[speaker001:] You think about AIDS research?
[speaker002:] Well, AIDS is a nasty, terrible disease, and you die from it. So I think that, uh, they need to look into it and it's kind of like cancer. I don't, you know, how many years have we tried to find a cure for cancer.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] I think it'll probably be as difficult. Uh, how about yourself.
[speaker001:] Um, well, I'm certainly in favor of AIDS research, and I think probably the government could spend a bit more money on it than it does. I think that because, besides the fact that it's a deadly disease, that it's a contagious disease, so that it's, um, although it is not killing that many people now, it still has the opportunity to get out of control and become a huge problem.
[speaker002:] Yeah, they say a million people are infected
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] with the H I V virus, and, uh, yeah, I think,
[speaker001:] That's in the world, or in America? You,
[speaker002:] Uh, in the country, America.
[speaker001:] Oh, really?
[speaker002:] Yeah
[speaker001:] Um, that's,
[speaker002:] and they have millions.
[speaker001:] Whose figure is that?
[speaker002:] I don't know. I've just heard it on the radio.
[speaker001:] Okay.
[speaker002:] Sometimes you hear things that, on the radio that, you know, could be true or couldn't be.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] Uh, do you feel like this is, I, I guess they're spending a billion or so a year on this AIDS research.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] Do you think they should spend more?
[speaker001:] Uh, I, I think they should, actually, although prob-, perhaps not a, an incredible amount more than what they're doing, and I don't necessarily think that they should, uh, fund AIDS research and, in the process, neglect cancer research or whatever. I think that it would be a good thing for the government to increase funding for medical research in general.
[speaker002:] What do you think, Doug, of Mister Johnson?
[speaker001:] Um
[speaker002:] Magic?
[speaker001:] well, I, well, I am sorry that he has the virus. I, um, I don't know, I don't, I think it's very strange that the media hasn't, um, questioned him more strongly to, about gay sex or intravenous drugs or anything like that, as they probably would for a lot of other people.
[speaker002:] Do you think he's the hero that he's being called by a bunch of other, a bunch of the media?
[speaker001:] Um, well, not, not really, though I mean, I think he's probably doing the right thing for a man in his position, but I don't think it's anything exceptional that he's doing. It's what many people have done already, who were just less famous.
[speaker002:] You know, I took advantage of the opportunity when, you know, he came out. I talked to my kids about it, you know
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] it's something that I hadn't, hadn't done before.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] Uh.
[speaker001:] Well, that's good.
[speaker002:] I'm glad that Mister Johnson's changed his tune on, uh, safe sex to abstinence, or
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] I was glad he did that, for young kids, because a lot of kids would have ended up dying because of what he was promoting.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] Uh, let's see. What are some of the other questions. Uh, you don't, uh, let's see. I don't have any friends that have the disease. I guess you might, might not.
[speaker001:] Um, yeah, I do. My cousin, does, for instance.
[speaker002:] Is it pretty
[speaker001:] And, um,
[speaker002:] nasty?
[speaker001:] Yeah, yeah it is. He's actually, um, he had AIDS related complex for a while, and he is now in full-blown AIDS, really not doing very well, and has a brain tumor or some-, that sort of thing.
[speaker002:] Yeah, it sounds awful.
[speaker001:] Yeah, it's, it's a very nasty thing.
[speaker002:] Is it just that the immune system ceases to function properly and,
[speaker001:] Um, yeah, that's, that's basically it, that, um, the immune system can at first slow down, and the white blood cell count goes down, which is, that's AIDS Related Complex, but then when things get completely out of control and it basically hits bottom, that's AIDS
[speaker002:] And,
[speaker001:] and in that case, you know, people are prone to getting any kind of, you know, weird cancer that only animals got before
[speaker002:] Oh, really.
[speaker001:] and, yeah, that sort of thing,