Responding to my eulogy to William F. Buckley, some readers noted that Buckley had written a notorious column during the 1980s calling for AIDS victims to be tattooed on their rear ends. For one responder this was eerily reminiscent of Nazi policies.
Actually Buckley was no Nazi. On one occasion Buckley appeared on a late-night program with the writer Gore Vidal, and Vidal accused Buckley of being a "crypto-Nazi." Incensed, Buckley called Vidal a "goddamn queer." Both men ended up suing the other. Buckley won his case, because he was able to show that his opinions were never sympathetic to the Nazis, "crypto" or otherwise. Vidal lost his case, because, well, truth is an effective defense in a libel case.
So what about that AIDS column? Let's remember that not much was known about AIDS in the early 1980s. In particular, there were competing theories about how AIDS was actually transmitted. Little more was known than the fact that AIDS seemed to be concentrated in the homosexual community.
Buckley noted in his column that in previous epidemics, such as the syphilis epidemic of the early part of the twentieth century, America quarantined people who contracted the disease. Buckley argued against quarantining victims of AIDS. Somewhat light-heartedly, he suggested that a better alternative might be to have some insignia warning off potential partners. He came up with the admittedly strange idea of a small tattoo on the AIDS victim's rear end. Not surprisingly, the column caused immediate controversy.
At National Review, however, the controversy was of a different sort. The big question that arose among the editors was not whether there should be a tattoo but rather what the tattoo should say. Several entries were submitted, and the contest winner was my own English professor Jeffrey Hart, a senior editor of the magazine, who proposed the line emblazoned on the entrance gate to Dante's Inferno: "Abandon all hope ye who enter here."
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That Notorious Buckley AIDS Column
Posted Feb 29th 2008 4:09AM by Dinesh D'Souza
Filed under: Gay and Lesbian, Bizarre, AIDS
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Reader Comments ( Page 1 of 53)
1. ... but what if the AIDS were to be cured miraculously by Benny Hinn?
Since you MUST agree that miracles ARE possible... then the tattoo of 'Abandon hope all ye who enter here' would be a 'mark of Cain'... no? (and that woud be a bad thing, write that down!)
I think (he he) that gays should have that tattooed on their butts anyways... in memory of Bill Buckley, who, in my opinion, could turn any nancyboy into a conservative(yech!)!!!
not-pboyfloyd at 5:30AM on Feb 29th 2008
2. In a previous article you said Hitler was athesist. Isnt
religion great.
Adolf Hitler attended a Catholic school as a child and heard all the
fiery anti-Semitic rantings from Chrysostom to Martin Luther. When
Hitler became a global demonic monster, the Catholic Church and Pope
Pius XII never, ever slightly criticized him. Pope Pius XII, called
by historians ‘Hitler’s Pope,’ joined Hitler in the infamous
Concordat of Collaboration, which turned the youth of Germany over to
Nazism, and the churches became the stage background for the
bloodthirsty cry, ‘Pereat Judea’…. In all of his [Hitler’s]
years of absolute brutality, he was never denounced or even scolded
by Pope Pius XII or any Catholic leader in the world. To those
Christians who believe that Jewish hearts will be warmed by the sight
of the cross, please be informed—to them it’s an electric chair.
Larry at 7:04AM on Feb 29th 2008
3. http://evolutionfacts.blogspot.com
FORMER ATHEIST at 7:09AM on Feb 29th 2008
4. Amazing...you actually called it your eulogy to Buckley. Then why'd ya hafta shill yer got-damned book in his eulogy?
You are truly pathetic...and oh so low.
America's Most Gangsta at 7:11AM on Feb 29th 2008
5. Dinesh...
Your paragraph regarding attitudes about AIDS in the early 80s just goes to show you how ignorant people can be...especially when they let the superstitions of their grandparents get in the way of their critical thinking. (Y'know, superstitions like Christianity.)
If that weren't bad enough, your paragraph about the "light-hearted" attitude toward AIDS by Willam Buckley and at the National Review is just enough to make any rational person want to puke.
Dinesh, please clue up...there is NOTHING "light-hearted" about AIDS. For the National Review to conduct a contest and then select that "winner" of a slogan just...
Shit...this is beyond words!
This is a new low, even for the likes of you, Dinesh. What do they teach you idiots at places like Dartmouth? Where is your Christian compassion? To perpetuate a story about that disgusting idea for an AIDS tattoo just shows what sort of ignorant zombies religious superstitions typically create!
Why do you wish to constantly parade your ignorance?
Dinesh, in case you haven't heard yet, AIDS is a terrible syndrome that can befall even innocent children (thanks to your Intelligent Designer.)
Damn, Dinesh, grow up already. A real man would have kicked his very own English professor in the nuts for suggesting such an insensitive, joke about the suffering of people.
