J. Merridew is an internet personality, who—according to his Tumblr—is “searching for a cause to die for.” Well, Merridew—whose name seemingly refers to the villain from Lord of the Flies—may have found his cause: HIV/AIDS awareness.
For the past year, Merridew has been uploading self-helpy videos to his Youtube page, encouraging people to accept gays. His first video, for example, speaks to “homosexuals who want to come out and be happy homosexuals.” He’s like a twinky Oprah, if Oprah were a white kid who grew up in the suburbs and killed time making video blogs.
Merridew’s latest video—titled “Wear a F*cking Condom!!!!”—offers a lighthearted, homonormative solution to the recent increase in HIV infections among gay men.
“So here’s how you avoid getting it,” Merridew explained. “There are things called condoms. We wear them when we have sex.” He then unwrapped a chocolate-flavored condom, put it in his mouth, and demonstrated his easily-triggered gag reflex. Dick schtick, it never fails.
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What Merridew lacks in nuance or understanding—he still refers to STIs as STDs, he seems to conflate HIV and AIDS, etc.—he more than makes up for with old-fashioned charm. We especially appreciated his responses to the excuses guys make for not wearing condoms. Our favorite: “The drugstore is closed. Yeah, you know what else is closed? My asshole.”
The kid has charisma, and details be damned, his ultimate message is a good one: Wrap it up, boys
jimbryant
Um, HIV has not increased in gay men who are not promiscuous. Queerty really needs to stop stereotyping all gay men. We are not all hyper-promiscuous sleazeballs.
balehead
Does he work secretly for the religious right???
Charlie in Charge
Sensible advice.
Fitz
Haven’t worn a condom since 1992 or so… still here folks, still neg. It is possible, unless you have the worst case of sleep walking ever documented, to stay sero-neg without giving up real sex.
Charlie in Charge
@Fitz: You can have “real sex” with a condom on.
Fitz
@Charlie in Charge: Not in my world. Screwing a piece of plastic doesn’t turn me on.
Alan down in Florida
@ both Fitz and Charlie is Charge – please explain to me your definitions of real sex because I think you’ve clearly got different ideas as to what that consists of. [Lousy syntax – sorry!]
Rockery
Q! He is speaking to the masses, this is the language people use, there is nothing wrong with saying STD vs STI and (while I have heard the rationale for using STI, it really does not make sense FOR ME) Saying I have an infection does not sounded better than having a disease. And interchanging HIV & AIDS is not a big problem either. That is the problem with education: not using appropriate language for your audience. If you can reach more people by saying ” wear a condom and you will reduce the chances of getting STDs and AIDS” then do so instead of using STI which some people might not pick up.
Charlie in Charge
@Alan down in Florida: Well Alan I would say that an evening of fantastic anal sex isn’t somehow invalidated because someone is wearing a very thin latex barrier.
Fitz, if that “piece of plastic” made as big a difference as you suggest people would never fail to notice when it had broken or slipped off. Sex with a condom feels just fine and six months of not worrying quite as much about the next test results feels even better.
robco
@jimbryant: Slut shaming doesn’t really help either.
TheNewEnergyDude
@Fitz: honestly, Fitz. You’re just *lucky*
And a fucking idiot. Let’s see how you make out thinking that “one pill a day” is “no big deal”.
Stupid.
Polaro
Being an irresponsible prick is a choice. Make up all the excuses you want, but not protecting yourself and the person you are having sex with is irresponsible. HIV still sucks. Its a pretty nasty, chronic disease that drastically deduces the quality of life and saps wealth otherwise better spent. But, you can be a prick, it is a free country. You just aren’t welcome at my party.
viveutvivas
@jimbryant, promiscuity does not give people HIV, unsafe sex does. And we can do without the judgmentality that equates promiscuity with “selazeballs.” Really, the sexual revolution happened 50 years ago and people still go around sl*t-shaming.
viveutvivas
Safe sex is a good thing, but let’s be honest and stop pretending that sex with a condom feels the same as sex without. This kind of dishonesty just takes away your credibility before you have even started your safe sex message.
barkomatic
This kid gives the standard good advice that HIV prevention efforts have long promoted. However, what most HIV prevention efforts fail miserably at is recognizing that the people they are talking to as actual human beings. I think its a problem when the message implied is basically this, “If you wear a condom then you are a sensible, good person — but if you don’t, then you are a stupid slut who deserves what he gets”
We are all in this world as a direct result of unsafe sex–and many of us were not planned.
Dxley
He doesn’t even know how to unroll a condom but I liked the video
iggy azalea
@balehead: If he did, I doubt he would s d.