Conspiracy Theories on HIV

The survey asked the participants whether they believe that AIDS was a genocidal plot targeting African Americans. Astonishingly, the numbers show that 54 percent of African Americans believed that the disease is a form of genocide aimed particularly at African Americans. Similar research done in Louisiana by Parsons et al (1999) provides statistics that do not fair to go better. Twenty-seven percent of Louisiana residents believe that AIDS is a form of genocide, while 70 percent believed that the government was not telling that complete truth about AIDS.
             Review of Literature.
             This review of the literature will first introduce basic knowledge and incidences of conspiracy theories globally and in the United States. The second part of this review will discuss conspiracy theories among the African American culture. The third part of this review will discuss beliefs of conspiracy theories about HIV/AIDS among African Americans, how/why such accusations exists, the impact that it holds, and prevalence of the disease. The fourth part of this review will discuss the scope of the problem of HIV/AIDS in South Africans.
             Conspiracy theories claim that a particular group acted outside usual norms in a rogue and generally secretive fashion (Michael Albert). Wilkipedia, an online encyclopedia, states that conspiracy theories is the belief that historical or current events are the result of manipulations by one or more secretive power. A conspiracy theory alleges that a particular event happened not due to an obvious force but by a covert team who manipulates a situation to work in their favor. For some, it is easier to claim that something would not have happened if the particular people had not come together. Poez (1997) notes key elements on advancing conspiracies, one of which is victimhood. He states people who see themselves inferior and expendable will not challenge the status quo that affirms their position of oppression.