of the prejudice evident everywhere due not only to the disease but the biases surrounding even the most innocent of the victims, the babies born infected and then categorized and branded for life by not only the effects of the disease but the stigma provided by the community. When asked in a recent survey (1995) how Americans felt about people with AIDS, the response was as follows: twenty-seven percent felt angry, twenty-eight percent felt disgusted, thirty-six percent mentioned being afraid, thirty-six percent felt AIDS victims should be separated from society and twenty-one percent felt they got what they deserved. Nearly fifty percent of the respondents said they would not shop in the store of someone who had AIDS and twenty percent indicated that they would avoid a co-worker with AIDS. Perhaps the most distressing statistic is that over ten percent said they would avoid a close friend who was infected. Overall more than seventy-five percent of the respondents stigmatized people with AIDS (Derlega). In order to promote change to the stigmatization, it is essential that all avenues leading to the exposure of the myths and the misconceptions be eliminated through identification followed by education. The provision of education, including behavior modification and information of and to the general public, would enable the end of stigmatization therefore allowing society to become an asset to the victims instead of a liability. People with HIV and AIDS report “deep anger at others’ ignorance of their condition and that others’ dismissal of them” (Derlega 23) and “ironically, the stigmatization associated with AIDS may actually affect the health of the infected individuals in undesired ways” (Derlega 24). It is therefore imperative that the education, modification of behavior and distribution of information be directed not only to the non-infected public but also to the victims themselves. ...
