When The Caring, Sharing Culture Goes Too Far

STIs soar in USA with gonorrhea up 30%, HIV infections up by 33%, and syphilis soaring a shocking 79% in the last year alone.

Image source: cartoonstock

Not so long ago american liberals were proclaiming that the Obama administration had ushered in a new era of enlightened living by embracing the ideas of free love and a caring, sharing society that originated in California’s hippy culture in the 1960.

While the idea that everyone giving everything away for free was hardly likely to produce a strong economy, pragmatism aside there are just some things caring people should not share.

A report by the Rhode Island Department of Health reveals one of the big problems with the caring, sharing, giving it away for free culture. Sexually transmitted diseases are on the rise in the USA, with health officials highlighting casual sex arranged through social media as one of the main factors in this. One official described it as the “perfect veneral storm storm,” with gonorrhea up 30%, HIV infections up by 33%, and syphilis soaring a shocking 79% in the last year alone.

The report notes that “new cases of HIV and syphilis continued to increase among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men at a faster rate than in other populations,” adding that “infection rates of all STDs continued to have a greater impact on the African-American, Hispanic, and young adult populations.”

Rhode Island is just one small state on the East Coast, but the trend is nationwide. An STD clinic in Salt Lake County, Utah, has started asking patients about specific contact methods. When the number of people arranging sexual liaisons devoid of emotional connection through social media became apparent, Lynn Beltran, an epidemiologist at the clinic, told ABC she was not surprised to see a rise in STDs.

“It’s been the perfect storm,” said Beltran. “Our attitude kind of shifted, where it became more acceptable to engage in casual sex.”

Beltran said she had seen an uptick in syphilis and gonorrhea rates, and that many of the newly diagnosed patients said they were sexually active through dating apps.

Just as an aside …

Q: What’s dangerous and eats nuts?
A: Syphilis.

The Rhode Island report raised another interesting point. Between 2003 and 2009, when prostitution wasn’t illegal in Rhode Island due to a clerical error, the state registered a 39-percent decrease in gonorrhea infections among women. Well when a business is charging for its products or services, there are certain trading standards that must be adhered too, for example customers have a right to know exactly what they will get for their money.

What is wrong with people in the USA. I’m not narrow minded and I would be a hypocrite if I condemned casual sex, but FFS why can’t people use condoms when they are meeting up with a total stranger from out of town. It ought to be a no brainer. Why would someone who has a dose spread it in their own community where people might recognise them when they can with almost complete anonymity ‘share it’ on Facebook.

Source: RT