A Look On Global Activism
By Nicholas, Nathalie, Britti and Delaxan
This week, we took a look at the AIDS epidemic that hit America in the 1980s and 1990s. We follow the gay community and a young group of AIDS protesters called ACT-UP as they go out into the street to demand help from the government, as well as from divers medical industries and from the community at large. In “How To Survive A Plague”, we follow survivors, researchers, protesters, victims and witnesses as they fight to get the medication and the help they deserve. We look at how art played a major role in exposing the crisis and we also look at another film called “We Were Here” that talks about the AIDS crisis in San Francisco’s Castro district (America’s most popular gay community).
ACT-UP and learn "How To Survive A Plague"
“How to Survive a Plague” was a 2012 American documentary film based on the beginning of the AIDS epidemic. Director, David France, an openly gay writer known best for his journalism on LGBT topics, followed the efforts of AIDS activists and founders of the direction action group ACT UP. Bearing the mildly shocking motto Silence = Death, this passionate group dedicated themselves not only to spreading awareness of the AIDS virus, but to creating new treatment plans in order to inspire and enhance the lives of those currently living with AIDS. They pressed for a meaningful response from the government to confront this serious health problem. Although faced with mass ignorance by much of the media, the ACT UP group built a strong community throughout 1970. A series of non-violent demonstrations, such as covering the Luxor Obelisk in a giant pink condom, brought plenty of attention to the cause.
Global activism plays a great role in each of our lives, as it, ultimately, shapes the world we live in. These activists live by the mantra, Learn. Fight. Love, and understand that activism is a movement that includes an entire community. All actions are performed as whole. Despite a wide range of differences, there are those that choose to come together to fight towards a common end. We discuss the idea of documentary as witness, showing that even the most unlikely people are capable of making a difference. Taking control of a situation is the first step to solving it; this was clearly demonstrated in “How to Survive a Plague.” The community grew politicized, challenged officials, and pushed forth their ideas, which, in turn, proved to be an efficient strategy. The use of art in activism as it allowed them to articulate and transfer important knowledge to the public as well as the government officials. Their determination allowed them to come to such a successful conclusion. The AIDS virus is still cutting short the lives of innumerable amounts of people to this day. However, it is this activism that offers hope for a new world, one that does not ignore the pleas of its people. It is with this undying determination that the ACT UP protests proved so successful against the outbreak of discrimination towards people with AIDS.
Screaming Out "We Were Here" in the Castro
The second documentary our team was assigned to view was voted the Best Documentary Feature Film at the 2011 Mumbai Queer Film Festival.“We Were Here”, directed by David Weissman and Bill Weber, describes the AIDS crisis in San Francisco in the late 1980s and in the early 1990s. The documentary starts off by giving the viewer a short background story of the Castro district in San Francisco. Many gay men came to the Castro to be among other gays, to feel like they were part of a community and to “enjoy themselves”. Paul Boneberg, one of the many people who devoted his life to fighting back and caring for those living with HIV, is even quoted by saying “if you took a bunch of young men and said have as much sex as you can have, how much sex would they have? A lot of sex.” The Castro was the home to many bath houses, where young men would go to meet up, fool around and have, in most cases, unprotected sex.
The documentary film focuses on five individuals who played different roles during the crisis. The first person we see is a man called Ed Wolf who played the role of a caregiver during the epidemic. He recalls seeing for the first time on a pharmacy window a warning about “Gay Cancer” in 1981. It was at that point he said that many people started getting sick. Luckily for Ed he had no partner at the time, so he didn't contract the virus. The filmmakers also talk to two other gentlemen, Guy Clark and Daniel Goldstein. Guy was working as a florist at the time and wasn't infected with the disease. He remembered having to help out many people who didn't have enough money to pay for flowers for their partners funeral and he also recollected how the obituaries in the news papers grew at such a horrific pace. Daniel Goldstein’s role during the epidemic was a very frightening and sad one, he was a patient who slowly saw all of his friends and two of his partners die. Daniel and his first partner were one of the first people to take medicine that doctors thought could cure the virus. Goldstein stopped talking the drug however because he hated the horrible after effects. In the end, out of forty patients, he was the only survivor. Goldstein role becomes clear to us when he told the filmmakers in the beginning of the documentary “none of my friends are around, so I want to tell their story as much as I want to tell my story”. A nurse was also interviewed in the documentary. Eileen Glutzer took care of many AIDS victims during the crisis. She treated them, loved them and would almost always watch them die in the end. Many people refused to help AIDS victims in the beginning because they were scared to catch the virus, but Eileen always helped, because these people weren't only victims, many of them were her friends.
