Which is more of a threat: AIDS or Terrorism?

[Uzybone]

Poll question: Which is more of a threat: AIDS or Terrorism?

Seems like politicians hardly ever talk about AIDS. I want to know what DU thinks. Which is more of a threat to all humanity, not just the US:

[maveric]

1. Kick

:kick:

[Uzybone]

4. Thanks for the kick

I too am suprised anyone voted for terrorism. I was thinking this would be a 90% poll.

[DrWeird]

2. AIDS of course.

That's like asking, which is a bigger risk- getting hit by lightning while buying the winning lottery ticket, or heart disease?

[Democrats unite]

3. I can't believe someone actually voted terrorism!

Must be some of the freepers lurking in DU.

[HereSince1628]

5. I didn't vote, but I considered 12 questions about

the nature of the threats posed by each and scored them from 1 to 3 for not much concern, concern, and great concern.

I was surprised that turned out very close, with terror winning by one point.

The places terror made up ground were my reactions to:
my sense of personal control over some of the risk.
how well I think the risk is understood.

[wuushew]

8. Since you can't vote twice the number of votes is even more disturbing

Is DU losing the battle against Free Republik insurgents?

[magnolia]

6. Not to undermine the tragedy of 9/11....

...but going after terrorists...and particularily Saddam/Iraq, instead of fighting AIDS...is like the fire chief sending the only fire truck to a house with fire hazards while there is a house on fire burning to the ground next door. It's worth mentioning that that the process of fighting AIDS doesn't requre that we kill additional people.

[justsam]

7. we can help fight terrorism

by getting bush out of Washington.

[BiggJawn]

9. I have a bigger chance of catching AIDS.

Terrorist act? HERE???? In MY town? That's so funny I forgot to laugh.
But there are drugs, and dirty needles, and people who fuck for money, and guys who don't tell their wives who they've had before they dump 'em (and vice-versa), and......

[Devlzown]

10. Most straight Americans think their chances

of getting AIDS are pretty slim. In fact, they probably think they're more likely to die in some terrorist attack than to die of AIDS. And though they might have gay friends and family members, if AIDS isn't perceived to be a direct threat to them, then it's really not that big a deal. Sad but true.

[BiggJawn]

12. Yeah, and you can't educate them...

[Muddleoftheroad]

20. Depends on how you define this

If you mean, which will likely kill more in world society, then the answer is AIDS clearly. Based on Africa alone. If you mean the U.S., it's more vague. It depends on how likely you think a big terror attack is.

However, I think most people are bound to answer this one personally not globally. In that case, you have to assess your own chance of having one or the other occur. Depending on your personal life, you can reduce or eliminate your chances for AIDS. You can't do that for terrorism.

[GreyV]

29. Well...

Well, voting out Bush will probably decrease chances of Americans getting killed by terrorism by quite a bit. But, I guess bombing far away lands populated by them colored brown folks is much easier, eh?

[Devlzown]

27. You can't educate those who don't care to learn.

If they think they aren't going to get AIDS or that their chances of getting AIDS are the same as those of getting struck by lightning, they aren't going to be that interested in learning about it. Sure, they know AIDS is a horrible disease and people all over the world are dying of it, and you might even get them to donate to AIDS causes, but that still doesn't change the fact that most people don't think that AIDS is a serious personal threat to them. This epidemic has been going on for 20+ years now and that basic belief has not changed.

[GreyV]

30. I agree....

...

[Uzybone]

11. kick

:dem:

[baldguy]

13. AIDS

http://www.worldvision.ca/HIV_AIDS/AIDS_World_map.htm

How many people are killed each year by terrorism? hundreds? thousands?

AIDS kills hundreds of thousands - even millions.

[fla nocount]

14. Help please. Come DU this poll.

There cannot be this many people here living in fear of TERRA. TERRA is a home grown phenomena while AIDS is the real deal. I personally have known AIDS victims and I can't say that about TERRA but then again...........I don't watch the tube so perhaps I'm immune.

[Muddleoftheroad]

21. I personally have known both

[Silverhair]

15. AIDS if clearly the greater threat, because:

While I personally am at extreme low risk of getting AIDS, I am still effected by what it is doing in the world. It appears that much of Sub-Saharan Africa may become depopulated due to AIDS. That alone will cause much global instability, and loss of developing markets. When some of the other parts of the world that are also having AIDS explosions are factored in, the global instability level and economic disruption rises drastically. And that ain't good.

