Q:
I enjoy your direct, cold hard truth approach to advice. So, I was very disappointed when, in a recent column, you softened your description of “bug chasing” as a death wish to a “manageable disease” wish. You fell into the trap you usually avoid—making HIV sound inconvenient rather than life threatening. I’m disappointed in you.
— Your ex-fan
Dear Ex-fan:
Sorry, I know you want a black and white answer but I’ve only got grays in my palette. HIV is both a life-threatening disease AND a manageable condition. Look at the evidence: There are 950,000 Americans living with HIV. About 14,000 die each year of AIDS. Some people can’t get the meds or don’t respond to them so HIV is, literally, a death sentence. But most people do respond to the meds and that makes it “manageable.” Sorry, no apology. “Bug Chasers” have both a death wish AND a manageable condition wish.