As we saw during class, AIDS did start off as being called a “Gay Cancer” and the victims who were infected had a very hard time finding treatment due to the ignorance of the population. Eileen Glutzer even recalls being told to put gloves on while handling a patient’s blood because they didn't know what the disease was all about. There was also a lot of discrimination going around because of a homophobic government. Some parents even said to people like Ed Wolf that the only worst thing then seeing their son deathly ill was knowing that they were queer. In the documentary Guy Clark also speaks about how the obituaries would just grow and grow. During the discussion we spoke about how the gay community took over the media to inform the population about what was going on and what the latest news was (even if that news was who had died during the week). The support of the community was also a big asset to helping fight the epidemic. Ed Wolf gets emotional when he speaks about how great the lesbian community in helping the cause, because they weren't always very well treated in the past. The idea of LEARN, FIGHT, LOVE was also present in the film. Everyone in the community who was infected or who knew someone who was infected tried to learn as much as possible about the drug in order to help find a cure. One very important thing they realized was that using protecting while having sex helped diminish the risk of transmitting the disease. The population would then have to fight the government in order to get better funding and more help. At one point in the documentary, the interviewees speak about how great ACT-UP was, but they also explain that everyone had their role and the role of some people was to just help the sick feel loved and not alone. People who helped the sick like this played a key role in helping the survivors. Daniel Goldstein says himself that without the support of his friends and family, he would have probably taken his own life because he felt so useless and miserable. At the end of the epidemic, when the drug they were looking for was found, people in the Castro, such as Guy Clark, recall seeing the sick gradually get better. Many friends and lovers were lost during those years and when the whole crisis was over, people who dedicated their life to helping the cause and the survivors found it very hard to get back to living a normal life. Despite this, with the constant support, compassion and empathy the gay community had for one another, most of the victims as well as the people who supported them were able to find a sense of love and peace of mind. In the end, victims like Daniel Goldstein and caretakers like Ed Wolf were able to find love and move on with their lives with the memory of those they lost in their hearts.
We Were Here was a film about the AIDS epidemic that took place in the 1980s, but after watching it, it’s not hard to see that it’s also celebrating the story of those who were lost during the epidemic. The people interviewed had witnessed all of their friends die one by one and, being the survivors, they felt like it was important to tell not only their story, but to also tell their story as a witness to the whole AIDS crisis. In a way, the plague was similar to a war: There was fighting, death and survival. The stories of the ones who were lost will always stay with those who survived and those survivors will always ask themselves why they were the ones who survived.
Personal Reflection and Analysis on
“How to Survive a Plague”
The epidemic was huge and millions of people were affected by it and are still affected to this day. Research has greatly increased but the disease is still killing millions, the majority of which cannot afford medical treatment. Aids was also known as the gay cancer, gay plague and the gay-related immunodeficiency, in the late 1970s and early 1980s when it began to surface in the US. The films we viewed show us the lack of concern and attention given to the disease all due to the fact that it mostly affected gays. We are shown the importance of standing up for what we believe in and making that difference. The films make one think about the power we have but often don't use, as well as the strength of determination.
