From: davem@uvmark.uucp (Dave Meeks)
Subject: Re: Selfish
Date: Thu, 08 Oct 92 17:33:45 GMT
Organization: Vmark Software, Inc.

In article <1992Oct8.120949.10713@viewlogic.com> tim@kudzu.viewlogic.com (Tim Foster) writes:
>

<Rest of argument deleted>

>
>|> How does it feel hypocrite.
>
>You tell me how you feel about the guy who contracted AIDs from a 
>head butt in a soccer game.  That's just too bad for him, huh?
>

Not "too bad", but sad.  It is very unfortunate that he got AIDs from it.
However, it seems that the point that is boiling down is that 
1) Magic is HIV+, and therefore, since there is SOME risk, he should stay out
	of the game
vs.
2) Magic is HIV+, but knows that, and the risks are considered so remote for
	anyone to get the HIV+ virus from him, that it is considered safe.

Both have valid reasons for supporting them, but we must remember that in
life there are many, many dangers, and many choices we have to make.  The
point, it seems, with the "transportation" argument, at least for me, was 
that by being in a motor vehicle, be it car, bus, taxi, and whether you are
driving or not, your risks are as high or considered higher of getting into
an accident and possibly losing your life than the considered odds of Magic
infecting someone by contact such as is expected in a basketball life.  WIth
the odds being so high, shouldn't all those concerned be concerned about
driving as well??  Remember that we are dealing with ODDS here, both good
and bad.  Odds are,  the likelihood of Magic infecting anyone is very slim.
If Magic's wife eventually tests positive for HIV+, a situation considered
MUCH more likely than Magic infecting someone playing basketbal, should
Magic be charged with Murder???  After all, he knowingly has intimate contact
with his wife and child, and the odds are much higher..  Should we abolish him
and all the other "potential infectors" to a private camp?? After all, their
is "some" risk that we could be involved in an accident that transmitted the
virus to us.  However, the odds are considered so incredibly small, that we
consider it to be near impossible.  Let's look at things another way...

The possibility exists that one day you and I will meet, however remote.
The possibility exists that at that time, one of us could be infected with
	a communicable disease (Say I had the flu, for example)
The possibility exists that for whatever reason, the contact between us
	could transmit the disease. (The flu can be transmitted fairly easily)
The possibility exists that that disease could be fatal... (Sometimes the flu
	can be fatal...)


Ok, say that we know that I had the flu, and we knew that you and I were
supposed to meet.  The similarites are that the odds that you would get the
flu are a lot higher than someone getting HIV from Magic, but the odds of
it being fatal are much less.  Overall, the odds would probably be pretty 
close to each other.  Are you now afraid of meeting or talking to anyone,
because the possibility exists that they could transmit something that proved
to be fatal???  I hope not.. Why??  Because the odds are so small as to be
near impossible.  Since the medical experts have tended to agree that the
risks of Magic infecting others is very, very remote, why be afraid???
-- 
David T. Meeks                    ||" We are jigsaw pieces, aligned on the 
VMark Software, Inc.              ||  perimeter edge, 
uvmark!davem@merk.com             ||  interlocked through a missing piece"
davem%uvmark@merk.com             ||" ...This world is totally Fugazi"
Newsgroups: rec.sport.basketball.pro