Aaron Rodgers' Dangerous Game
High-profile figures like New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers promote dangerous conspiracies that the HIV/AIDS epidemic was government-engineered and that zidovudine (AZT), a lifesaving drug, was intended to harm patients. These falsehoods have severe consequences for public health, endangering lives and perpetuating existing stigma. An estimated 1 in 7 Americans living with HIV are unaware of their status, highlighting how celebrity-backed misinformation can deter people from seeking essential care. Despite its initial side effects, AZT was a breakthrough that paved the way for more effective treatments. Claims that it was intentionally harmful are medically inaccurate and undermine decades of HIV care progress.
A History of Distrust
Acknowledging historical failings is crucial, as the early mishandling of the AIDS crisis by the government and health institutions fueled fear and skepticism. This understandable distrust is rooted in the spread of falsehoods during the early days of the epidemic – groups like the "Heubach group" promoted the idea that HIV was a government-created hoax. These claims, though swiftly debunked by science, preyed on existing anxieties. Sadly, figures like Rodgers exploit this justified distrust, twisting it into a weapon. They promote baseless conspiracies, painting themselves as brave truth-tellers while actively eroding progress and endangering lives.
A Modern Threat
Rodgers and other celebrities wield immense influence as public figures, yet they disregard the potential consequences when they amplify harmful misinformation to vast audiences. When celebrities endorse baseless conspiracy theories, it cloaks fringe ideas in an illusion of legitimacy, jeopardizing public trust in proven medicine. Their reckless actions reveal a blatant disregard of their responsibility to prioritize evidence-based information, a choice with deadly consequences when lives hang in the balance.
Aaron Rodgers amplifies dangerous ideas surrounding HIV-related conspiracies. He has endorsed conspiracy theories about both the HIV/AIDS and COVID-19 pandemics, urging his audience to read Robert Kennedy Jr.'s book and promoting the debunked idea that AZT was intentionally harmful to patients. On the "Look Into It" podcast, he further distorted the truth by drawing a false parallel between the AIDS crisis and COVID-19: “The blueprint, the game plan, was made in the '80s. Create a pandemic with a virus that’s going wild... create an environment where only one thing works. Back then AZT; now, Remdesivir until we get a vaccine.”
Rodgers continued, expressing a cynical distrust of scientific research and the pharmaceutical industry: “I can do my own research, which was so vilified, to even question authority.” He plays into a popular but flawed narrative: the lone maverick challenging corrupt systems. Rodgers' "do your own research" approach ignores the complexities of scientific knowledge, our susceptibility to cognitive biases, and that without expertise, it's easy to misinterpret information.
Rodgers uses a common tactic seen in the spread of misinformation: he questions the integrity of science while simultaneously claiming to be persecuted for doing so. This creates a trap. He undermines trust in established institutions by preying on anxieties about authority. Then, when his claims are inevitably challenged by experts, he positions himself as a brave truth-teller being silenced by the establishment. This manufactured martyrdom only reinforces the original mistrust, further validating his position in the eyes of some followers. These dangerous falsehoods damage public health by eroding trust in the decades of medical progress that have saved countless lives.
Rodgers is part of a broader trend highlighted in the World Health Organization's 2022 infodemic report. Medical misinformation spreads rapidly across social media, exploiting societal anxieties, and can have deadly consequences. Rodgers’ endorsement of HIV/AIDS denialism is particularly harmful because his assertions tap into the fear, stigma, and systemic distrust prevalent in communities of color historically marginalized by the medical system. This creates fertile ground for misleading narratives, leading to disastrous cyclical consequences.
In case you’re of the mind that words don’t matter, a study published in European Psychologist found a 23% decrease in HIV testing in communities highly exposed to HIV denialism, signifying a direct threat to the lives of people at risk. The benefits of early diagnosis and treatment with antiretroviral therapy (ART) are well-documented, and by promoting the idea that the virus is benign or that ART is hazardous, denialists delay essential testing and care, feeding into the stigma that discourages many from seeking the help they need.