“How to Survive a Plague,” directed by David France demonstrates the immense battle of Aids and the power of activism. Through watching this film we learn that people can be extremely cruel to another other based on something as personal as your sexual orientation. The ignorance of people is shocking in “How to Survive a Plague” the disease only becomes recognized once authorities realize it is effecting more than homosexuals. The film teaches us that we do have the power and we are never powerless. It is easy to turn a blind eye if we are not directly impacted but we must be proactive and help one and other. We live in a world driven by money and power and those in control must learn to distribute their money in positive ways. The film hopes to show the power of activism, we must learn, fight and love. As a population we must work as a team and change what we do not think is right in the world. We have the power, we just need the focus and determination! Aids research has become a major focus but it remains uncured, to learn more about the disease visit http://aids.gov/
Personal Reflection & Analysis on “We Were Here”
The documentary We Were Here shows us the ability for a community to come together to fight a disease that killed over 15,000 people. The resilience each person has to deal with an unexpected disaster is very inspiring and it reveals our compassion for one another. Many of the infected men did numerous things so that others with the disease could live. Everyone has a fight in them for survival and it is part of human nature. People are fearful of the things they don’t know and are quick to judge without even knowing much on the subject. People want to feel safe and that is one of the reasons why many people wanted those with aids to have special identification or be tattooed. Many people believed being gay was a sin. The film was made to show its viewers about the arrival and impact of aids in those years and teach us not to treat people differently. Everyone deserves medical care, social services and community support. The use of interviews, period photographs and news footage seems to make the past present and more touching to the heart. The survivors of the epidemic share their stories and send off a powerful message that stirs up emotions.
Cinematographer Marsha Kahm did a great job on focusing in on the sentiments shown by the interviewees during their stories. Generosity, compassion, courage and love are what are emphasized in this film and is what should be at the core of every functional community.
The second documentary our team was assigned to view was voted the Best Documentary Feature Film at the 2011 Mumbai Queer Film Festival.“We Were Here”, directed by David Weissman and Bill Weber, describes the AIDS crisis in San Francisco in the late 1980s and in the early 1990s. The documentary starts off by giving the viewer a short background story of the Castro district in San Francisco. Many gay men came to the Castro to be among other gays, to feel like they were part of a community and to “enjoy themselves”. Paul Boneberg, one of the many people who devoted his life to fighting back and caring for those living with HIV, is even quoted by saying “if you took a bunch of young men and said have as much sex as you can have, how much sex would they have? A lot of sex.” The Castro was the home to many bath houses, where young men would go to meet up, fool around and have, in most cases, unprotected sex.
The documentary film focuses on five individuals who played different roles during the crisis. The first person we see is a man called Ed Wolf who played the role of a caregiver during the epidemic. He recalls seeing for the first time on a pharmacy window a warning about “Gay Cancer” in 1981. It was at that point he said that many people started getting sick. Luckily for Ed he had no partner at the time, so he didn't contract the virus. The filmmakers also talk to two other gentlemen, Guy Clark and Daniel Goldstein. Guy was working as a florist at the time and wasn't infected with the disease. He remembered having to help out many people who didn't have enough money to pay for flowers for their partners funeral and he also recollected how the obituaries in the news papers grew at such a horrific pace. Daniel Goldstein’s role during the epidemic was a very frightening and sad one, he was a patient who slowly saw all of his friends and two of his partners die. Daniel and his first partner were one of the first people to take medicine that doctors thought could cure the virus. Goldstein stopped talking the drug however because he hated the horrible after effects. In the end, out of forty patients, he was the only survivor. Goldstein role becomes clear to us when he told the filmmakers in the beginning of the documentary “none of my friends are around, so I want to tell their story as much as I want to tell my story”. A nurse was also interviewed in the documentary. Eileen Glutzer took care of many AIDS victims during the crisis. She treated them, loved them and would almost always watch them die in the end. Many people refused to help AIDS victims in the beginning because they were scared to catch the virus, but Eileen always helped, because these people weren't only victims, many of them were her friends.
