Blog 3

Normal as Folk, By DAVID M. HALPERIN

In David M. Halperin’s “Normal as Folk” he describes the evolution of Gay men. How they were originally perceived as these flamboyant and feminine men to the now everyday Joe. The modern day Gay man is more subtle and blends in with today and is accepted as the new normal. The only difference between a straight and gay man is their sexual preference and both live similar lives. Halperin, says “The last obstacle to complete social integration is no longer gay sex or gay identity, but gay culture.”

1. Metaphor

(Of course, those sorry gay men in their 30s and 40s, who allegedly cling to an outmoded, passé version of gay culture, must be the very same people who, only a few years earlier, were those pioneering gay teenagers, taking their first innocent steps in a brave new world without homophobia, ignorant of gay culture and indifferent to it.) 

He describes gay teenagers as these pioneers going and finding a new world. 

2. Imagery

And yet gay culture is not just a superficial affectation. It is an expression of difference through style — a way of carving out space for an alternate way of life. And that means carving out space in opposition to straight society.

This helps paint a picture of gays cutting their way into the world to make their own.

3. Personification

We will never understand why it still survives, or why so many people, straight and gay, are so overeager to declare its death.

It gave Gay culture human qualities of dying. 

4. Allusions (references):

For today’s gay men, life is composed of PTA meetings, church socials and Nascar races.

I don’t know for some reason I felt like he was referring to Dale Earnhart Jr., coming out and being gay with his teammate or something like that.

5. Punctuation

 IT’S gay pride month again, and that means it’s time for the straight media to deliver its annual state-of-the-gay report.

He used dashes to put more emphasis on the statement to the reader maybe more sarcasm-ish….this could be sarcasm also (grrr).

Honestly the only reason i picked this article is cause it was the only one i thought was interesting to me and i knew it would keep my interest.