An HIV-positive diagnosis may no longer be a death sentence, but the stigma surrounding the disease remains. With this in mind, a Finnish man named Janne ran an experiment to test people’s perceptions.
The set up was simple. Janne stood alone in a busy pedestrian square with arms outstretched and eyes closed. Two signs next to him read, “I am HIV-positive — touch me!” He waited.
The immediate reaction to this request was shock. Most people walked by without a second glance. One woman even shook her head and quickly left the scene. Finally, one person stepped forward to take Janne’s hand. He thanked her. Slowly, more people approached Janne. By the end of the video, Janne felt children hugging his legs. The public outpouring to this experiment left him in tears.
Janne’s YouTube description reveals that he wanted to “raise awareness of HIV.” He worked with YIE, the Finnish national broadcasting company, to make the video.
(via Mashable)