Random AIDS Conspiracy Theories That'll Piss You Off (10 items)

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  (#8) It's God's Punishment

  For a few close-minded Christians, the AIDS virus is God's way of punishing homosexuality. One preacher, Reverend Jerry Falwell, quickly rose to prominence after arguing that AIDS was a plague sent to punish gay people and all of American society for tolerating homosexuality. Since then, a lot of pastors and reverends have used their position to speak out condemning homosexuality and reiterating that AIDS was sent by God.
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  (#5) The Extent and Danger of HIV Is Blown Out of Proportion

  HIV does not cause AIDS. Apparently, that's the train of thought behind this theory, which suggests that people are over-hyping HIV as a way to instill fear in the gay population and help contraception manufacturers make money. It's a dumb theory, and it should make you angry. 
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  (#10) It Was All One Big Lab Accident

  As per this theory, people blame Dr. Hilary Koprowski for unintentionally creating AIDS while trying to produce an oral polio vaccine. As the theory goes, Dr. Koprowski was using chimp kidneys, but those were infected with SIV, which is the simian precursor to AIDS. Eventually, it made the jump from monkey to man. The problem with this theory is that Dr. Koprowski used chimps from the Congo, which are not affected by the same strand of SIV that has been accused of starting the AIDS epidemic. 
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  (#4) Operation INFEKTION Was All About Misinformation from Russia

  This isn't so much a conspiracy theory as much as a reason why a lot of conspiracy theories around AIDS exist. Naturally, we can blame it all on Russia. During the height of the AIDS epidemic, the Soviets set forth a campaign called Operation INFEKTION, with the goal of spreading lies that the United States was directly responsible for creating the AIDS virus. It was a sinister plan that still has many convinced the US purposefully made the virus. Or...maybe the United States just made up Operation INFEKTION to cover their tracks. 
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  (#2) The CIA Created AIDS to Wipe Out Homosexuals and African Americans

  One of the more popular AIDS conspiracy theories suggests the CIA created AIDS to wipe out homosexuals and African Americans. This isn't a casually dismissed theory; several high-ranking individuals have gone on record saying it's completely true. South African President Thabo Mbeki ignored the claims that the virus got its start in Africa and instead accused the US of manufacturing it in labs. Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Maathai agreed with the theory. This theory generally traces back to Nixon, who rolled the US Army biowarfare department into the National Cancer Institute in 1971
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  (#7) AIDS Isn't Even a Virus

  Can you cure AIDS with food? That's the idea behind this wacky conspiracy theory that posits AIDS not as a virus, but as a result of malnutrition. This has been argued by a Berkeley professor named Peter Duesberg, who insists that in Africa, those who are malnourished are the most susceptible to the disease. This way of thinking has spread to the South African government, whose health minister, Mantombazana Tshabalala-Msimang, has recommended treating AIDS with things like garlic rather than pharmaceuticals.  

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