THE PENDULUM SWINGS

© 1987 by Stuart Norman


Appeared in RFD #51, Summer ‘87, “Reflecting a Forum of Dreamers”
I had hoped that the pendulum would have already begun to swing leftward. Obviously it hasn’t. We have been in a national slump. Americans are running scared. While the right wing has lost in some areas, they keep pushing to gain in others out of a fear that our culture is out of control. But we will keep on pushing back.


        Supreme Court Justice Brennan, on the PBS program “The Constitution,” recently said America’s political pendulum swings to the right for a while, then to the left. That way, we achieve a balance. It has never swung too far to completely unbalance the system. Is it now time for the leftward swing?
        The gay movement has had an increasingly hard time gaining civil rights as America moved rightward. And with the double whammy of AIDS and the public’s perception that it is a gay disease, our movement has suffered. Despite these setbacks we have made some gains: repeal of some state sodomy laws, rights to child custody, job discrimination cases decided in our favor. But the political right is working hard to stop us by censorship of sexually related literature - sex education materials and erotica. The recent FCC charges against Los Angeles radio station KPFK for broadcasting Robert Chesley’s gay play “Jerker” clearly demonstrates where the right wants to focus against us. Censorship is their most powerful weapon. Truth is ours.
        Although the current conservative administration is entrenched, still the right hasn’t moved all the American people to accept their views. And with the Iran-Contragate and the PTL Club scandals the right is losing ground.
        They have shown how corrupt their morality is. Morality, nationwide, is at a new low. It seems only to be defined as being against pleasure and sex; proscriptive, rather than positive. The fiasco over Gary Hart’s presidential candidacy is a case in point. Meanwhile crime, violence and drug abuse increase demonstrating severe problems with the system.
        Only one moral man stands out: Surgeon General Everett Koop, a born-again Christian whose compassion and commitment to being a health professional override his personal beliefs or has caused him to reevaluate them. His stand against other conservatives on the AIDS issue is to be respected and admired. Such morality is rare - a sad commentary on our times.
        The social psyche of America is more of a “me first,” self-absorbed condition than in the 1960s, when such charges were leveled by the right. This self-absorption carries no introspection or self-examination, only a search to get ahead in terms of money and status and to seek pleasure in conspicuous consumption. It’s the yuppie syndrome; a 1950s mentality. And, corporate mergers and takeovers rule the economy. Business “morality” is king.
        Yet there is a widening gap between the poor and the middle class. We no longer care for the underprivileged. They are too much of a burden, both financially and mentally. The number of homeless grows to unprecedented proportions.
        Among farmers in middle America who are losing their farms because of government policies, a rising populist movement could begin to make a significant political impact in the next few years. They are being wooed by both right and left ideologues for their support. It’s often a case of who gets their ears first and offers believable solutions as to whom they will follow. Too, the poor and homeless will be necessary to the success of such a movement. This growing body of the disenfranchised will be a major political problem which is very likely to force political change in either direction in the near future.
        Now is a good time for us to get our message to the people. We can show them what we have in common. Alas, this leaves out conservative gays. But so often the arrows of our political messages don’t reach the heart of the American people while the arrows of the right do. We don’t communicate in culturally accepted terms. Those we can change without changing our message. It’s time we rethink the way we deliver our messages. We could begin with morality, respect and responsibility - buzzwords that still have emotional impact. But we have to demonstrate these aren’t empty words.
        Another social phenomenon that leads to the possibility of the pendulum swinging leftward is the growing ‘60s nostalgia. We have been through ‘50s nostalgia and a social mindlessness through the late ‘70s and early ‘90s .But these things run in 20 year cycles. There are programs reexamining the “Summer of Love” in San Francisco in 1967. Social movements and political demonstrations are on the rise. And the biggest event since 1979 will happen this October 11, when the Gay March on Washington (DC) occurs. I strongly urge you to attend. Plans are underway to help anyone who wants to go. Many faery caravans will be coming from California and other parts of the country. It’s time to get politically involved and have some fun in the process. Let’s push the pendulum.

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