As we saw during class, AIDS did start off as being called a “Gay Cancer” and the victims who were infected had a very hard time finding treatment due to the ignorance of the population. Eileen Glutzer even recalls being told to put gloves on while handling a patient’s blood because they didn't know what the disease was all about. There was also a lot of discrimination going around because of a homophobic government. Some parents even said to people like Ed Wolf that the only worst thing then seeing their son deathly ill was knowing that they were queer. In the documentary Guy Clark also speaks about how the obituaries would just grow and grow. During the discussion we spoke about how the gay community took over the media to inform the population about what was going on and what the latest news was (even if that news was who had died during the week). The support of the community was also a big asset to helping fight the epidemic. Ed Wolf gets emotional when he speaks about how great the lesbian community in helping the cause, because they weren't always very well treated in the past. The idea of LEARN, FIGHT, LOVE was also present in the film. Everyone in the community who was infected or who knew someone who was infected tried to learn as much as possible about the drug in order to help find a cure. One very important thing they realized was that using protecting while having sex helped diminish the risk of transmitting the disease. The population would then have to fight the government in order to get better funding and more help. At one point in the documentary, the interviewees speak about how great ACT-UP was, but they also explain that everyone had their role and the role of some people was to just help the sick feel loved and not alone. People who helped the sick like this played a key role in helping the survivors. Daniel Goldstein says himself that without the support of his friends and family, he would have probably taken his own life because he felt so useless and miserable. At the end of the epidemic, when the drug they were looking for was found, people in the Castro, such as Guy Clark, recall seeing the sick gradually get better. Many friends and lovers were lost during those years and when the whole crisis was over, people who dedicated their life to helping the cause and the survivors found it very hard to get back to living a normal life. Despite this, with the constant support, compassion and empathy the gay community had for one another, most of the victims as well as the people who supported them were able to find a sense of love and peace of mind. In the end, victims like Daniel Goldstein and caretakers like Ed Wolf were able to find love and move on with their lives with the memory of those they lost in their hearts.
We Were Here was a film about the AIDS epidemic that took place in the 1980s, but after watching it, it’s not hard to see that it’s also celebrating the story of those who were lost during the epidemic. The people interviewed had witnessed all of their friends die one by one and, being the survivors, they felt like it was important to tell not only their story, but to also tell their story as a witness to the whole AIDS crisis. In a way, the plague was similar to a war: There was fighting, death and survival. The stories of the ones who were lost will always stay with those who survived and those survivors will always ask themselves why they were the ones who survived.
Personal Reflection and Analysis on
“How to Survive a Plague”
The epidemic was huge and millions of people were affected by it and are still affected to this day. Research has greatly increased but the disease is still killing millions, the majority of which cannot afford medical treatment. Aids was also known as the gay cancer, gay plague and the gay-related immunodeficiency, in the late 1970s and early 1980s when it began to surface in the US. The films we viewed show us the lack of concern and attention given to the disease all due to the fact that it mostly affected gays. We are shown the importance of standing up for what we believe in and making that difference. The films make one think about the power we have but often don't use, as well as the strength of determination.
“How to Survive a Plague,” directed by David France demonstrates the immense battle of Aids and the power of activism. Through watching this film we learn that people can be extremely cruel to another other based on something as personal as your sexual orientation. The ignorance of people is shocking in “How to Survive a Plague” the disease only becomes recognized once authorities realize it is effecting more than homosexuals. The film teaches us that we do have the power and we are never powerless. It is easy to turn a blind eye if we are not directly impacted but we must be proactive and help one and other. We live in a world driven by money and power and those in control must learn to distribute their money in positive ways. The film hopes to show the power of activism, we must learn, fight and love. As a population we must work as a team and change what we do not think is right in the world. We have the power, we just need the focus and determination! Aids research has become a major focus but it remains uncured, to learn more about the disease visit http://aids.gov/
Personal Reflection & Analysis on “We Were Here”
The documentary We Were Here shows us the ability for a community to come together to fight a disease that killed over 15,000 people. The resilience each person has to deal with an unexpected disaster is very inspiring and it reveals our compassion for one another. Many of the infected men did numerous things so that others with the disease could live. Everyone has a fight in them for survival and it is part of human nature. People are fearful of the things they don’t know and are quick to judge without even knowing much on the subject. People want to feel safe and that is one of the reasons why many people wanted those with aids to have special identification or be tattooed. Many people believed being gay was a sin. The film was made to show its viewers about the arrival and impact of aids in those years and teach us not to treat people differently. Everyone deserves medical care, social services and community support. The use of interviews, period photographs and news footage seems to make the past present and more touching to the heart. The survivors of the epidemic share their stories and send off a powerful message that stirs up emotions.
