[good times]

I have to say, that it would be helpful if you gave an actual example of what you mean by it being downplayed. I think most folks I have talked to or seen post about the subject on the internet are not downplaying it, but instead are just being realistic about it.

Lets face the facts here, if one puts any confidence at all in the available statistics and available legitimate research data, then it is obvious that what you said above is pretty much true. Rephrased from your post to more closely approximate what is widely believed about HPV, some strands are worse than others, 80% of us will come in contact with it at least one time before we turn 40, it usually clears up on its own in a couple years, are all supported as true statements by the available research. Furthermore, the research also supports the contention that condoms are pretty much ineffective at preventing contact with the virus during sex with someone infected.

So the bottom line is, each person has to individually decide how much risk they are willing to take. If you believe you have never been exposed to it, and you do not wish to ever be exposed to it, then yea, you should probably "quit playing altogether", or even never start swinging to begin with. Or, if you know you are infected, then you should seek out others to play with who are also infected, or "quit playing altogether". If, on the other hand, you you are not infected but decide to go ahead and play with others, you might as well not worry about it. Because if the data is correct, their is nothing you can do about it, whether you are worried about it or not.