John Kerry calls for the blood of gay men

[Martinus]

The current policy has the advantage of driving Martinus batshit insane, and is thus valuable.

We've already established he's mentally Ill.

"We" being the panel of mental health experts who live in your head?

[derspiess]

Huitzilopochtli.

Gesundheit

Egeszekedre

Na zdrowie

[Fate]

If gays want gay blood, they should start their own Red Cross.

[Strix]

Children of Barrack Obama are not more likely to get incarcerated than children of any white family (and are much less likely to be incarcerated than children of a white trash family from Florida or Kentucky, for example). This means being black will not cause you to become a criminal - it's just that being black often statistically correlates with being poor, and poverty indeed causes crime.

The example I was trying to make was a minority group being over represented for a particular issue. Blacks make up a majority of people incarcerated in the US but only represent around 10% or so of the population. Gay males make up a majority of people infected with HIV in the US but only represent around 10% or so of the population. This means that if you are black than you are in a higher risk group of becoming incarcerated. It doesn't mean you will be a criminal just that those in your group are more likely to (at some point) be incarcerated. If you are a gay male than you are in a higher risk group of becoming infected with HIV. It doesn't mean you will get HIV or that you engage in unsafe sex just that you are at higher risk than the average person. Every black doesn't have to commit a crime just as every gay male doesn't have to have unsafe sex. It's just that statistically more of them do so within their group than any other group.

This is where my comparison breaks down but than actually proves Marty wrong. In the US, there are more whites and non-blacks incarcerated than blacks. Why? There are more whites and non-blacks in the US, so statistically they commit more crimes. It's just that within their groups it is less likely for someone to be incarcerated. Thus making them a less high risk group for being sent to prison. However, this doesn't hold true for HIV. Gay males make up the greatest amount of people with HIV in the US despite being a very small minority. This is because anal sex (unprotected) and the tearing/exposure to blood that results is the #1 method of becoming infected by HIV.

I guess that gives gay males the overall Gold Medal of High Risk Groups. And, yes, Marty, you are a part of that. Although I suppose you could be sucking on a condom when giving oral sex.

[Syt]

If gays want gay blood, they should start their own Red Cross.

[garbon]

If gays want gay blood, they should start their own Red Cross.

Actually we just bite people's necks.

[derspiess]

If gays want gay blood, they should start their own Red Cross.

Actually we just bite people's necks.

I don't think you answered my Hillary question 

[DGuller]

I already answered this question in a post Strix quoted. The reason concerns sexual habits, not sexual orientation. Such habits are, sadly, more prominent among gay men, but that does not make gay men a high risk group. This is a correlation, not a causation.

It's both, actually.  It's true that unsafe sex practices lead to AIDS/HIV.  However, given that someone engages in unsafe practices, the gays are at much higher risk of infection.  There is nothing prejudicial about it, it's just the mechanics of gays sex are more conducive to infection than the mechanics of hetero sex.

[garbon]

I don't think you answered my Hillary question 

Where?

[DGuller]

See? This is a perfect example of what I'm talking about. You have two traits "A" and "B". Trait A correlates with trait B statistically, but it does not cause each other. Trait "C" is caused by "B". If you then make a policy in which if someone has trait "A", he or she is likely to have "C", this policy is unsound.

That's not quite right.  From the point of view of risk management it would indeed be sound.  If you want to minimize the chance of collecting AIDS blood, banning gays from donating is a very sound policy.  If all you're concerned with is managing risk, without regard to what some might consider fairness, then correlation is actually as good as causation. 

Yes, people are taught that correlation is not causation, and that is generally a very good thing to keep in mind.  However, it's not always a valid counter-argument.

[derspiess]

I don't think you answered my Hillary question 

Where?

Earlier in this thread I asked you what the deal was with the mullet she's been wearing.  Was hoping you'd have some inside info or something.

[The Brain]

I already answered this question in a post Strix quoted. The reason concerns sexual habits, not sexual orientation. Such habits are, sadly, more prominent among gay men, but that does not make gay men a high risk group. This is a correlation, not a causation.

It's both, actually.  It's true that unsafe sex practices lead to AIDS/HIV.  However, given that someone engages in unsafe practices, the gays are at much higher risk of infection.  There is nothing prejudicial about it, it's just the mechanics of gays sex are more conducive to infection than the mechanics of hetero sex.

You sure know your gay sex.

[garbon]

Earlier in this thread I asked you what the deal was with the mullet she's been wearing.  Was hoping you'd have some inside info or something.

I might be gay, dear, but I'm not a hairstylist.  I did sleep with one last night though and we discussed how mullets are popping up all over the place.

[The Brain]

Earlier in this thread I asked you what the deal was with the mullet she's been wearing.  Was hoping you'd have some inside info or something.

I might be gay, dear, but I'm not a hairstylist.  I did sleep with one last night though and we discussed how mullets are popping up all over the place.

Even "down there"?

[garbon]

Martinus is right. We shouldn't ban homosexuals from giving blood, only people that engage in anal sex. And polacks (in order to also refuse Martinus' blood).

We struck down our anti-sodomy laws. I doubt they are coming back any time soon.