Cinematographer Marsha Kahm did a great job on focusing in on the sentiments shown by the interviewees during their stories. Generosity, compassion, courage and love are what are emphasized in this film and is what should be at the core of every functional community.
The AIDS crisis that hit America in the 1980s and 1990s was one of the closes calls we’ve had to losing a core group of people in our communities. The gay community learnt how to fight and how to construct arguments as well as develop ways to make themselves heard by the people who were in charge of distributing the drugs they needed to live and seen by the homophobic government, who was showing a great lack of support. By learning about their crisis and about their disease, AIDS victims were able to fight not only on the streets, as well as on television stations. In the end, the survivors and witnesses of the epidemic make sure, in both films, to retell their story, as well as the story of those who were lost, in a way that will show the future generations what they accomplished by fighting for their ultimate right: The right to live.
What a beautiful blog :D
ReplyDeleteGreat job guys!
ReplyDeleteI found your summary of "how to survive a plague" to be complete and concise and hold many key points that were demonstrated in the movie that may not have been as easily seen by others. I also agree with your personal reflection on this movie because i also believe and so do many others that people such as the government were being very ignorant towards this epidemic. I enjoyed how you were able to encompass encouraging sentences to other readers throughout your personal reflection for instance when you said that we have the power and we are never powerless. I also enjoyed reading your summary of the movie "We Were Here" because it contained many vital points that contribute to the movie's success. I find that Greimas' actantual model of the hero and his quest can be placed in this situation of "How to Survive a Plague", with AIDS victims being the subject, the government being the opponent, etc... I found that this movie made me want to stand up and act up! but of course since we were in humanities i couldn't do so... Anyways great job guys and i hope this blog has inspired you just as much as it has inspired me.
Awesome job on the blog!
ReplyDeleteI really appreciate the authenticity of your personal reflection on the film. I agree with the point that “It is easy to turn a blind eye”. Everyday, millions are affected with plagues and diseases around the world and people try to publicly get attention for their horrific situations. It’s sad to think that it takes a documentary to open the eyes of its viewers on the situation when the government should be the ones informing the public on epidemics such as these.
The analysis on the film “We Were Here” really interested me as well due to the fact that a community was able to fight a disease together. I believe an essential thing one can do to improve any issue is to be part of a community. The idea of togetherness and feeding off one another's energy seems to be the most efficient way to do anything. They say two heads are better than one, so the more people you have working together, the faster a solution can be discovered.
All in all, a community fighting together, as did the AIDS activists in “Surviving a Plague”, is crucial whenever a global, or even a close to home issue, needs to be solved.
Zachary Pilling
I really enjoyed reading your blog, it was very insightful. I think that "How to Survive a Plague" was a very important documentary for us to see. It showed us that there are ways to get our point across in a legal way. (No one was physically harmed and nothing was destroyed if we compare it to "If a Tree Falls".) It's very unfortunate that so many people had to die before anything was done to help the cause. This is definitely an example of what to do to make a change. They use knowledge instead of violence and I think it paid off. There is still a lot of work to be done, but I think the toughest times have past.
