World AIDS Day

December 1st is World AIDS Day. I just watched a VH1 documentary with Ashley Judd in Madagascar and India.Arie in Kenya. Verizon and Motorola have teamed up to sell a red RAZR phone this holiday season, the proceeds from which go to fight HIV/AIDS in Africa, according to the commercials.

For a while I was nervous that the celebrity attention to this crisis, and to Africa in general, was only a flash in the pan. It's proving to be more than that, given the sustained efforts and campaigns to raise awareness and fight the pandemic. Now I fear that it's only a trend.

But perhaps I ought to have more faith in the world, in celebrities, and maybe even in corporations, heaven forbid. I do have faith in my generation, though. We are a growing force politically, economically, and socially. We have a global consciousness, and conscience. We can make a difference, and we will. Some may call it idealism, but I just don't see how we have a choice if we want to survive as human beings.