==HONG KONG==

Man proposes, God disposes. Although human beings have succeeded in combating a countless number of killer diseases like smallpox, tuberculosis, and so on, we are still being continuously invaded by many incurable illnesses. For instance, AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome), which is the most notorious and powerful disease nowadays, has aroused mass phobia. Could we do something to curb the rapid spread of AIDS? In my opinion, motion pictures, which are believed to possess the rare and extraordinary power to arouse a national consciousness, may play an important role in remedying the worsening situation.
The movie "Philadelphia" revealed all the elements of society's feelings towards gays, especially those who are HIV-infected. Through depicting the story of how an AIDS patient triumphed through his darkest hours and finally gained the acceptance of others, "Philadelphia" has aroused the attention of the general public towards AIDS. Andrew, the leading character of the movie, was a smart lawyer having a promising career ahead of him. However, he lost all the things he had, including his health, brilliant career, and colleagues, when his AIDS symptoms surfaced. Neverthe- less, he managed to overcome all the obstacles, including his worsening health and others' discrimination against him, and decided to sue for what he thought he should deserve. At the end of the movie, he finally won the trial and gained the acceptance of others before his honorable death. I was nearly moved to tears when I watched this meaningful movie two years ago. Moreover, it triggered a question within me -- "Why do people show a negative attitude towards 'brotherly love'?" As far as I am concerned, I think that if the homosexuals can find true love in their relationships, we should accept them. It is brutish to show contempt and discrimination against HIV-infected homosexuals or heterosexuals since it will only make these miserable sufferers more pessimistic and brokenhearted.
What do you know about AIDS? How do people get AIDS? Can AIDS be transmitted through saliva? Although the number of people getting AIDS has risen to an alarming figure, many people are still ignorant of what AIDS actually is. Most of them only know that AIDS is a killer disease; once you get the virus, you are bound to die of it. Moreover, they carry the misunderstanding that the homosexuals are the major disseminating medium of AIDS. In the past, I also knew nothing about AIDS. Last year, the movie "And the Band Played On" helped bring to light the history and nature of AIDS. Besides a concise narration on AIDS, the film also conveyed the idea in a frightening way that AIDS could be a disaster in the 2000s. Moreover, the movie revealed that one of the reasons for the slow invention of AIDS drugs was the U.S. Government's reluctance to invest sufficient money in AIDS projects.
In my opinion, it was a good start for movie makers to invest in motion pictures talking about AIDS. However, after the release of "Philadelphia" and "And the Band Played On", no more impressive AIDS movies have been made so far. No matter how effective the mass media is in arousing public awareness, it is unlikely that these two movies alone could change the deep-rooted ideas of the general public on AIDS. In view of this, more films of this caliber should be produced because we no longer want to live in "The Age of AIDS"!