From: davem@uvmark.uucp (Dave Meeks)
Subject: Re: MailMan
Date: Thu, 05 Nov 92 23:19:44 GMT
Organization: VMARK Software, Inc.

In article <Bx9854.Ar7@news.cso.uiuc.edu> bjcg2405@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (gn0tt) writes:
>bodom@silver.ucs.indiana.edu (Brian Odom) writes:
>
>>Put yourself in Karl's shoes.  If Magic is coming down the lane, do you take
>>a hard foul or let him score.  If it were me, I'd let him score; 2 points
>>ain't worth the risk.  I don't care what those so-called doctors say, you
>>CAN'T determine the probability of catching AIDS during a basketball game.
>>A hard foul, a little blood, and voila!!!   It CAN happen, so why not 
>>eliminate the risk?  You can't say that it can`t happen because you know it
>>can.
>
>1)  It is extremely unlikely that Magic is the only NBA player to become
>    HIV+.  If you're one of those people whe are unable to think in terms
>    of probabilities, then you should realize that you can never
>    completely "eliminate the risk."  Even mandatory testing would not
>    completely eliminate all risk of contracting HIV during a game.
>
>2)  Pro athletes are much, much more likely to contract HIV from having
>    sex than on a basketball court.  (Oh yeah, that's thinking in terms
>    of probabilities again.)
>
>3)  It's possible that your keyboard will short out and electrocute you.
>    It CAN happen, so why not eliminate the risk?  Stop posting now!



Anything in life is possible.  Ask yourself a very serious question.  If
you discovered that your girlfriend/boyfriend (not wife/husband) had Aids
and you hadn't had sex yet, would you?? Even with a condom???  If you can
seriously answer yes to this question, then you are definitely in the 
minority.  In a recent poll done by Aids researchers, 85% of the people asked
this very same question said that even with the medically published information
about the almost negligible risks involved, they would not engage in sex
with the other person.  People that were married had a much higher rate of
acceptance.  Why do I bring this up??  Because there seems to be two sides
on this issue...
1) Those that claim that because of all the information pointing to almost
no risk and the improbabilities of becoming infected, that the people acting
tentative about playing against Magic are in the wrong.
2) Those that claim that, no matter how small the risk may seem, it is still
a risk, and therefore unacceptable.

Now, I am not going to take one side or the other, because I don't think my
opinion on the matter is relevant.  I am not in the position where I have to
make such a choice, and I really don't believe that ANYONE, unless forced
to make it, can make an unbiased decision. 

Magic is infected with a virus that can cause a fatal, painful, and tragic
death.  This virus is communicable.  It can be transferred through the
transmission of the virus, most notably through blood.  However, the virus
is known to perish in all but perfect conditions.  

However, whatever the risks involved, whatever the chances and probabilities,
it is a little presumptious to think we should pass judgement on someone
when we are not in the same position.  There are many things that happen in
life, and their are risks involved in all of them.  Many things can cause our
death, and we still do them every day.  Each individual is going to react
to the different risks in different ways.  

Anyway, my basic point is this...  Most people of any intelligence can 
understand that the risks are almost non-existent.  Most can understand and
agree that it is highly unlikely to happen.  Most people can look at a 
situation and think logically about the facts and say they will act in
an appropriate fashion.  
However, when faced with a decision (that, if you or the experts are wrong,
means you could very possibly contract a fatal, devastating disease) that
affects your life, and confronted with your own morality, it becomes  a lot
tougher to react "logically".

Anyway, do I think Magic could play in the NBA this year - Yes
Do I think anyone would become infected because of it    - No
Do I think that Magic SHOULD play			 - No
	Why, because of the effect it would have on the game, as other players
	become afraid to play against him.
Do I think that if I had to play against him, I would    - ????

Anyway, people, to me at least, the bottom line is this...
I know that the odds that Magic would infect anyone through a game of 
basketball seem incredibly small, I can understand how some players would
still be wary of taking such a chance, even with the so-called negligible
risks.  After all, you still won't see me climbing tall trees in a 
ThunderStorm, or stay calm and unafraid when I come across a very large
bear less than a few yards away.  Odds are nothing will happen, but I don't
want to be that 1 in a million...
-- 
David T. Meeks            || "New shadows tugging at the corner of his eye
VMark Software, Inc.      ||  Jostling for attention as the sunlight flares
uvmark!davem@merk.com     ||  Through a curtains tear, shuffling its beams
davem%uvmark@merk.com     ||  As if in nervous anticipation of another day"
Newsgroups: rec.sport.basketball.pro