OK, I probably just opened a can of worms, but...

I received this note from one of the yahoo groups I subscribe to. While I am totally sympathetic to the author's sentiment, the whole argument riles me. Maybe since i was a statistics minor, it just makes the hair stand up on the back of my neck, or maybe it is just the short sightedness of the comments and comparison.

Here is the note:

A federal Justice in Australia's High Court made a comment the other day which really puts things in perspective. He made an observation while the court was considering an appeal against a man convicted under Australia's new anti-terror laws -- the first person to have been so charged. Justice Michael Kirby's remarks were made in response to the Solicitor-General stating that Australia was more vulnerable to terrorist attacks since the events of September 11, 2001 in the United States.
Kirby said, "Yes, but the Americans, with all respects, have become obsessed with September 11. That is not an event that occurred in this country, and I think we have to keep our eye on the threats to Australia." Justice Kirby added that more people died every day from the [AIDS] than died in September 11. According to the UN, 7,761 people died from AIDS-related illness each day across the globe in 2005. Approximately 2,900 died in the World Trade Center and Pentagon attacks. That's more than two and a half times for a single day -- or 975 times over the course of just one year.

I've been thinking this since 2002, when I realized that "9/11" and "September 11th" had become little more than catch-phrases. AIDS is still being ignored, especially in America, while people still talk about the events of ONE DAY nearly five and a half years ago.
Some perspective, isn't it...?
Dave --


NOW WHY couldn't I just let it lie and not respond, I must be PMSing....

Here is my response:


I 100% sympathize with your intentions in sending this note. AIDS research and cures do not seem to be a high priority in the US, probably because of the stigma that it is a 'gay disease'. That is not true in Africa - it is an equal opportunity bastard to whole community's health - men, women, children, gay, straight and everything in between.

However, with all due respect, the judge is an idiot and needs remedial basic math skills. I am not sure about the 9/11 impact on Australia and I do agree with the they should be concerned about their own safety. Yet I am sure that if the US economy tanks due to terrorist attacks, there will be a lot of other countries that will get taken down with it....so I guess there is an economic interest there for Australians to consider.

Now about the numbers, that is just an asinine comparison. You are not comparing apples to apples, more like apples to oranges.

There were 7800 people die of AID over a 365 day period in 2005 - that is about 22 a day.
On 9/11, one day, 3000 people died. To make my point about the bad comparison, then if we had a similarly vicious attack over a 365 day period, then 1,095,000 would have died as a result. That is an outlandish statement as well.

Now I can not even figure out the math of where the comment for: "or 975 times over the course of just one year" can from. I think it ruins the whole argument and make the speaker sound exceptionally ignorant. Until then, I could support the speakers sentiment. Personally, I think this comparison is an insult to the 9/11 survivors and to those living with or died from AIDS.
I do feel badly about your situation and why it must weigh heavy on your mind and I do hope there is a genius researcher out there who will turn the corner and find more effective drugs to treat or even better, eradicate AIDS. Everyone is entitled to their opinion based on their perspective and this is just mine

jc

I believe the author, in earlier post, mentioned that he was positive. I am not, at least not the last time I got checked. ...and my perspective would be different if it was, I am sure.
It is just like the Gov.'s edict that every young woman get that new vaccine to prevent cervical cancer. There are many people afraid since the medicine is so new and so much is not known about the future side effect....would they be worse than the disease? And then you see the cancer survivors lobbying the Tx. Legislature about the importance of getting this new drug in everyone hands, or arms, or buttocks, where the shot it put :-) They certainly have a different perspective on the issue.

Yet I know this is probably going to general a lot of hate mail backlash, but I just couldn't let it go by without a response.

So, just how wrong was I?