Before political correctness ruined everything

Before political correctness ruined everything

by digby

...there was this sort of good clean fun  (Via Buzzfeed)
White House Press Briefing — Oct. 15, 1982

Q: Larry, does the President have any reaction to the announcement—the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, that AIDS is now an epidemic and have over 600 cases? 
MR. SPEAKES: What’s AIDS? 
Q: Over a third of them have died. It’s known as “gay plague.” (Laughter.) No, it is. I mean it’s a pretty serious thing that one in every three people that get this have died. And I wondered if the President is aware of it? 
MR. SPEAKES: I don’t have it. Do you? (Laughter.) 
Q: No, I don’t 
MR. SPEAKES: You didn’t answer my question. 
Q: Well, I just wondered, does the President— 
MR. SPEAKES: How do you know? (Laughter.) 
Q: In other words, the White House looks on this as a great joke? 
MR. SPEAKES: No, I don’t know anything about it, Lester. 
Q: Does the President, does anybody in the White House know about this epidemic, Larry? 
MR. SPEAKES: I don’t think so. I don’t think there’s been any— 
Q: Nobody knows? 
MR. SPEAKES: There has been no personal experience here, Lester. 
Q: No, I mean, I thought you were keeping— 
MR. SPEAKES: I checked thoroughly with Dr. Ruge this morning and he’s had no—(laughter)—no patients suffering from AIDS or whatever it is. 
Q: The President doesn’t have gay plague, is that what you’re saying or what? 
MR. SPEAKES: No, I didn’t say that. 
Q: Didn’t say that? 
MR. SPEAKES: I thought I heard you on the State Department over there. Why didn’t you stay there? (Laughter.) 
Q: Because I love you, Larry, that’s why. (Laughter.) 
MR. SPEAKES: Oh, I see. Just don’t put it in those terms, Lester. (Laughter.) 
Q: Oh, I retract that. 
MR. SPEAKES: I hope so. 
Q: It’s too late.

White House Press Briefing — June 13, 1983

Q: Larry, does the President think that it might help if he suggested that the gays cut down on their “cruising”? (Laughter.) What? I didn’t hear your answer, Larry. 
MR. SPEAKES: I just was acknowledging your interest— 
Q: You were acknowledging but— 
MR. SPEAKES: —interest in this subject. 
Q: —you don’t think that it would help if the gays cut down on their cruising—it would help AIDS? 
MR. SPEAKES: We are researching it. If we come up with any research that sheds some light on whether gays should cruise or not cruise, we’ll make it available to you. (Laughter.) 
Q: Back to fairy tales.

These excerpts are from Jon Cohen’s 2001 book, Shots in the Dark: The Wayward Search for an AIDS Vaccine.

That's how it was. I was in college during this period and working nights at a hospital in San Francisco. Nobody was laughing there, I can guarantee it.

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