Notice that I made what I think is a convincing case without appealing to compassion. Feel free to use the logic on some unconcerned, unfeeling person.

[Sufi Marmot]

16. Exactly!

With up to 30% of the population HIV infected in some African countries (and very few of those people getting treatment) entire societies could collapse. Ironically this could lead to increased terrorism, if religious extremism and/or ethnic/tribal strife fills the vaccuum left when an entire generation of teachers, policemen, and civil servants die young. Many countries in sub-Saharan Africa are not so far removed (in terms of political stability) from Aghanistan to begin with.

It's my understanding that * only proposed his HIV funding for Africa initiative (the one that never got funded), after George Tenet, et al., sat him down and explained that there were a number of African nations which might host the next terrorist training camp if they descended into lawlessness and anarchy due to HIV.

-SM

[Sugarbleus]

17. FASCISM!! n/t

[GreyV]

18. AIDS...

AIDS of course.

Terrorism too ...but there are different types of terrorism which were not indicated. Ultra-nationalist terrorism, religious terrorism, state-sponsored terrorism, corporate terrorism, left-wing terrorism, right-wing terrorism, anarchist terrorism..... well it goes on. Terrorism is just too broad.

[stilpist]

19. Breasts!

They'll weaken our moral fiber 'n' stuff.

[arewethereyet]

22. AIDS is a reality, terrorism is a threat

here and abroad.

People refuse to adjust their behavior so people will continue to die.

An ounce of prevention is worth tons of cure.

[Fescue4u]

23. I voted terrorism and here's why

Really i think they are neck and neck.

While I know some feel that terrorism is just a fantasy and that even 9/11 was some sort of nefarious government plot, I believe otherwise.

Terrorism in and of itself isnt a threat to humanity per se. However the worlds response to terrorism could be.

For instance on 9/11 3,000 of our people were killed by crazy Muslims. Thats actually a low number when you compare it to inner city murders rates in crime havenslike DC, NY, LA etc etc.

Anyway, terrorism has the potential to start major wars and has already started minor ones in Iraq and Afghanistan. The potential for our (or some other nation) to escalate this to a WW III scenerio is a possibility.

Aids on the other is not going to start a nuclear war and is preventable (for the most part). In theory, we could lose a huge chunk of a population to Aids, but the survivors who were not infected will live on. This is not the case with a Nuclear response to terrorism.

[GreyV]

28. War?

Iraq and Afghanistan "wars" (I prefer expeditions and experiments in mass murder..but that's just too long) were started by good ole US of A. I don't remember Iraq or Afghanistan declaring war on us. Congress and WH did declare war on them though.

AIDS preventable? You don't know much about AIDS do you, or its short and murderous history. It's spreading, it's an epidemic! But I guess AIDS happens only to them "colored folks" in far away lands and those dirty, dirty, homos! Right? Well according to the statistics collected during the last decade, AIDS is having lot of "penetration" in white suburbia as well. A decade from now, things will look very different.

[solinvictus]

24. Honestly

Terrorism, I've been in a committed, monogomous relationship for 8 years now. Unless I step on a needle or decide to become wantonly promiscuous, then AIDS isn't a threat to me.

[Nihil]

25. Wot 'e said ...

... except in my case it's a lot more than 8 years.

I'm also pissed off at the amount of funding the AIDS bandwagon manage
to acquire at the cost of research into other diseases - many of which
have affected me or my family (or far more likely to do so in the
future).

Don't assume it's a freeper invasion just because the poll results are
different to expectations :-)

Nihil

(Edited for typos)

[Piperay]

26. Terrorism

is more of a personal threat to me, I worry about getting cancer more than I do aids. I am in a committed relationship and never injected drugs or had a blood transfusion, cancer runs in my family and that worries me. :scared:

[truthspeaker]

31. interesting question

Terrorism is a greater threat to ME because it is very unlikely I will contract AIDS.

But AIDS is a greater threat to the world population overall.

[Uzybone]

32. Indulge me with one final

:kick: