awareness no matter how it is obtained is a good thing...will have to check out the link with my headphones plugged in as I don't believe a random passerby would look at me quite the same way depending on the content of the video. LOL.
That is the funniest ad I've seen in a long time. "Squeaky clean" fun!
What a great ad! I loved it!!!
Hmmm..I feel certain I've seen condom ads on US television, maybe Trojan? Geez...considering all the erectile disfunction ads they show I don't know why they'd skip the condom ones!
I've never heard of a condom ad before . . .
I'm not going to watch it though. :P
omg! they played that on television?
I do think the ad is clever, but I wouldnt want my kids seeing that until they were AT LEAST 18 or older...lol.
http://thebookworm07.blogspot.com/
Didn't watch the ad...but this was a pretty grown up post. :) I like that you look for information before you post about something.
Agree with Kelly. So many ads for taking care of erectile dysfunction.
I must live in a different part of the US than others, because I see ads for condoms a lot. Although thanks to the warning, I decided not to watch this one. ;)
I don't really remember when I heard of AIDS-- by the time I was old enough to remember things, it was a reality we were already living with-- but I do remember when I first registered that it was a horrible disease. I was in the car with my mum, and they were talking about it on the radio. I misunderstood, thinking they were talking about a school aide, so I asked my mum about it. I think she was horrified to realise I was listening and understanding the programme.
So glad that it's controlled and that public awareness is being raised-- as you say, we haven't arrived yet, but it's a step in the right direction.
That was good.The ad is just fun.
The fear of HIV still holds.The initial panic just settled.Health education is the key.Nothing wrong in ads of Condom.i see lots of them in Indian channels.
First the ad played with sound only and then just a pink animal. I think I'm missing something?
I love that the Catholic church has amended their stand on condoms.
I was working as a nurse in the 80' when aids first came out. Boy did that make improvements in reducing needle sticks. I thought I would be a goner since I had been stuck with used needles three times before aids.
After it came out I was never stuck because of improved handling methods.
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