MovieChat Forums > Life Goes On (1989) Discussion > The AIDS episodes

The AIDS episodes

posted 12 years ago by Camelot_2000
16 replies | jump to latest

I've always enjoyed this show when it was aired. Becca was a standout as the confident teenage girl who stood up for her brother whenever he faced some people's negative reactions or discrimination with his Down Syndrome.

The issue with AIDS was especially harrowing. It was so emotional seeing Becca's boyfriend dying from it in a hospital and how she stood by him throughout the ordeal. Doesn't surprise me that Chad Lowe won an Emmy Award for that.

The more I study it, the greater the puzzle becomes.
The Golden Voyage of Sinbad

[–] spasek 12 years ago

I completely agree. I don't think any show/film has tackled the issue of AIDS and what it does to a relationship (especially if one partner doesn't have AIDS). Kellie Martin and Chad Lowe both talked about how emotionally draining it was for them to do those episodes. And, yes, Lowe more than deserved that Emmy.

It's true that I never read responses.

[–] 12 years ago

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[–] 12 years ago

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[–] jnonnenkamp 11 years ago

Live Goes on served as a propaganda vehicle for the AIDS Industry that helped to dupe Americans into believing that everyone was at risk for AIDS.

THe scientific community has known since the late 80s that non-drug using heterosexuals were not at risk for AIDS, but in order to keep the research gravy-train going, they had to scare the populace into thinking everyone was at risk.

The character in Life Goes On got AIDS from a woman, yet AIDS has remained in its original risk groups for over 30 years (gay men, IV drug users and hemophiliacs).

It's just a TV show, people shouldn't take it so seriously.

[–] maixiu (2229) 5 years ago

This.

[–] nte1igentwon (956) 5 years ago

Is bullshit. There, I finished for you.

[–] maixiu (2229) 5 years ago

The CDC disagrees with you, but enjoy your fairy tales.

[–] nte1igentwon (956) 5 years ago

You're talking to jnonnenkamp, right? You replied to me. He's the only one telling myths.

[–] Kurt_Stein 11 years ago

How did Chad Lowe contract AIDS on the show? Was it through intravenous drug use or sitting on a dirty toilet seat?

[–] jnonnenkamp 11 years ago

He had sex with a girl. The odds of getting AIDS though heterosexual intercourse are something like 1/10,000

[–] alfredpolanski81 10 years ago

jnonnenkamp: You have to be ignorant or stupid to believe that heterosexuals have only 1/10,000 chance of getting AIDS. You should check your information before telling bulls**t.

[–] Burk48917 (11371) 8 days ago

it's not bullshit

[–] pd3145 9 years ago

In the series he struck me as way too feminine. I wouldn't be surprised if he got it by being bi.

[–] joannabaroncelli 8 years ago

I think that Chad getting infected and becoming HIV positive was one thing. But I also believe that it was unnecessary to show Chad getting sick and actually having AIDS. It was known that it takes about 10 years between contracting HIV and developing AIDS. And with the advances of medicine AIDS now has become a managable condition akin to diabetes, not the fatal disease it once was. Magic Johnson, who contracted HIV the same time this show was on now 25 years later is doing fine. To sum it up, Chad being infected made the point, having him get sick was not necessary and over-dramatic.

[–] pioneergrrrl (2408) 5 years ago

it was his character Jessie who had AIDS. And it was important to show youth that people with AIDS/HIV were not 'bad' but were their classmates and neighbors.

Life Goes On could have made this a one episode story and then dropped it but they had far more integrity. Even if the kids watching this series did not know anybody in their communities who had AIDS/HIV they would 'know' Jessie and learn how to treat hm

He was supposed to be the 'sexy' version of Ryan White who had been shunned by his first IN school when he disclosed he had AIDS and sought accommodations.

This was 'necessary' because it is also covered under special education laws (then known as education for all handicapped children act). Otherwise the school could argue they had a right to deny him access to an education/equal access to public education and it was too expensive to provide him a quality public education.

[–] Shibez (913) 5 years ago

Wow this thread got into a heated debate huh? To think that aids only affects the homosexual community is so ignorant..