Petrelis Files

The Fog: San Francisco DPH Wants to Hire Don Imus for Shocking HIV Prevention Campaigns

The Fog
April 11

From Fog staff writers:

The head of San Francisco's health department, Dr. Mitch Katz, wants to recruit shock jock Don Imus to help create new social marketing campaigns to prevent new infections of HIV. Some in the gay and African American community expressed horror that Imus, who is facing a firestorm over his racist and sexist comments about Rutgers' women basketball team, is up for consideration as an adviser to the department of health.

"We've spent millions of taxpayer dollars on shock marketing campaigns, like the 'Don't Be a Bitch' ads which appropriated hip-hop culture and language as a central component to the HomoBoy outreach effort to increase condom usage among young black men and women," said Katz. "Les Pappas, our sub-contractor for that and all our controversial campaigns advises me that Imus would be an asset to HIV prevention in San Francisco. We invented disrespectful language and images, using millions of government grant dollars, to generate discussion over stopping AIDS in the black and gay communities. Imus is guaranteed to meet the singular goal of San Francisco HIV prevention social campaigns - get people talking."

The health department in February 2005 launched the HomoBoy campaign, which immediately drew criticism from experienced progressive activists upset that young black men were being called "boy," the word "bitch" was employed to engage young black women and effeminate black male youths, and an image of a pit bull effectively drove home the message that "bitches" are dogs or homoboys.

When objections were raised because of the multitude of racist, sexist and homophobic aspects of "Don't Be a Bitch," the health department, local HIV nonprofits and the creative force behind it, Les Pappas' Better World Advertising agency, declared the outrage from community members, black and white, of many genders and sexual identities, proof of success in promoting healthy HIV messages, even if a handful of people objected to them.

"I wish I could light a fire of national conversation like Imus has," said Pappas, who has designed many intentionally offensive HIV prevention ad campaigns and ignored longstanding complaints against his methods and slurs. He relishes media attention, and often gets it, mistaking the coverage for productive discussion about complex health concerns.

Pappas is secure that his backers, the Centers for Disease Control's HIV prevention branch, along with San Francisco health department, aren't weak like Imus' advertisers and about to drop his multi-million dollars contracts.

"From insulting the faggots with my 'Who Gives A Fuck' campaign, made with city money, to designing the 'HIV Stops With Me' multimedia push thanks to a huge CDC grant, and ending with my ad agency pissing people off with the 'Don't Be a Bitch' message, I've modeled my approach to public health after Imus' effort to get America talking about race and gender issues," said Pappas.

(The ads are genuine, but the story is satire.)