Luke Button 9½ minutes
Back Ground • When this PSA was made the healthcare debate was taking place • The United States came into contact with HIV/AIDS on a more regular manner in the 1980s. • HIV/AIDS is contracted through unprotected sex and not through saliva. • HIV/AIDS is, in a majority, transmitted by male-on-male sexual contact, but not exclusively. • African-American men are in the under the greatest burden of HIV/AIDS infection. The BMSM (Black men who has sex with men) was created as a preventative measure for this.
Purpose? What Purpose? • The purpose of this PSA is to inform the viewers that HIV/AIDS is a rapidly increasing STD. The reference to 9½ minutes is not only in words, but also by the number of people in the bottom row. The purpose is also to make people practice safe sex.
When the words are erased? • Without the words, the PSA alters to a purpose of individuality. This is shown through the quite obvious red man in the image.
What is the focus? • The red man is the focus of the PSA because he stands out from the rest and represents the person who has HIV. This is portrayed by him not only being a different color, but also labeled as the one with HIV.
Who are the obscure spectators? • The PSA is not necessarily directed to nymphomaniacs. It is directed more openly to people who are sexually active, who do not know the risks, and (quite possibly, but not limited to) who have homosexual or bisexual tendencies that involve a male-on-male relationship.
Forgetting something? Specific race is missing in the picture. The partial ambiguity of the people represents that it is not simply one ethnic group that is infected with HIV/AIDS, moreover, it represents that all ethnic groups are susceptible to this STD.
What about Colors? • Red is a symbol for numerous things including love, passion, anger, danger, etc. Red, in this case, in used to signify the difference of the person from the others by saying that he is dangerous. • The use of black and white symbolize the normality of all the other figures in the image. • Black, specifically, is a negative color. This is used to represent that the others did not test positive for the STD.
Emotional Appeal? • The emotional appeal in the PSA is that people are becoming infected by this STD rapidly. The PSA is trying to bring across that people such as your brothers, sisters, parents, etc. are becoming infected and, if you aren’t careful, you will become infected.
Logical Appeal? • The logical appeal of the PSA is that most people do no want to be infected with HIV/AIDS, though there are those people that do want to be infected. Therefore, people who do no want HIV/AIDS need to take preventative measures, like practicing safe sex or not having sex with an infected person.
Ethical Appeal? • The logo at the bottom left hand of the image reads “CDC.” The creator of the image is the CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) which is a well known organization pertaining to the suppression of diseases.
Works Cited CDC. 9½ minutes. DHAP News: Jono’s Journal. Web. 24 October, 2012. "DHAP News: Jono's Journal." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 15 Dec. 2009. Web. 24 Oct. 2012. Rohrer, Ken. "Symbolism of Color: Using Color for Meaning." Symbolism of Color: Using Color for Meaning. The Incredible Art Department, 2012. Web. 24 Oct. 2012.