Who's next for that English professor? The victims of the tsunami? Maybe we can tattoo some surfing slogan on their asses? Or how about the victims of Shock And Awe? We should have tattooed BOHICA on their asses before we bombed them! Oh, wait! I know! Let's tattoo all the victims in Darfur with something like...heck...I don't know..."I'm just a useless piece of dung, so just kill me now" on their asses! That way the religious zealots will know which children to rape before killing them.
As a Christian, you should have immediately recognized the absolutely repugnant ignorance of that "winning" suggestion.
Dinesh, you should just delete this entire post. I can't believe that you actually transmit a sense of pride in the fact that your very own English professor won an incredibly ignorant and insensitive contest about people dying.
This is just disgusting.
Paul at 7:16AM on Feb 29th 2008
6. The ever-plausible escapism clause. If you post something controversial, and suddenly you pissed off almost everybody, just pretend you were joking.
Hey, I was being satirical! Ha ha! Didn't you get it? Just kidding! Maybe you didn't understand my humor because it was written at too high of a level? HA?
Strados at 7:28AM on Feb 29th 2008
7. paul,
good morning did we leave off a chat on the last episode of who hates DD? lets pick up.
in the bible lepers had to identify themseves.wht about reports of men and women infected with aids who have deliberately made it a point to spread it as much as possible? should they be "branded" or jailed. people who have aidds do not always do the noble thing and tell. so what was so wrong with the story? besides in the 80's we did not know as much about the disease as we do now. be kinder and gentler to DD and the rest of us christians here
brian at 7:31AM on Feb 29th 2008
8. and too,
my best friend died of aids and it was a horrible way to go. he suffered terribly. i would never wish that on anyone,not even atheist. but i will say he was valiant in the face of it all. he maintaned his dignity and tried to cope everyday with the pain he had. we talked all the time. i have kept the letters he wrote. if i had any ability i could copy a few things he said here so that you could see the day of an aids patient. all those cocktails!!!
brian at 7:35AM on Feb 29th 2008
9. Dinesh...
Here's a little story that even you can appreciate...
A USAF captain I knew told a joke to a group of his subordinates on an Air Force operations floor one night. I happened to be there.
You'll love this joke, Dinesh...it's right up there with the tattoo joke you mentioned above!
The joke goes something like this...
Q: Why do all Asian Indian women have a dot on their foreheads?
A: It's from their husbands constantly poking them between their eyes with an index finger and demanding, "Why are you so fucking ugly?"
Hilarious, isn't it, Dinesh?
I waited until the mild chuckles subsided and then quietly pulled that Air Force captain aside to swiftly kick him in the balls.
I told him that if I EVER heard him repeat such a racially slanted joke again, I would have his ass in a sling in front of an Air Force Social Actions review board, with his precious USAF commission on the line.
Needless to say, he never repeated such jokes in front of me, nor in front of his subordinates as far as I could tell. (He was afraid that one of them might report back to me.)
What's the point of all of this, Dinesh? The point is that perpetuating ignorance, or giving ignorance a pass through inaction is worse than the original ignorance. So, you need to immediately delete this unnecessary retelling of a bad idea for a contest.
Dinesh, to allow people to continue reading about the forgettable ignorance at the National Review only exposes you for the ignorant, irrational, hate-filled conduit you seem to enjoy being.
Just because you're providing an account of an insensitive display of ignorance and hatred doesn't make you innocent of that ignorance and hatred. In fact, repeating such a "light-hearted" account makes you even more guilty because you should know better.
Paul at 7:38AM on Feb 29th 2008
10. Brian...
Your ignorance just takes my breath away. I don't care to respond to anything you have to say because nothing you say warrants a response.
Paul at 7:40AM on Feb 29th 2008
11. "I would never wish that on anyone, not even atheist..." --Brian
This is just incredible. Makes me wonder what sort of suffering Brian MIGHT wish upon the disgusting and vile atheists.
That's your Christian compassion in action, folks! They LOVE everyone! Christians have a monopoly on love!
Paul at 7:45AM on Feb 29th 2008
12. Dinesh...
Please remove this hate-filled joke about the tattoo.
Otherwise, I will contact AOL and my attorney.
Thank you.
Paul at 7:49AM on Feb 29th 2008
13. Never mind, Dinesh...
I'll contact them nonetheless.
I won't wait for you to do the right thing here.
Paul at 7:51AM on Feb 29th 2008
14. paul,
please lighten up it was just meant to upset your little world and in typical fashion it works. i wish aids on no one and you know that so stop being a baby turd. you should recognize jest when you see it.sorry ti offend you so early
brian at 8:02AM on Feb 29th 2008
15. and paul,
where is your desire thatLL have freedom of speech? is this your liberalism shining through? DD has a right to post this even if you find it disgusting. are you not for his rights? why no, you are only for people who agree with you and then call yourself tolerant. lord have mercy
brian at 8:05AM on Feb 29th 2008