If there is one thing that the recent attention to the facts of HPV has brought about, it is the realization that some of our most worrisome medical conditions are prevalent and indiscriminate.
By age 50, 80 percent of women will have acquired a genital infection. One in four people from 15 to 24 years old are said to have one currently.
The reality of STDs needs to be met, openly and compassionately. With their frequency and their effects on the lives of those that have them, communities need to get better at addressing the issue and supporting people dealing with it.
HPV and conditions like it are not villainous predators waiting to strike those who roll the dice one too many times or who stray into the wrong company. These conditions are facts of life that occur in all kinds of circumstances.
But in all of these situations, coming to terms with an STD can bring up a complicated disarray of turmoil and fragility. The testimonies in last Tuesday's State Press article, "New vaccine in fight against cancer," are examples of the issues of worth, moral responsibility and a complicated sexuality that many are left burdened with.
When dealing with an STD, people inevitably bring a range of issues to the table. They bring their responses to their prior choices and experiences in relationships. They bring their hopes and concerns for the future. They also bring their perspectives on health, their bodies and identity. If the issue is going to be resolved, all of these complicated concerns need to be addressed.
Wrong views and misleading voices that fail to address all of these elements of our attitude toward STDs need to be confronted. One of these voices responds to the issue with a cry for people to "accept responsibility for their actions."
This idea should be respected when it is not used as a universal condemnation. While STDs have a place in the unavoidable risk and inevitability of adversity in life, people have to soberly come to terms with their choices that put them in harm's way.
But when taken too far, this call to responsibility can distort that process by making STDs into a punishing consequence and leaving individuals with a compulsory sense of guilt, obscuring other issues.
The all-too-familiar band of jeers, snickers and even cruelty from sources ranging from comedians to college students is another thing contributing to this distortion.
There is some room for patience here. As long as STDs are around, people will feel threatened. And in reaction, some will always separate those with an STD in order to convince themselves that it cannot happen to them, in order to feel safe.
But such a separation is impossible, and the prejudice it causes contributes to the voice of the otherwise simply ignorant and judgmental and to the maltreatment of the issue.
Even with these problems resolved, STDs will always be a formidable issue. And while inappropriate attitudes might foster this, they can also be seen as resulting from this fact.
As members of a community where STDs are a relevant issue, we need to be forthright and thoughtful in attending to them. That involves fixing misconceptions and inexcusable attitudes. We need to work against the idea of the STD as a malevolent villain seeking the few, rather than a fact of life.
At the same time, we need to be open in allowing for the turmoil that is involved in the thoughts of those faced with the issue, giving room to explore and resolve them. With this more complete reality of STDs addressed, the issue can be brought out of obscurity and dealt with for both the community and for the individual.
Matthew Bowman is a senior studying English literature, and can be reached at: matthew.bowman@asu.edu.
