ABSTRACT
One particular source of frustration for Paul was Bavarian AIDS Relief–the umbrella federation of AIDS Relief organizations in Bavaria–which he found bureaucratized and of little help for what he wrestled with in D-Town. In this way, it related indirectly to the local conditions for AIDS organizing in rural Bavaria in which, for instance, AIDS Relief D-Town was embedded. It is interesting, therefore, to analyze how these conditions mattered to actors at Bavarian AIDS Relief and which actions they took to address them. Also of particular interest is that they made connections with Bavarian AIDS policies, a topic that was absent from the narratives about AIDS Relief D-Town. However, the interview provides a picture that is rather resonant with the analysis of AIDS Relief D-Town shedding additional light on volunteerism. While one of the interview allows to further exploring the intricate ramifications of compassion in civic action, and introduces a different emotional basis for volunteerism: pity.
