This recent blog entry, has appeared that shows just the sort of conversations we hope virals will spark.
The comments below about the cartoon are really powerful and show the difficult balance that is to be struck when using a viral to raise awareness of a touchy topic.
Some comments:
“I agree humour is not something you’d normally associate with a potentially fatal virus, and I sympathise with the loss of your husband. However a dry straightforward video about the risk factors is going to struggle to get attention, and would probably never feature on a site like this. If it takes off the wall humour to get an important message across then so be it. “
“Satire: from the word satura, meaning a mixed bowl of fruit. I used to explain it to my students this way: you mix the sweet (humor) in with the bitter, to make your point.
It is sad and I am sorry for your losses, but if a silly, satiric cartoon can save ONE person from making a mistake, it’s totally worth it, don’t you think?”
“I got Hep C nearly thirty years ago in a transfusion after an accident. Five years ago I was cured with PEG-Interferon and ribavirin. I still suffer memory loss and neurological problems from the treatment. The idea is to make people aware of it so they don’t get it. I didn’t have a chance. I got my transfusion more than ten years before there was a test for it in the blood supply. The only way to really win against this disease is not to get it. Don’t tell me about offensive-if it spreads the word, who cares?”
“I found out I had hep c after donating blood at work.I thought it was a mistake[………] I think any information is good information. In fact I need to remove my razor from the shower now as my daughter is beginning to ask if she can shave her legs. I never thought about that until I saw this story.Thanks”
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CorwinB