These conspiracy theories exploit vulnerabilities in our information landscape, tapping into societal anxieties and magnifying them through social media platforms that prioritize engagement over factual accuracy. This dynamic is especially perilous in health-related discourse, where misinformation can lead to fatal outcomes.
Stigma & Public Health Risk
Aaron Rodgers’ endorsement of HIV/AIDS denialism illustrates the persistent influence of health misinformation. His assertions exploit long-standing fears, stigma, and systemic mistrust, especially prevalent in communities of color historically marginalized by the medical system. These real and profound injustices make communities susceptible to misleading narratives that claim HIV is a fabrication or that lifesaving treatments are harmful, thereby perpetuating a cycle of misinformation and stigma.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), stigma deters many from seeking HIV testing and treatment, creating a sense of fear, judgment, and social isolation. This leads countless people to forgo life-saving medical care. This is particularly damaging to young people, as demonstrated by GLAAD's 2023 State of HIV Stigma report. It revealed a concerning generational gap: over 60% of Gen X adults consider themselves well-informed about HIV, yet only 34% of Gen Z adults say the same. A study published in The Guardian in August 2023 highlighted that teenagers are significantly more likely to believe online conspiracy theories than adults, underscoring the vulnerability of Gen Z to extremist rhetoric.
Young people’s vulnerability has serious public health implications, as those aged 13-34 account for 57% of new HIV diagnoses. The dangerous conspiracy theories promoted by Rodgers and Kennedy directly contribute to this crisis by perpetuating stigma. This disproportionately affects marginalized communities and exacerbates homophobia, transphobia, racism, and systemic inequalities.
The impact of this cycle is both profound and destructive:
Misinformation: Campaigns spread dangerous falsehoods about HIV, misleading the public about its origins, and the efficacy of treatments.
Stigma: Misinformation fosters stigma, fueled by fear, a profound distrust in medical advice, and manipulative media tactics. It discourages testing and treatment, promoting silence rather than open discussion about HIV status.
Public Health Crisis: Misinformation and stigma lead to inadequate testing, poor treatment adherence, and a decreased likelihood of status disclosure – crucial steps for stopping HIV transmission.
Stigma kills. To save lives, we must go beyond medical solutions and dismantle the harmful social barriers erected by misinformation. This requires targeted education and awareness campaigns designed specifically for Gen Z and Gen Alpha, who are most at risk.
Breaking the Cycle
The resurgence of HIV denialism is a wake-up call. Misinformation purveyors prioritize sensationalism over saving lives. People like Rodgers prey on our understandable fears and anxieties during health crises, and their disregard for the consequences of their words is inexcusable. We must hold them accountable for the harm they cause and demand better from those whose voices reach millions. It's equally important to demand better from social platforms that profit from algorithms that prioritize divisive content over truth.
As citizens, we must all become savvier consumers of information, developing critical thinking skills and fostering a healthy skepticism of emotionally charged narratives that lack credible evidence. We have allies in this fight: the CDC, reputable journalists, fact-checkers, publications, and countless dedicated researchers. By seeking out evidence-based information and supporting their efforts, we can counter misinformation and protect public health.
Let's take concrete actions:
Demand accountability: from both the purveyors of misinformation and the platforms that amplify them.
Educate ourselves: Seek out reliable sources, develop critical thinking tools, and support organizations dedicated to media literacy.
Elevate evidence-based information: Amplify the voices of credible scientific institutions and share accurate information within our circles of influence.
These actions will help dismantle the harmful cycle of misinformation and push us closer to a world where science, not fear and lies, guides our approach to ending the HIV epidemic.
Misinformation: An Ever-Growing Public Health Threat
Author’s note: For good reasons, the terms “misinformation” (those ideas which are slightly distorted) and “disinformation” (ideas which are contrary or contradictory to actual fact) are distinct. However, for the purposes of public messaging, these terms are often interchangeable so as to not collide with natural defense mechanisms of an audience. Similarly, for this blog, the terms will be used interchangeably.
There’s no two ways about the issue of health misinformation – politely, a term to describe conspiracy theories which range from moderately frustrating and lacking factual evidence to downright deadly. On the issue of public health measures and mutual community investment into one another’s health outcomes, the issue grows exorbitantly.
