Magic Johnson became a spokesperson for HIV after his announcement in 1991 that he was HIV positive. He cleared up some of the myths that surrounded HIV. Including in these myths were that only gay people and drug users could contract HIV, that people with HIV were weak, or somehow debilitated.
He went on to become active in the black community, pouring millions of dollars into black communities. He also provided jobs for the projects that he conducted such as a shopping mall in Las Vegas and a Movie Theater project in Los Angeles.
- From his first announcement that he had HIV, Magic promised to become a spokesperson for HIV
- He highlighted that people are often naive about HIV and they thought that “often times people think that only gay people.”
- He emphasized that he wanted people "to know that it can happen to anybody. Even me, Magic Johnson, it can happen to anybody.”
- "I can do anything a normal person can."
- He “planned on going on to live a long time.”
- "My life is not over."
- Work In The Black Community
- Gave jobs to people in the black community for his building projects.
- "If anyone is going to help African American people it has to be ourselves."
- An employee of Magic’s said that Magic meant nothing to him before he took an active role in the community. “If a person is going to be a hero, he has to be touchable, he has to be seeable, he has to be reachable” and went on to say that because of Magic’s role in the community he has become a “hero.”
Earvin “Magic” Johnson announced that he was HIV positive on November 7th, 1991. From this moment forward he became a black vernacular intellectual. Before he made this announcement, he was just an NBA superstar-a superiorly gifted athlete. After he contracted HIV his life changed, and he began changing other people’s lives. Magic Johnson was able to use popular culture to break down myths and barriers surrounding the HIV virus. He not only did this, but also took a more active role in the black community. His announcement garnered national attention. Not only was he a famous NBA player, he was a face of the NBA; he was one of the top 3 players in the league. The HIV virus forced him to cut his career short, but it led him down a much more meaningful and impactful path.
In examining Magic Johnson as a black vernacular intellectual I first looked at his announcement that he had the HIV virus and his retirement from the NBA. Magic proclaimed that he “planned on going on to live a long time.” That small line alone had to offer millions of people affected with this virus. To see such a superstar be so humbled by an awful disease. He went on to say that he wanted to become a “spokesman for the HIV virus” and that some people are “naïve” about the virus and that he would further educate people. In that same press conference he proclaimed that he wanted to further educate young people about HIV because “often times people think that only gay people” can contract the virus. He also said, “I want people to know that it can happen to anybody. Even me, Magic Johnson, it can happen to anybody.” That is a very powerful statement from a man, who if you watched play the game of basketball, seemed invincible. This press conference alone was Magic’s first step towards becoming a black vernacular intellectual. The press conference obviously reached a large group of people and his statements about the disease were powerful, as was his commitment to preach education and safe sex. Another moment of interest in his announcement was when he said that “My life is not over. I’m going to live on. Everything is still the same I can still workout. My strength is fine. I can do everything a normal person can.” The first and last part of this quotation is particularly motivating. For someone to have such a horrible disease, that has killed so many, for him to say “My life is not over” is a really powerful statement. Also, of importance is that he debunks the myth that everyone with the HIV virus is limited to a weak body. He does this by proclaiming, “I can do everything a normal person can.” By taking such tough questions from the media, in an announcement that was broadcasted all over America, Magic has already begun his mission to demystify HIV. The last question that was asked of Magic was “Are you scared?” He responded by saying “No. What you have to do is just…it’s another challenge, another chapter in my life. It’s like having your back against the wall. You have to come out swinging. And I’m swinging. The only thing I can do is have a bright side. If I slip then it might be over. I can’t be like that…I’m gunna go on. And I’ma beat it. And I’ma have fun.” Such positivity from a man who has just been forced to retire from the NBA, when he was still in his prime, is remarkable.
The second aspect of Johnson being a vernacular intellectual was what he did in the black community. In an interview Magic did in 1995 it explores how Magic became active in the black community in terms of providing jobs and building up communities. According to the interview Magic has poured millions into black neighborhoods. When the African American community said it needed help, Magic created jobs and started businesses. Magic said, “If anyone is going to help African Americans it has to be us.” He created a shopping mall in Las Vegas and a Movie Theater site in Los Angeles. His development business company employed people from a neighborhood in Los Angeles that was previously destroyed by riots. One of the workers interviewed said “I just got out of prison six months ago. I used to be an active gang member. I changed my life and magic gave me a job.” Another employee of Magic’s said that Magic meant nothing to him before he took an active role in the community. “If a person is going to be a hero, he has to be touchable, he has to be seeable, he has to be reachable” and went on to say that because of Magic’s role in the community he has become a “hero.” Magic truly touched the lives of the people in these communities by both providing jobs but also being around and not just being the face of the project but actually being involved. Magic also has done many interviews and speeches to educate the youth on AIDS. He has constantly professed that the “safest sex is no sex.” It is more empowering to hear this from someone who was a superstar in the NBA and had his career cut short by HIV than some regular academic telling about the dangers of unprotected sex. Magic has done many great things to further his role as a vernacular intellectual.
The third aspect of Johnson being a vernacular intellectual is the fact that his announcement that he had HIV promoted safe sex. In a study for the Journal of Sex Research, his announcement had a serious impact on how people went about having safe sex. His impact was particularly great in families with lower incomes. Black people were more affected by Magic’s announcement than whites were. This shows of the “Social Cognitive Theory” plays into his announcement. This theory sates “the influence of a role model is increased by similarity to the target person.” The report goes on to say “we found that Blacks were more likely to report being influence by Magic Johnson’s announcement. Magic’s announcement had a particularly great impact on black people, STD clinic patients with lower levels of education and single respondents. All of these people said that they had increased their condom used because of his announcement.[1] The study’s research further points to the fact that the “announcement may have decreased stereotypes of who is at risk and, thereby, increased perceptions of personal risk for HIV.” It goes on to say “the announcement may have had an impact in the enactment of prevention behavior by serving as a point of discussion for couples negotiating condom use.”[2] It can be seen that Magic’s announcement had a great effect on safer sex practices.
In conclusion Magic Johnson is a black vernacular intellectual because he used his status within popular culture to denounce many stereotypes about the HIV virus. He debunked the thought that only gay people and drug addicts could contract the virus. He also conveyed to mainstream America that if it could happen to him, a NBA superstar, it could happen to anybody. He furthered demystified HIV by demonstrating that it was not debilitating to him at all. He made pointed references, in both his initial announcement and also in the second interviewed I viewed that was from 1995, that he was working out and that he was still strong. Magic’s work with the HIV virus and also his profound effect in black communities demonstrate how he is a black vernacular intellectual.
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