Progay/Antigay: The Rhetorical War Over SexualityCombining humanistic rhetorical criticism with social scientific concepts, Ralph R. Smith and Russel R. Windes examine how the discourse of the progay/antigay debate shapes the self-understanding and strategies of the two opposing sides. The struggle over issues such as lesbians and gay men serving openly in the military, same-sex marriage, and inclusion of "sexual orientation" in anti-discrimination and hate crime laws have evolved along with the development of rival progay and traditionalist antigay communities. In the process of presenting their arguments to the wider society, the two sides exercise extraordinary influence on each other. As a result of the public policy debates, the progay movement has moved toward an essentialist, non-sexual identity, while the traditionalists have shifted toward a secular public self-representation. Progay/Antigay also analyzes the internal disagreements within the two movements. The same-sex marriage debate illustrates important dimensions of the contest over sexuality. The authors examine rhetorical strategy and counter-strategy in this specific institutional context. Progay/Antigay also discusses how the study of the variant sexuality issue provides the opportunity to assess paths for reconciliation and to judge concepts of political pluralism and multiculturalism. |
From inside the book
Results 1-5 of 56
... arguments in light of each other's rhetoric . The prize as usual in conflicts between movements is third party support : news media , legislators , judges , and that amorphous , often fickle entity called " public opinion . " But pro ...
... arguing that , as Smith and Windes put it , are " forged in the crucible of reciprocal antagonism . " " Rhetoric " is an old word , made rich but also ambiguous by a long his- tory of inconsistent usage . Some rhetoricians confine their ...
... arguments and ideo- graphs , but of the very nature of the subjects that rhetoric both address and leads to come to be " ( p . 148 ) . We have adopted a view which denies a " real " identity existing in advance of communication ...
... Arguments of the Analysis Focus on the mutual influence of adversarial relationships , combined with our concept of rhetorical criticism , pushes us toward a particular program of analysis . This analysis supports the contention that ...
... arguments , ideographs and con- densation symbols are important . Equally significant is the mobilization as movements of interpretive communities ( i.e. , groups which coordinate their personal interpreting behaviors ) . The concept of ...
Contents
1 | |
Chapter 2 Analysis of Communication in Contests Over Variant Sexuality | 35 |
Chapter 3 Appeals in Progay and Traditionalist Discourses | 57 |
Chapter 4 Antagonistic Construction of Identity and Conflict | 93 |
Chapter 5 Debate Within Communities | 127 |
A Case Study | 155 |
Chapter 7 Criticism of the Variant Sexuality Issue Culture | 181 |
References | 203 |
Index | 227 |
About the Authors | 239 |