Before we move forward – the issue of gun violence is both a public health issue and a humanitarian one. Like abortion and gender affirming care, the issue of gun violence is not an area of expertise I possess and the analyses provided in these blogs are specific to policies and programs affecting HIV, HCV, and substance misuse. However, we cannot move on without directly addressing the role misinformation is playing right now as families grieve the loss of their children as a result of another school shooting. Within mere hours after the shooting made national news and before even the full count of children murdered had yet become clear, misinformation, driven by conspiracy and bias regarding the shooter’s identity was already proliferating across social media. Indeed, the idea which falsely linked multiple transgender women to the shooting was touted by Representative Paul Gosar. These actions have already resulted in a trans woman being assaulted in Texas.
This isn’t new. The problem of misinformation around COVID-19 had already grown so significant by the time President Biden named a Surgeon General, one of Dr. Vivek Murthy’s first acts as Surgeon general for this administration was to issue an advisory warning of the personal and public health dangers of misinformation. In addition to the issue brief accompanying the advisory, the Surgeon General’s office now maintains an information page for various stakeholders, including individuals. Yet and still, even two years into this pandemic, where incredible feats of science – like producing a viable vaccine within twelve months of an initial outbreak – have occurred, people so well-regarded as to be elected to federal and state offices are either outright shouting flagrant falsehoods or calmly suggesting COVID-19 vaccines cause AIDS, like Senator Ron Johnson did earlier this month. The seed of doubt and big bad scary things are the things of nightmares and in the absence of easy to access, easy to understand, and static answers, there are people willing to consider these nonsensical leaps as valid possibilities.
None of this is new for folks navigating HIV misinformation or stigma. The problem of misinformation around HIV isn’t some far off issue that we don’t need to concern ourselves with domestically, indeed it thrives today in the backyards of “every day Americans”. The most pernicious idea being “HIV is over” seconded only by the moralizing ideas around “who” gets HIV – that such a diagnosis is somehow a justified punishment from “God” rather than the end result of a negligent society so infected with layered biases as to not acknowledge that racism (not race), misogyny, homophobia, ablism, and every other moral and ethical rot has driven those most in need to also be those most at risk. Hate and misinformation so often leaves “disproportionately impacted communities” so “vulnerable” the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has a whole segment of their website and millions of dollars in programming aimed at reducing HIV stigma.
Part of the issue lies with a lack of digital literacy, an undying effort for fragile egos to leverage fear and their own ignorance for pitiful power grabs, and a near tangible disgust lobbed in response to casual conversation going just a bit sideways – tribalism at its best, as it were. Misinformation and conspiracy theories thrive when people are afraid and looking for answers that are easy to grasp and never change and the idea that things would never change once investigated is, at its roots, anti-science. The nature of science is to explore and challenge assumptions, test theories, and change our ideas based on the results. Regardless of what one thinks of themselves, reading an article about a study or even ten articles about a dozen studies isn’t “research” – it’s not even a literature review – and the fact that we as a society cannot come to agree on what defines a “fact” or “research” or release a desire to exclaim “expertise” in an effort to save an ego is deadly.
I’m a giant fan of librarians, the last great defenders of knowledge at every turn in history, and the attacks on their profession are as dangerous, in general, as they are to public health, in specific. Ultimately, librarians are the ones who end up teaching us how to navigate conflicting information and maintain the humility that is necessary to fight this moment – no question is dumb, asking for help is a super power, and being able to admit when you’re wrong is next to Godliness.
As state capitols across the country grapple with the likes of Robert Kennedy Jr. showing up exploit people’s fears, it is the duty of advocates across all issues to urge our political leaders to not indulge in conspiracy and misinformation, to show some kindness to our audiences who are coming from a very reasonable sense of being afraid of what it might mean if COVID-19 really is with us forever, and work to find that common ground we all proclaim to fight for:
We all want the same things for ourselves and our families; a safe place to call home, a good job that pays the bills, and a sense of happiness and peace. In the meantime, those with the power to influence policy also need to be advocating for meaningful funding in both public health and public education.