環(huán)球英語(yǔ)—1094:Red AIDS Ribbon

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Welcome to Spotlight. I’m Christy VanArragon.
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And I’m Adam Navis. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand - no matter where in the world they live.
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A small red circle. A thin red cloth ribbon, turned around a finger, and worn on a shirt. It is a powerful worldwide symbol of the fight against HIV/AIDS.
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In 1991, a small group of artists created the red AIDS ribbon. They lived in New York City, in the United States. But from New York, the ribbon spread around the world. It is now the most common symbol of the fight against HIV/AIDS. Today’s Spotlight is on the AIDS ribbon.
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The ribbon was a project of the arts organization Visual AIDS. Visual AIDS wanted people to understand HIV/AIDS - to know that it was a problem. Experts in the United States identified the HIV virus in 1981. By 1991, it was clear that HIV/AIDS was an epidemic. It was spreading and growing. More and more people were sick. In the United States, this was particularly true among artists. Patrick O’Connell started Visual AIDS. He described the situation to the BBC.
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“You would be trying to work. But then, you would have to go to the hospital to visit a dying friend. Everyone was dying. From there, you would go to help with a funeral. When you got home, you would have a message from a friend. He would be afraid and saying, ‘I am sick. What am I going to do?’”
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However, in the early 1990s, particular communities were more affected by HIV/AIDS in the United States. Many people there did not understand this virus and disease. They thought it only affected certain people - particularly gay people, or people in Africa.
This is not true! HIV/AIDS affects all kinds of people. HIV infection does not happen just through casual touch – like holding hands or sitting near to someone. Most HIV infections happen through unprotected sex. If you have sex with a person who has HIV, you can get sick. Using a condom reduces that risk. These rubber protective devices are very important. But the best way to prevent AIDS is to have sex with only one person.
Knowing the truth about HIV/AIDS is very important. If someone knows the truth she can learn to protect herself from HIV/AIDS. Unfortunately, wrong ideas about AIDS are common. When people have wrong ideas about AIDS, then they may not be careful. They may have sex with more people. They may not use condoms. If a person does get sick, he may not get treatment. This makes new AIDS infections more likely. This is why talking about HIV/AIDS is so important.
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But many people do not want to talk about HIV/AIDS. HIV/AIDS is frightening. There is no cure for it. This fear can make people act badly towards people with HIV/AIDS. Many people hope that if they stay away from HIV/AIDS victims, they will be safe. They also blame people for getting the terrible disease. So, people who have HIV/AIDS often hide their sickness. They often do not want anyone to know.
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Visual AIDS wanted to fight the problems of shame and bad treatment. Allen Frame was one of the artists. He told the BBC
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“Even in New York, we knew that many people could not talk about it. Or they did not know about it. Or they had AIDS, but they felt shame to talk about it. We wanted to make people feel more supported and understood.”
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So in 1991, Visual AIDS began its first project. Twelve artists worked together to create the AIDS ribbon. These artists made different kinds of art – they included painters, photographers, film makers and clothes designers. Their goal was to make a symbol of support for people with HIV/AIDS.
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The artists met in an old school. For just one hour, the artists shared ideas and designs. They quickly decided on a small, simple ribbon. Ribbons are long, thin pieces of cloth. Ribbons are easy to find. They are beautiful. And the artists decided to use the ribbon in a simple way. They brought the ribbon around a finger. This made a small circle, or loop. The loop had two short ends. It had a small, sharp pin so that it could attach to a person’s shirt. The artists also chose the colour red. Frank Moore was another one of the artists. He told the New York Times newspaper,
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“We chose red for symbolic reasons. The connection to blood, and the idea of strong feelings. These feelings are not just anger, but love.”
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Visual AIDS gave ribbons to artists. Around New York, more and more people began wearing them. But Visual AIDS also had a bigger project. They gathered large groups of people. The people worked together to make ribbons. It was like a party! Then, Visual AIDS sent the ribbons to awards shows. Famous actors chose to wear the ribbons at the shows. When reporters asked about the ribbons, these famous people talked about HIV/AIDS. And suddenly, many normal people started to think and talk about HIV/AIDS too.
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The ribbons were not difficult to wear. They were not difficult to understand. They were an easy way to show support for people infected with HIV/AIDS. Patrick O’Connell told the New York Times,
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“People want to say something about HIV/AIDS. But they do not always want to use anger or have a fight. This lets them. And even if it is only an easy first step, that is great. It will not be their last step.”
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From this start, the AIDS ribbon became an international symbol. People still wear small AIDS ribbons today. And there are still groups that work together to make ribbons. HIV/AIDS is still a big problem in many places. But there are treatments. These drugs help people with HIV/AIDS live longer, healthier lives. However, there is still no cure for the disease. And people with HIV/AIDS still often feel great shame.
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As Patrick O’Connell said, the AIDS ribbon is only the first step. The next step is to encourage and help AIDS victims. Another step is talking about AIDS. And each person can work to prevent it. One more step is to encourage governments and organizations to prevent the bad treatment of AIDS victims. Providing AIDS drugs is another step. These steps will help lead to the end goal - the end of HIV/AIDS.
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Do you see AIDS ribbons where you live? Do you think a symbol can make a difference? Share your ideas on our website, https://www.radioenglish.net
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The writer of this program was Christy VanArragon. The producer was Michio Ozaki. The voices you heard were from the United States. All quotes were adapted for this program and voiced by Spotlight. You can listen to this program again, and read it, on the internet at https://www.radioenglish.net This .program is called, ‘Red AIDS Ribbon’.
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