September 19 2010 was the date Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, who is publicly known as Lady Gaga, presented her “don't ask don't tell” speech in Deering Oaks Park in Portland, Maine. Germanotta was approached by the the Service members Legal Defence Network (SLDN) whose mission is simply “freedom to serve” the SLDN had planned to exert pressure on the Maine Senators to vote for the reform of the “don't ask don't tell” policy by using a public figure known for her contribution to the gay community. The speech was a successful piece in achieving the repeal a year later on September 20, 2011. Germanotta presents several logical arguments in her presentation to expose her intention. Her arguments centre on exposing the American government’s …show more content…
Her use of the metaphor “the prime rib of America” is a reminder that freedom and equality are the right of all citizens according to the American Constitution but the American government are flouting this right when it comes to the Gay and Lesbian community. She also draws a parallel between the defendants of “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” and the defendants in the murder of Matthew Shepard. By incorporating the highly publicised case of the torture and murder of homosexual Shepard , and reminding America how his death became a catalyst for a nationwide movement of advocacy for laws against homophobia, Germanotta works to expose the hypocrisy of “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” because the same situation is occurring but at a government level. This parallel of prejudice is especially important and effective in building her argument because the defendants of discriminatory laws seem to distance themselves from accusations that their discriminations are based in racism, sexism, or in this case, homophobia. The use of rhetorical questions such as “doesn't it seem to be that ‘don't ask don't tell’ is backwards?” and “shouldn't I be made aware that some of us are just not included?” are used to persuade the audience of the injustice of “Don't ask don't tell” because. Germanotta also uses her personal voice throughout her speech and statements such as “I am gay” because she is voicing her opinion and lending her personal support to a cause for she feels profoundly. She detests the hypocrisy and is calling those people who hide behind their positions to be held accountable for flouting the rights of a sector of America’s citizens for whom they have no respect. Germanotta’s references to political figures such as “John McCain” is an exercise in holding these men and women ,responsible for denying homosexuals of their constitutional rights, accountable. Germanotta uses McCain’s words
Making the readers attentive to their feelings captures their attention to the issue of gay marriage and supports his first minor claim. He continues to support the main claim by showing his knowledge of married couples’ legal rights. He explains that homosexual couples that are not allowed to marry are denied tax breaks, group insurance, and pension programs (Stoddard, 1988, p. 551). These are important grounds, which are evidence or reasons for his claim (Barnet & Bedau, 2005, p.324).... ...
In addition to lobbying politicians, Pat wanted to change local attitudes so, taking advantage of her popularity as a guest speaker at Rotary, Lions, Toastmasters and other local groups, she made gay equality her subject at every meeting she spoke at, and convinced many locals previously unconcerned by the matter, of the injustices faced by the gay and lesbian communities. “I was so angry that gays were treated differently. We are all equal and should be treated the same. It is unfair and unjust to be judged as a person on your sexuality” she said.
...protest movements throughout America and the world.” Among the gay community Stonewall has become the word for freedom, for fighting, for equality. It became a turning point in Gay history, so much so that most books on the subject refer to “pre-Stonewall” and “post-Stonewall” as the lines of demarcation. Of course the journey is still long and fight has not been won. At the turn of the century there were still 20 states that made homosexual sex illegal , any only a few states would recognize the love and companionship of gays through marriage or civil unions. The military policy of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell is still active and prejudices continue to exist. But, as exemplified by any other civil rights movement, it is through the constant grind of activists and lay-people constantly protesting and educating, that change occurs, even if only one person at a time.
In Vicki L. Eaklor’s Queer America, the experiences of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, and transgender people in the years since the 1970s gay liberation movement are described as a time of transformation and growth. The antigay movement, threatened, now more than ever, created numerous challenges and obstacles that are still prevalent today. Many of the important changes made associated with the movement were introduced through queer and queer allied individuals and groups involved in politics. Small victories such as the revision of the anti discrimination statement to include “sexual orientation”, new propositions regarding the Equal Rights Amendment and legalized abortion, were met in turn with growing animosity and resistance from individuals and groups opposed to liberal and
Along with ethos and small touch of logos, the author Roxane Gay uses a strength appeal of pathos to persuade her audience onto her argument. “White people will never know the dangers of being black in America, systemic, unequal opportunity, racial profiling, and the constant threat of police violence. Men will never know the dangers of being a woman in America, harassment, sexual violence, legislated bodies. Heterosexuals will never know what it means to experience homophobia.” (Gay). In this paragraph, the author is identify the inequality between racial barriers, genders and sexual orientation which an emotionally involved topic to bring up. How people are treated differently how the way they look, where they come from. Woman would
Napolitano, Andrew P. It Is Dangerous to Be Right When the Government Is Wrong: The Case
In 1950, President Harry S. Truman implemented discharge policies for homosexual service members in the Uniform Code of Military Justice. This would allow military leaders to discharge any service member who was thought to be homosexual. In 1992, during President Bill Clinton’s campaign, he promises to lift that ban. Not being able to do just that, President Clinton issued a directive referred to as ‘Don’t Ask Don’t Tell’. This stated that no service member should be asked about their sexual orientation. Mackubin Thomas Owens wrote the article “Gay Men and Women in the Military Disrupt Unit Cohesion” in 2009 right after President Clinton was again calling for the end of forcing homosexuals to live in secret. In his article he states that homosexuals living openly in the military will take away from military effectiveness and put the other service member’s lives in danger. Throughout most of the article he uses other resources, polls and opinions on the matter verses clearly stating his own. Most of the resources he uses are military connected or
George Washington, the first president of the United States, had written a very important historical speech and document towards the end of his time in office. He had written the Farewell address which focused on helping America understand the importance of preserving unity, acknowledging the rise of political parties forming, strengthening religion and morality, and he stated his position on American foreign policy. He addressed these ideas with strong tone and used incredible amount of dictions that strengthens his tone as well as representing his appeal to ethos to a strong degree. However, today’s society seemed to forget Washington’s position on foreign policy and has created a new form of the policy. But nonetheless as time grew, change occurs. In today’s society Washington’s foreign policy would include many positive and negative manifestations, but it is still a speech and document that will always apply to America.
