Thursday, May 10, 2007

HIV/AIDS Adds in Estonia.

For quite a long time the Estonians have been putting up Anti-HIV/AIDS adds in Estonia, all quite funny. And all focused on one thing. USE A CONDOM!!! What a revolutionary idea. But i have a better one. These adds have ranged from subtle (I saw one once with with condoms as the candles on a birthday cake) to slightly more than slightly offensive (I won't explain what those two stick figure were doing...) and now they have a new one that is a mock game show saying things like "2 winners everyday!" and "Already over 6000 winners in Estonia!" and it seems so exciting until you notice something. The grand prize is...HIV!! Hmm, interesting. "Don't take part in the contest!" It says "Use a condom!" it says. But i have a better idea. I have a 110% sure fire why to not get HIV or AIDS without having to use a condom! What is this miracle you ask? It's this, DON'T HAVE SEX!!!! Of course there's the exception of your spouse. But outside that, no. And guess what. You won't get AIDS. Isn't that a great idea? Isn't it revolutionary? I quite like the idea. I'm thinking that that's what i'll do. I just wonder why the Estonians haven't tried an anti-sex add. I guess they think it would never work, but i disagree. I know it is tottally possible to have fun without having sex. I spend all my time with beautiful girls, and we never have sex. We're friends. And we have fun! I understand the allure of sex (who doesn't...) but i think it would be possible to convince some Estonian teenagers that they can cool their jets a little bit. One thing that i think is very funny is that at the same time as these new condom adds there has come along these "Mees! Tee lapsi!" adds(pictured). It means, rather literally, "Man! Make kids!" As my friends who are girls have been so eager to point out you will have to notice that it appeals to the men to make the child, not to the women who will have to carry it for 9 months as well do the real "making". I just think it's funny to see these two adds right next to each other. One saying use a condom and the other saying make kids. I can just picture it now, a young couple standing between two adds, torn with indecision. Oh what a dilemna! And i bet you're wondering why we have adds saying makes kids, well to be honest i'm wondering too. What i've heard is that because Estonia is losing population (More people are dying than being born, proof that the condom adds work) these adds have been put up in the hopes that people will get to work repopulating Estonia. I have a strange feeling that the adds may be effective. Anyway, i gotta go take out the trash now, Cya!

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Very well written and exspressed. I think good enough to share with SAY magazine Chris. You are honest, and your honesty is correct. These words, if echoed saves lives, and I know many are just getting details about HIV in Estonia. I pray the information you share today, will be information that is spoken by teams of Gods' people, received and understood. I pray that God will expose the lies and secrets, and open hearts to hear His truth and receive His love. God bless Estonia, and may there be compassion from His church for the 6000+ Keep writing:)

Anonymous said...

When I told my students that a normal outcome of sex is a baby, they were shocked. At 16, they never had been thinking about sex in other terms than fun. Responsibility and love are things that nobody talks about. It is like in Huxley's "Brave new world" where love and commitment are immoral and every good citizen must have group sex, different partners etc.

This could be a reaction to Soviet family policy, where having children was a duty, but the way to get them... One quite important lady said (it might be a legend, but it sounds truthful enough): "There is no sex in Soviet Union" Estonia, being occupied, got the full measure of this kind of attitude. Even when I was at school, we got "the talk" from a female teacher, who pointed out all the unpleasant parts of being a woman like menstruation (boys my age would have died of embarrasment because this ugly and indecent word is mentioned - I hope that you know that it is a natural, although not always pleasant part of a woman's life) and labor pain, but she completely left out what will happen between first kiss and a baby. OK, marriage was mentioned. ;) I think that the boys got the same, just from a man and of course, only about boys. The real biological differences between boys and girls were mentioned when I was 18, and by the time half of the class had made some first-hand experiences (after all, one girl gave birth just 4 months after graduating high school) and the other half had no idea why the teacher talks about all this horrible, embarrassind, unmentionable things. So now the sex ed (as part of "human education"), at schools contains mostly of "how to use a condom" (they try it on bananas), "what to do to not get pregnant - use a condom and get the pills" and "what to do if you think that you are pregnant - have an abortion, it is easy".

I am working for a ngo that makes sex ed, drugs prevention and criminality prevention at schools, additional to the regular lessons. Both my boss and me are concerned about the growing interest in sex amongst kids - it it nor normal that 12-year-olds watch porn and dream about having sex with their classmates (I just hope they are not trying to do it IRL), so this sex ed part next year is going to be more about love, responsibility and choosing the right partner, preferrably one for life, than about condoms and abortion prices.

lux said...

i agree with anonymous, saying that you have written this well, and it should go in a magazine. You can be a part of making a difference in this area, and give youth a different option.
Also reet, i think it is cool the next sex ed part/class, that you are going to do, is going to involve love, committment, and responsibility and the like.
I wish Australia would do the same....