Radio hosts get blast back from Magic Johnson after accusations of faking AIDS

October 10, 2:39 PMSports ExaminerPaula Duffy

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Earvin "Magic" Johnson

I just read something that gave me goose bumps. Two knuckleheads (polite term for what I called them) from Minnesota were waxing poetic on the air about diseases that are serious and potentially deadly but can be managed with medication.

AIDS was mentioned as a candidate for that designation, although frankly, I don't think either one of these men knows anything about the containment of HIV/AIDS.

What name popped out when one of the knuckleheads searched his brain for an example? Magic Johnson. But it gets worse. Magic was accused of faking his condition which the idiot host called AIDS.

The other knucklehead agreed but did note that although he believes Johnson faked his condition there are no facts to support it and the hypothesis, "falls apart when you get into motivation". Duh.

Magic Johnson contracted HIV which to the best of my knowledge did not advance to full blown AIDS. And as far as motivation to fake the story I can only say that in 1991 he was an outcast in his own fraternity of the NBA. At that time a diagnosis of HIV was considered a death sentence because so few cases were able to be contained. It was as if you were told you had stage 4 cancer that would certainly kill you. In addition to that, your character was suspect, your sexual preference was questioned and  ignorant people treated you as if you were radioactive. Sounds like something we'd all want to fake, doesn't it?

The radio station that employs the knuckleheads has apologized and offered to run public service announcements about HIV/AIDS and preventive testing. Who cares about that? This is what the level of discourse has been reduced to in this election year. If we allow public figures to repeat blatant lies all day we are forced to assume that everyone lies. Thus any proposition that seems difficult to understand or explain can be called a lie since we don't have any facts to discount it. Here is what Magic Johnson issued as a statement in reponse to the knuckleheads.

"I am extremely disappointed in KTLK in Minneapolis," Johnson told the Minneapolis Star Tribune. "I am outraged that Chris Baker and Langdon Perry would minimize such a serious and deadly issue. Millions are dying from HIV/AIDS and the fact that they would make jokes about my status is unbelievable."

 For more info:  Magic Johnson Foundation website