AIDS and American Apocalypticism: The Cultural Semiotics of an Epidemic (review)

Ex–Catholic priest turned academic / activist Thomas L. Long brings a unique perspective to this persuasive analysis of the semiotics of AIDS. Focusing on apocalyptic language and images from fiction, drama, performance art, graphics, scientific journals, medical publications, and mainstream journalism proliferating since 1981, Long traces the "rage and grief" (ix) he felt watching the mounting death toll from AIDS in the early 1980s. Examining the impact of apocalyptic views of the growing pandemic and diverse images of homosexuals emerging from public presentations by both pro-gay activists and conservative Christian fundamentalists, Long traces the birth of conservative apocalypticism to eighteenth- and nineteenth-century American religious dialogue. Long's sympathies unmistakably side with the gay community and AIDS victims, but his religious background, coupled with his impressive knowledge of literature and performance theory, permits a balance of disdain for fundamentalist views with an understanding of the basic human need for spirituality when he acknowledges that it is possible to recognize "the value of religious discourse without endorsing its claims to represent the real" (199).

Surveying various victories and defeats for both sides of the national dialogue on AIDS and homosexuality, slow governmental response to the illness, incidents of gay-bashing and hate crimes, assaults on gay-themed art and literature, and increasingly vitriolic political soundbites (pro and con), Long illuminates the dangers and the usefulness of apocalypticism inherent in the presentations of both the dogmatically religious and the secularist. In five insightfully argued chapters, Long demonstrates an ultimate triumph for AIDS activists in appropriating apocalyptic language and imagery initially employed by antigay forces. Chapter 1 commences in the 1970s as Long traces the defining moments that connected antigay apocalypticism with fundamentalist Christianity. Considerable attention is devoted to Anita Bryant's attempt to repeal a gay equal-rights ordinance in Florida, a campaign that unleashed intense social debate that was exploited by televangelists Pat Robertson and Jim Bakker, among others, and conservative politicians as Ronald Reagan ascended to the US presidency. Surveying the cultural landscape of the period, fundamentalist Tim LaHaye warned that "America is experiencing a homosexual epidemic" (6), a prophetic statement given the arrival of AIDS—a literal epidemic, which fully ignited "end of time" rhetoric exacerbated by early news reports calling AIDS a "gay cancer."

Long analyzes the foundation of apocalyptic language and the response of cultural critics, many of whom recognized the political strategizing inherent in their crafting of apocalyptic rhetoric with antigay fervor. "Apocalypse is a long-running serial: not 'Apocalypse Now' but 'Apocalypse from Now On'" (13), Susan Sontag claimed, a stance Long identifies as a benchmark of postmodern culture and art. Long's second chapter introduces language describing "marginalization" (27) of gays and AIDS sufferers through solo performances by David Drake and Tim Miller, with Long drawing cogent connections with a range of theorists offering varying views of AIDS apocalypticism in the burgeoning field of performance theory. The author logically moves to the role of the dramatist in the third chapter by discussing the seminal figure of Larry Kramer, identified as an exemplar of the "uniquely American discourse, the jeremiad" (27). Kramer's harsh indictments of government, media, and his fellow gay citizens for failing to recognize and respond to the mounting tragedies of AIDS significantly altered the evolution of apocalyptic language associated with the epidemic. In Long's estimation, Kramer's rhetorical achievements emerge in demonstrating methods for co-opting "end of time" language to shift debate toward energizing public response to the crisis. Seizing the moral high ground, Kramer framed a view of morality that made response seem imperative.

In chapter 4, Long dissects the trope of Armageddon as applied by both sides of the homosexual / AIDS divide. He points to increasing use of "military metaphors" (109) to describe AIDS during the Reagan era, tying them to the rise of militaristic language by militant groups such as ACT UP and Lesbian Avengers. Each side...