This is long, and I apologize, but this is the email I wrote to Crazy Christian Guy. I tried to hide my disgust. I hope I succeeded enough that he'll read it.
For starters, I was raised agnostic and I do not consider myself a Christian. I do not agree with many of the things you believe, but I respect that you believe them.
That said, I loved the movie Rent. To be honest, I was led to your review for a laugh. However, ignoring the fact that I disagree with your religious points, I feel I need to correct you on a few factual errors in your discussion.
"I wonder how many folks know that the HIV particle is 50 times smaller than the pores in latex prophylactics? I wonder how many folks know that blood and any body exudate or fluid that originates in the blood can carry the HIV. And I wonder if there are any body fluids or exudates that do not originate in the blood." There are only four bodily fluids that can transmit HIV: blood, semen, vaginal fluid, and breastmilk. While minute amounts of the virus may be carried in other fluids such as saliva and urine, one cannot contract the disease from these. In fact, there is a protein in saliva that deactivates the virus.
Furthermore, it is a myth that condoms do not block HIV. A 2002 issue of Conscience magazine stated that the pores in condoms are too small for HIV to pass through. "Condoms have been shown to be effective barriers not only to HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, but also to herpes simplex, CMV, hepatitis B, chlamydia and gonorrhea." Lambskin condoms do have larger pores that HIV can pass through, but those are very rarely used.
"While I know too little to argue what is called same-sex attractions, having same-sex attractions does not make one 'gay.' Acting on same-sex attractions does." According to the American Psychology Association, "sexual orientation" is defined as: "an enduring emotional, romantic, sexual or affectional
attraction to another person." Therefore, someone is not gay just because he or she has sex with a member of the same sex. It is possible for someone to be gay and be saving him or herself for marriage. The attraction makes them gay, not the action. If you are using a definition other than the widely accepted APA definition, you need to cite your source.
"...if we choose abstinence and keep our clothes on until marriage and don't do illegal drugs, our chances of contracting the HIV are nearly nonexistent." What about a heterosexual woman (to give an example) who is married and enjoying sexual relations with her spouse? She is not doing anything illegal or immoral. But what if the husband cheats and contracts HIV? It happens, and it may be immoral, but not on the part of the wife. She is happy in what she thinks is a monogamous relationship, but then she contracts HIV from her husband after making no immoral decisions herself. What would you tell her?
I personally know a woman whose parents both died of AIDS in the mid-90s. They did nothing wrong either. In the early 80s, her father was prescribed medication by his doctor to treat a common medical condition. His pills included human plasma. At this time, they were not screening all the donated blood for HIV, so they did not know that his pills were contaminated with the virus. He contracted it and unknowingly passed it on to his wife. The wife buried him and then died herself two years later. If you are interested in their story, my friend's website is
http://elainepasqua.com. She is also very knowledgeable about the facts surrounding HIV and AIDS and I would recommend you email her.
One more thing: is it a choice to get raped? Rape causes many, many transmissions of HIV and I don't think a single one of those people went out thinking, "I want to get raped by someone who's HIV-positive today."
You stated that AIDS is preventable. For the most part, it is, and it is sad that it still manages to be a global pandemic. However, it is not as easy to avoid as you make it out to be. It is wrong information like this that helps the spread of this horrible disease.
"Further, even the American College of Physicians has found the copycat syndrome associated with such entertainment. In their report they find an undeniable link between such programming as in Rent and the abuse of substances by kids of the MPAA 'acceptable' age stratum for this film (90% of the study population were under 14 years old)." I looked at that report. First of all, they only measured increases in cigarette and alcohol consumption, not illegal drugs as you imply. Second, they only looked at R-rated movies. Rent was rated PG-13. You cannot put those in the same category without an explanation as to why. Finally, the acceptable ages for Rent are 13 and up. The study was done on kids in grades 5-8. Even though 90% of the children are under 14, as you state, we have no idea how many are 13 and up. My guess is less than 15%.
Additionally, the report proves nothing other than a correlation (NOT causality) between restrictions on viewing R-rated movies and experimenting with cigarettes and alcohol. They conclude that restricting R-rated movies will keep your child from trying drugs, but that is not a valid conclusion. It is very likely that the reason behind this result is that children who are restricted from seeing R-rated movies have more restrictions placed on other aspects of their lives. Kids who are left alone will have more opportunity to experiment. Perhaps we should blame the parents for the children's bad behavior and not the movies.
Finally:
"Who would have thought the high-wattage Taye Diggs could sing? Diggs didn't look all that comfortable when singing, but he can sing a lot better than I can. That is, if it was Diggs actually singing which I suspect it was." That is just uncalled for. Of course Taye Diggs was actually singing. He is in the credits, he is on the soundtrack, and, furthermore, anyone who has done their research will know that Taye did musicals before he ever starred in a movie. He was discovered, in fact, in the original production of RENT on Broadway in 1996. Why him? Why would you imply that it might not be his voice? It's simply mean-spirited and has absolutely nothing to do with the "Christian-ness" of the film.
I respect your differing opinions on morality and religion. However, it is irresponsible and inexcusable to publish blatantly wrong information or intentionally misleading information when you are in a position of authority. Parents rely on you to inform them on what movies to show their children.
I hope you read my entire email. If it was at all offensive, I apologize. I tried to be as respectful as possible, despite our different views. Please understand that I am only trying to provide you with correct information to pass on to the people who look up to you and read your reviews.
Thank you.
~Claudia Weinstock
Nothing matters but knowing nothing matters. ~ Wicked
Everything in life is only for now. ~ Avenue Q
There is no future, there is no past. I live this moment as my last. ~ Rent
"He's a tramp, but I love him."
Updated On: 11/29/05 at 06:05 PM