In the past decades, the struggle for gay rights in the Unites States has taken many forms. Previously, homosexuality was viewed as immoral. Many people also viewed it as pathologic because the American Psychiatric Association classified it as a psychiatric disorder. As a result, many people remained in ‘the closet’ because they were afraid of losing their jobs or being discriminated against in the society. According to David Allyn, though most gays could pass in the heterosexual world, they tended to live in fear and lies because they could not look towards their families for support. At the same time, openly gay establishments were often shut down to keep openly gay people under close scrutiny (Allyn 146). But since the 1960s, people have dedicated themselves in fighting for
Rich, C., Schutten, J., & Rogers, R. A. (2012). “Don't Drop the Soap”: Organizing Sexualities in the Repeal of the US Military's “Don't Ask, Don't Tell” Policy. Communication Monographs, 79(3), 269-291. doi:10.1080/03637751.2012.697633
Introduction This research is intended to analyze the transcript of a child’s speech. The target child is a female named Majorie, who is 2 years and 3 months old. The transcript is from The Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology. The linguistic aspects that will be examined are the phonological processes of the child, including speech errors, syllable shapes, and her phonetic inventory consisting of manner and place of articulation.
“…In order that [the reader] shall enter he must find a familiar foothold in the story, and this is supplied to him by the use of stereotypes. They tell him that if an association of plumbers is called a “combine” it is appropriate to develop his hostility; if it is called a “group of leading businessmen” the cue is for a favorable reaction. ”(Public Opinion). Through this quote it is revealed one of the ways that the news is manipulated into making people think a certain way. The example that was used by Lippmann is often used by the news because it tricks the readers into believing that something may or may not be true. By calling a group of plumbers “leading businessmen”, it makes them seem important, but when calling them a “combine” it steals that superiority and makes them insignificant. It is through these simple words that the news manages to manipulate people into believing things that aren’t true, even if the author sees them that way. This section of the book is essential in Liaugminas’ argument because it provides another way in which the news is filled with bias with the intention of manipulating the public. This further proves that the news does not contain the truth since they are able to change reality into the way that they interpret it. “How could the public get the information it needed to make rational political
It is somehow strange for today’s reader to find out that the situation with America’s foreign affairs hasn’t changed much. As some clever people have said, “The History book on the shelf is always repeating itself.” Even after nineteen years, Americans think of themselves as citizens of the strongest nation in the world. Even after the September the 11th. Even after Iraq. And Afghanistan.
The attacks on American soil that solemn day of September 11, 2001, ignited a quarrel that the grade of singular privacy, need not be given away in the hunt of grander security. The security measures in place were planned to protect our democracy and its liberties yet, they are merely eroding the very existence with the start of a socialistic paradigm. Benjamin Franklin (1759), warned more than two centuries ago: “they that can give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.” Implementing security measures comes at a cost both economically and socially. Government bureaucrats can and will utilize information for personal political objectives. The Supreme Court is the final arbitrator of what the ‘law is”, causing a lack of circulated rule. The actual leaders with political purposes jeopardize our individual privacy rights, liberties, and freedoms.
Edward Snowden. This is a name that will be in the history books for ages. He will be branded a traitor or a whistleblower depending on where you look. Many Americans feel that Edward Snowden is a traitor who sold the United States’ secrets aiming to harm the nation. Others believe that he was simply a citizen of the United States who exercised his right to expose the government for their unconstitutional actions. It is important to not only know the two sides to the argument of friend or foe, but to also know the facts as well. My goal in this paper is to present the facts without bias and to adequately portray the two sides of the argument.