So my nursing school class has this facebook page where we can ask questions, give tips, post funny stuff, interesting articles, whatever. Well, last night someone shared a link to this ridiculous story where supposedly oranges from Libya are being injected with HIV+ blood. First of all, it's very clearly not a credible website. Second of all, it's already on snopes. Third, even if it were true there is no way it would work. HIV does not live for long outside of the human body. HIV needs fluid to fluid contact, so unless you have sores in your mouth it's not going to hurt you. Third, even if you do do something that can get you infected, it's no guarantee that it will. The pass rate is hardly 100%. So even if you get stuck with an infected needle or have unprotected sex with someone that has it, chances are still pretty decent that you'll be okay. I just couldn't believe someone that is a nursing student would fall for that fuckery. I thought about just replying with the snopes link but didn't want to be a jerk. I see someone else did this morning though. She should be thoroughly embarrassed. These kinds of urban legends just perpetuate hysteria about HIV/AIDS, alienates people that have it, and perpetuates this idea that people from Africa are unclean or something.
It's times like this where I'm like damn, I don't think I'm a genius or anything but how do some people even function.
Here's a pic of the oranges. Look like maybe they're hybrid with blood oranges or something? I don't know much about the breeding of oranges but that's surely a more reasonable idea than thinking they're injected with blood and gonna give you AIDS.