ReplyDeleteStephanie Nicholls-Dempsey
Great blog entry! It is true that we often diminish problems which the common population are unaffected by. Building communities supporting each other and creating campaigns allowing for information of the mass on an issue will allow it to be resolved much quicker then by staying passive. Determination will also help many in situations similar to those seen in “How to survive a Plague”, as without it, the forces opposing the issue (i.e. government) will easily succeed in silencing the groups. ACT-UP can therefore be seen as a reference to anyone fighting for a cause in the future.
ReplyDeleteGabriel Jalbert-Murray
great job in the blog! it is well organized, talks about some subjects we learned in class like Learn.Fight.Love and how to be more involved in our society.
ReplyDeleteWe get a short summary of both documentaries and what the group thought of it...
"How To Survive A Plague" was really interesting because it was the first time we saw a documentary that didn't involve much violence, they got their message a cross without firing guns or getting people injured. We see how people treated the gay communities and those affected with AIDS, also how the government ignored a very important problem. Its inspiring because we see a group of people (ACT-UP) who arent even doctors, taking matters in their own hands, learning about the disease and figuring out a cure for it.
Coralie Dowd
I really really enjoyed reading your blog, great job! I thought your summary of "How to Survive a Plague" was spot on and had good details that some of us probably forgot about after seeing the film. It showed us how there are ways to get our point across without doing anything illegal especially when the government was being very ignorant towards this epidemic. Your blog also made me think about how so many people died before anything was done to help them but it also gave me encouragement by saying we have the power to make a change. I also enjoyed the second half of your blog, the summary of the movie "We Were Here", since it completely connected to the film we watched in class and gave us a better understanding of the main point of both these films. Overall great blog, it showed how they used knowledge instead of violence so even if you're physically weak you can still make a change, especially if you have a big group of people supporting you and fighting for the same cause.
ReplyDeleteBrent Rosenstein
Good Job guys!
ReplyDeleteAIDS was and still is a major crisis, since it is a disease that we have not found a cure to. However, we have made a lot of progress into treating this horrible disease. This would have never happened if people, which whom are not all homosexuals, have ‘‘ACT UP.’’ Thanks to all that have all participated in this group, they have saved numerous lives today. I hope that ‘‘How to Survive a Plague’’ will inspire people into fighting for what there want in the future. Also, this film has showed that violence is not necessary the answer.
Jason Carrier
Great Blog! the summaries of each documentary were superb. Each summary were clear and gave you a clear insight on what both documentary films were talking about. The documentary film, "How to Survive a Plague" was a very powerful documentary that showed me how the AIDS disease affected enormous amounts of people. Unfortunately, AIDS is still a worldwide spread disease that kills a lot of people each year. Also it was an eye opening film that made me see how sometimes people and governments could be discriminatory and cruel. It also allowed me to see how many people got together to form the ACT UP group were they would fight and protest for their causes, as well as for their rights and freedom as well as we should speak up and fight for our rights and freedom.
ReplyDeleteCynthia de Villers-Riel
Really good blog! When we watched ''How to Survive a Plague'', I realized how horrible AIDS were. We always hear stuff about AIDS: we see commercials to promote safe sex, we are asked to give money to send medication to poor places, etc. But, actually seeing the number of deaths and seeing how weak people were getting really shocked me. Your summary of ''We were here'' is really thorough; well done! You made links both with the other film, but also with this week's topic. Also, both movies showed us that we can make a difference; our voices have some power. This part reminds me of ''If a Tree Falls''; alone, we cannot do much. But a group of people can make a difference. Your whole blog really shows that you understood well what both films meant. I liked that you put the link for the website on the AIDS; we have to remember that this is a battle that is still going on, it is not over, Overall, really good blog entry, nice job!
ReplyDeleteStéfanie Pharand
A very well written entry with thorough summaries and ideas. The thing I found the most fascinating while watching “How to Survive a Plague” was the intelligence of the Act Up organization. They really worked together and pulled through, and in the end (even though it was considered late by a few years), their work really paid off. It just shows that when fighting for a cause, the best weapon is intelligence. Act Up integrated themselves into the media and into the higher government and acted cautiously and with force. This is why they were so successful.
ReplyDelete