Beyond the Pleasure Principle
Beyond the Pleasure Principle
First, in the document “Policing Public Sex in a Gay Theater, 1995” (Peiss, 454), I found the degree of detail mandated quite interesting. Not simply “what act,” which would be the only legitimate question in regards to sanitation, but full bodied descriptions, proximity of the voyeur, and the lighting. If an officer “used an additional sheet” (454) to describe the requested details, he or she would be writing erotica. It seems that the NYC Department of Health Inspection is living vicariously through the sexual activites they “prohibited” (454). It’s a strange form of Ars Erotica that involves acting voyeur to the individuals later exploited because of their sexual orientation.
On another note,
I loved Act III, scene i of Angels in America, not only for its humor, but because it reflects exactly what we have been discussing about the differences in vocabularies depending on the time period, specifically the term “homosexual.” I think the exchange between Prior and Prior I on page 92 illustrates it perfectly:
Prior: I’m not alone.
Prior I: You have no wife, no children.
Prior: I’m gay.
Prior I: So? Be gay, dance in your altogether for all I care, what’s that to do with not having children?
Prior: Gay homosexual, not bonny, blithe and…never mind.
This scene is also a shining example of Kushner’s masterful use of words – Prior’s phrase “I’m gay” in this context really does have two meanings – that he identifies as homosexual and he’s happy that he does so, that he has no wife and children. The fact that he’s gay makes him gay. It’s a nice bit of comic relief in such a grave subject matter.
I also love that Kushner quotes The Wizard of Oz/Alice in Wonderland – “People come and go so quickly here (Act I, scene vii) (the Alice quote uses “strangely” rather than “quickly,” but it’s definitely brought to mind.) His selection of a quote that brings both of these works to mind amplifies the wonderful ethereal aspect of the play; Harper in Antarctica (with Joe guest starring as an Eskimo), living mannequins, a God who plays Odyssesus and a Heaven that looks like San Fransisco. But unlike Dorothy and Alice, the hallucinations and/or mystical occurances in Angels in America have tangible consequences. Harper’s odyssey leaves her wet, muddy, and vulnerable, chewing a tree in Central Park, Joe’s pursuit of sexual fantasy – and it is fantasy he pursues, as he abandons all of his responsibilities and cannot deal with the responsibilities of an actual relationship with Louis – leaves him alone, Harper in danger, and his mother to pick up the pieces, Roy Cohn’s delusion that he’s an American savior is countered by the realization that no one will mourn his death, and, as Dossa mentioned, God cannot take his odyssey without consequences on all of the realms he controls. Reality moves forwards, and fantasizing about it staying still – that one can live in a dream without consequences – leads to horror. When people ignore their problems, they spin out of control.
This is the nature of AIDS as a whole. First, it was a “gay disease” (Peiss, 457), and so everyone who wasn’t gay ignored it. And then it exploded, because people refused to acknowledge it as something that could affect their “normalcy.” It was too much to disregard the convenience that it only affected gay people. Since the AIDS cocktail became widely available in developed countries, many people have forgotten just how serious the disease is and let their guards down, allowing AIDS to spread even though the risks are well known and condoms are cheap and plentiful. Even now, in impoverished, devoutly Catholic nations, the Pope has condemned condom use; another fantasy of the world staying still and viruses not spreading. Because of this, AIDS will spin further out of control in these nations. While Kusher’s play touches on a plethora of issues, I think this is the most important. Taking a cue from Freud, people need to heed their “reality principle” rather than their “pleasure principle” in most cases, especially when risks such as HIV are involved.
Tags: ars erotica, fantasy, HIV/AIDS, pleasure, reality, truth, voyeurism
