Let’s gossip about sex!

One of my favorite radio shows of all time is “This American Life,“ typically hosted by Ira Glass. Last week, the show was about gossip. The major story, the 2^nd segment, was about gossiping about sex and HIV status in Malawi. My undergraduate Advisor, Dr. Susan Watkins, and her team from both Penn and UCLA are interviewed. It’s fascinating and crushing all at once – I was sad to hear the story end. You should catch the show while it is still available free as a podcast. You can hear it here.

Like most people would say, gossip is often cruel and unfounded; spreading gossip if often harmful and malicious. However, in practice, it is often juicy and (maybe I should not admit this) fun. Here, gossip is a favorite pastime of both expats and locals, especially when it is not about you and not hurting someone you know and love. In Malawi, the show notes, gossip about HIV can be both positive and negative (pardon the pun). By revealing someone’s HIV status, you might be protecting a friend from acquiring HIV from a partner who is known to be HIV positive. Or, by revealing someone’s status, you might outing them to the community or spreading false rumors about their status, a crime which actually carries a penalty (perhaps theoretical, but still important).

Anyway, whatever your stance on gossip, I think you would enjoy the show. It is some interesting insight into life in Malawi and into the continuing barriers that reduce effective HIV prevention. Let me know what you think!