I agree with the "Good Soldier Svejk" (the novel a good read, btw? I assume so otherwise why...)
I was gonna ramble a bit on this this morning, maybe I stilll will, my initial thoughts last night after midnight were how to phrase what I see as the ideological relationships between late consumer capitalism esp. in the "cosmopolitan" urban cores in the US and Europe and gay identity among the more privileged guppies, without sounding like what I am not. A Stalinist or Maoist raving about homosexuality being a symptom of bourgeois decadence or a Right-Wing Libertarian applauding how open and free from homophobia that 21st century Kapitalism is.
I take what Chris was saying about hisorical context seriously, as we all do, but, history as a way of moving, not least because of the struggles of many in the gay rights movements. Much more to be done, much accomplished though.
On "structural-functionalism" as distingushed from structuralism ala Laude Levi Strauss, say, I'll expand later. But, in the meantime see these URL hits from google. Y'all never read Talcott Parsons or Robert Merton in Sociology classes?
Two leftist critiques of Parsons are, "The Sociological Imagination, " by C. Wright Mills and, "The Coming Crisis of Western Sociology, " by Alvin Gouldner. Gouldner also wrote, "Alvin W. Gouldner, The Future of Intellectuals and the Rise of the New Class, " http://www.google.com/search?q=Gouldner+The+New+Class+
LBO-Talk February 2000: Re: "New Class"? Weber Redux! ... the "new petty bourgeoisie" (eg, Nicos Poulantzas), the "new class" (eg, Alvin Gouldner), the "professional-managerial class" (Barbara and John Ehrenreich ... www.nuance.dhs.org/lbo-talk/0002/1568.html
and , "The Two Marxisms."
... 1984, pp 47-60; Review article of Jacoby, Dialectic of Defeat and
Gouldner,
The Two Marxisms, Theory, Culture and Society, 1, 2, Autumn 1984, pp 120-3.
...
www.martinshaw.org/marxism.htm
http://www.google.com/search?q=structural-functionalism&btnG=Google+Search
Unit 10: Structural-Functionalism: Durkheim, Parsons, Davis-Moore (Monday,
Nov. 11th). ... questions Questions on Structural Functionalism.
www.socsci.mcmaster.ca/soc/courses/soc2r3/sf/2r3_10.htm
Notes on Structural Functionalism and Parsons
... Wallace and Wolf trace the development of structural functionalism to
Comte, Herbert
Spencer, and Durkheim. The functional approach was developed from the ...
www.uregina.ca/~gingrich/n2f99.htm
STILE Ed Brown's Resource Information | Linked topics | Author | Search |
Edit
| Utilities |. structural functionalism. -Linked topics-. ...
www.stile.lut.ac.uk/~gyedb/STILE/t0000446.html
Michael Pugliese ----- Original Message ----- From: "Good Soldier Svejk" <goodsoldiersvejk at hotmail.com> To: <aut-op-sy at lists.village.virginia.edu> Sent: Saturday, July 14, 2001 11:07 AM Subject: AUT: Re: Homophobia and Capitalism
> 1: To clarify what I meant by comprehending "homophobia" as an intrinsic
> part of capitalism (and given my reservations as to the word homophobia, I
> should have put it another way):
> It is difficult to see homosexuality as being fundamentally threatening to
> capitalism, that is, in some way challenging the basis of capitalist
order,
> and so inevitably persecuted. Manifestly, gays and lesbians have been, and
> are, oppressed. The roots and sources of this oppression, the impetus
behind
> it, are unclear.
> There has been improvement in their position. Great strides have been
taken
> in the last thirty years. Over a longer (capitalist) period, there have
been
> moments of progress - the decriminalisation of sodomy by the Code
Napoleon.
> There have also been points of great reaction; Nazism inaugurated six
> decades of witch-hunts and persecution.
> Oppression has been uneven. Consequently, I feel the question must be
> considered historically.
> [Rather than structural? Is this what Michael meant by
> structural-functionalist?]
>
> 2: In reply to Todd.
> There is some merit in the idea of capitalists keeping a "tight ship" and
so
> following a pragmatic policy. For example, gay servicemen in the British
> army during WW2 have talked of considerable freedom from policing and
> acceptance from their fellows - there were more pressing matters. This is
> not true of the German army - homosexuality was punishable by death. Is
this
> siding with an anti-gay majority? It could be one of the Nazis' many
> violations of a seemingly logical, rational economic course. Then again,
the
> Luftwaffe was more liberal - compulsory psychotherapy. A pilot is a
valuable
> resource, highly skilled, whereas an infantryman is expendable.
>
> However, I reject the idea of a causative "popular homophobic culture"
that
> capitalism is responding to. (I'm not even sure it exists as such.) For
one
> thing, as Chris said, the family unit has to be considered. But this
culture
> also has to be considered as having sources. I don't believe there's some
> inbuilt disgust of gays in popular culture - perhaps even the opposite,
> titillation, fascination. Prejudice comes from somewhere. There is great
> propagandising against homosexuality, from doctors, churches and states.
> Inasmuch these are related (in various ways) to capitalism, then
> capitalism is an active part of homophobia.
>
> Whereupon we are back where we started: is homosexuality fundamentally
> threatening to capitalism? How has capitalism responded?
>
> John.
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Michael Pugliese" <debsian at pacbell.net>
> To: <aut-op-sy at lists.village.virginia.edu>
> Sent: Friday, July 13, 2001 6:10 PM
> Subject: Fw:Homophobia and Capitalism (was:Fw:Re: AUT: Re:gay-bashing Serb
> na tionalists)
>
>
> > http://nuance.dhs.org/lbo-talk/current/index.html
> > ------------------------------
> >
> > Date: Fri, 13 Jul 2001 10:17:48 -0400
> > From: Archer.Todd at ic.gc.ca
> > Subject: Homophobia and Capitalism (was:Fw:Re: AUT: Re:gay-bashing Serb
> > nationalists)
> >
> > Mike's friend Good Soldier Svejk said:
> >
> > >but must admit to
> > >considerable caution, because I cannot really comprehend "homophobia"
> (foul
> > >word - stigmatises the mad) as an intrinsic part of capitalism.
> >
> > Maybe it has something to do with a structural recognition and
acceptance
> of
> > "popular homophobic culture" in order to foster harmony within the
system
> so
> > it can keep on making money with no slow-downs due to outbreaks of
> anti-gay
> > unrest. Much like the Armed Forces desire to keep a "tight ship" so the
> end
> > job gets done that much more quickly and efficiently, capitalist
> enterprises
> > seek to maintain a similar discipline to facilitate money-making for the
> > owner. Any disruption, such as that caused by anti-gay agitation, slows
> > down the whole works. It's just much easier to "smooth things over" by
> > getting rid of then replacing the minority who "caused" the disturbance,
> > than "wasting" more time and money questioning and firing even more
> people.
> >
> > In the really long-term view (i.e. centuries) in "Western" countries,
> things
> > have been getting better for LGBTs (same goes for the proles), and
> societies
> > have been getting more "open", so the capitalist doesn't have to worry
> quite
> > so much about "anti-gay slowdowns" and so can feel comfortable not
> worrying
> > about employees sexual backgrounds.
> >
> > How that sound for a quick-and-dirty hypothesis, Mike? Let your friend
> see
> > it.
> >
> > Todd
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> --- from list aut-op-sy at lists.village.virginia.edu ---