Material:
Read- "Politics in an Age of Anxiety" by K. A. Cuordileone http://anglais.u-paris10.fr/IMG/pdf/Politics_in_an_Age.pdf Questions to Answer: 1) According to Cuordileone, what was the “crisis in masculinity” and how did women (and the feminine) fit into this crisis? Liam: The crisis in masculinity was a concern primarily of conservatives, and traditionalists. It was a perceived trend of growing weakness that would ultimately infect the U.S. with the evils of communism. This trend can be seen greatly with the growth of sexual modernism. Those of more traditional values were greatly concerned with the expansion of women's rights and social norms outside of the typical roles of American Motherhood and the Cult of Domesticity, with more women taking jobs and becoming contributing members of the home's income, and of society at large. These stronger women, were labeled as aggressive, both socially and sexually. Some on the right began to project a message that these aggressive women were the root cause of homosexuality in men, arguing that it made men sexually impotent and created a "flight from masculinity". Homosexuals, who were considered feminine in nature, while certainly not accepted, did not face quite as much persecution as they had in the past, an alarming trend for traditionalists, and so began greater scrutiny. Many began to baselessly believe that homosexuality was on the rise, and that it threatened the security of the nation by having men who were "weaker and more susceptible to communism". These groups put American masculinity in jeopardy in the eyes of these concerned groups, and resulted in crackdowns and abuses of power by leaders such as Joseph McCarthy. 2) How did big business – and the “organization men” that came with it – contribute to the crisis in masculinity? Liam: 3) How did homosexuality become a national security issue? Why did politicians link homosexuality to political subversion? Liam: Homosexuality was greatly brought into the politics of the Cold War by conservatives, who using Schlesinger's (who was not a conservative) "hard or soft" method of classifying people and ideologies, labeled gays as soft. Conservatives saw only two options, you were either a manly figure who deposed communism, or you were a weak, feminine communist. Joseph McCarthy himself said: "If you want to be against McCarthy, boys, you've got to be either a communist or a cocksucker." The argument was that those who were soft desired to be disciplined and controlled by the state, which would have the strength they did not possess, meaning that they may turn to communism to fill this void. At a time where the United States was trying to strengthen its christian roots to distance itself from its secular enemy the USSR, homosexuality was more negatively viewed than would be expected. Ironically, the tenants of equality under communism may have also been something appealing to this persecuted group. Those who were homosexual were considered morally bankrupt, making them politically suspect. They were said to be subversive, and thus susceptible to the influences of communism. Republican Senator Kenneth Wherry went as far to say that Joseph Stalin had obtained Adolf Hitler's "world list" of homosexual persons that he could use to create new communists around the globe. A Senate investigation was launched with a report known as the Employment of Homosexuals and Other Sex Perverts in Government. The report concluded that gays lacked emotional stability because of their weak moral fiber, the report also found them unfit for government because they were prone to blackmail, and thus a security risk. 4) What does Cuordileone mean when she says that anticommunism “was more than a defense against Communism” (pg. 538)? Liam: Cuordileone claims that this theme of blame and persecution of those who were seemingly weak, and thus communist, was less of an attempt to weed out communists, but rather an attempt to stomp out a changing U.S. population. These assaults on freedom of expression were to limit the emerging traits and trends found to be wrong or immoral by conservatives, including greater tolerance for homosexuals, the growth of a more leftist political movement, atheism, and of course, sexual modernism (a perceived decline in masculinity, the advancement of women in the workplace, the increasing acceptance of reversed family gender roles, etc.). 5) Discuss Cuordileone’s analysis of Adlai Stevenson’s presidential campaign of 1952. Does this example adequately support her thesis of a crisis in American masculinity? Liam: The election of 1952 was the embodiment of Cuordileone's arguments supporting the crisis in American masculinity. Adlai Stevenson, the democratic presidential candidate ran against republican and ex general Dwight D. Eisenhower in a campaign that would ultimately be pulverized by insults and allegations from republican VP candidate Richard Nixon, and Senator Joseph McCarthy (Eisenhower stayed close to the issues, not becoming overly involved in personal attacks on Stevenson). Stevenson was labeled as soft, and his relatively weak demeanor only seemed to help the Republicans' smear campaign. Stevenson had quite the leftist history, and his defense of gay public officials in the past came back to haunt him as he was labeled as a communist and feminine individual. Soon, allegations surfaced linking the democratic candidate to homosexual activity in his past, all but destroying his chances at the presidency at a time where anti-communist sentiments were at their highest. This election completely supports Cuordileone's thesis. 6) What does Cuordileone say about McCarthy, and the liberal efforts to “fight fire with fire?” (pg. 541). Liam: Cuordileone is relatively unbiased in her own interpretations of Joe McCarthy, and instead presents the facts of his smear campaign without her own input. McCarthy is an important figure on this subject, as his campaigns against communism in the US were unrelenting, and a primary target of McCarthyism were ultimately homosexuals and the "soft". In an attempt to counter McCarthy's smear campaigns and anti-communist driven investigations, many in the media, particularly coming from the political left, attempted to (as said by Cuordileone) "fight fire with fire". Somewhat hypocritically, while trying to invalidate McCarthy, those on the left utilized their opponent's own method of demeaning homosexuals. Various media outlets covered stories tying McCarthy to homosexuals, often in ways seemingly as an insult. 7) What do you think is significant about Cuordileone’s article? In your answer, consider Cuordileone’s point that political discourse became polarized (pg. 515). Liam: I found this article to not only be interesting, but extremely eye opening. I clearly didn't fully understand the scope of McCarthyism and anti-communist persecution during the 20th century. The ways in which homosexuals were tied into communism was honestly baffling.
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AuthorWelcome to Liam's Blog. Liam is participating in an independent study of history this year part of which requires him to interpret historical arguments. Archives
April 2017
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