Earvin Johnson: Unprotective And Encomium Exercise

Ashleigh E. Smith

20 September 2011

Invective/Encomium Exercise

Each of us throughout our lives encounter or discover a person who exhibits that he/she is an excellent person. They are superior to those we consider normal people. They show that they above most and will bend over backwards if they must. They are the people who'll "take the bullet" or "give the shirt off their back" and will not bat an eye. Throughout my nineteen years of life, I've met many people. Though many are great, I cannot praise someone more that Earvin "Magic" Johnson. Magic, whom I never met, but wish I did, has shown that he is and will be an amazing person for years to come. In 1991, Magic found out that he had gotten the human immuno-deficiency virus (HIV),
He was known for having multiple partners without the use of a contraceptive. So when he announced his retirement from the NBA in 1991 because of this, he knew he had to do something about this disease. It was to protect and warn of this virus. So he inquired about supporting HIV and AIDS research. In 1992, Magic became a member of the National AIDS Awareness Group. Through this, he expressed how he made bad decisions, and how those bad decisions can effect you through life(AEGIS). Magic Johnson spoke to almost 1,000 students at Cardozo High School in Washington D.C in 1991. Magic challenged the students to put as much energy into their academic work as into sports, and to save sex until after marriage. Johnson now brings a strong message to students and young people across the country on sexual responsibility. He told the assembled students at Cardozo High that although some students would not take his advice, he urged them: "You shouldn't have it [sex] until you're married." One female student created a stir in the audience when she questioned Johnson why he wasn't "responsible" in his many sexual encounters with women during his basketball career. "That was my mistake," Johnson
"It was wrong first of all for me to do the thing I was doing. I can't correct that. All I can do is try and save your lives."(Fairfield). In 1992, Magic and Arsenio Hall hosted an entertaining and informative program created to educate teenagers and young adults about AIDS and the HIV virus. Other celebrity guests also appeared in segments that delivered the messages: AIDS can happen to anyone; the 'hows and whys' of transmitting or contracting HIV; that people who may be at risk should be counseled and tested; and that pre-sexually active young people should abstain as long as possible. In 1993, Magic spoke at an international meeting at which he urged Japan to join in the fight againstAIDS with increased research and education, in addition to more compassion for those who have the disease. He called the meeting "Living Together in the Age of HIV and AIDS."He said he was widely supported when the public learned of his condition, but that was because of his celebrity status. "It is important to treat people the same way as before they were diagnosed as HIV -positive," said Johnson. He called for Japan to be more supportive of HIV-infected people and emphasized the significance of candid discussion about AIDS and safe sex