Genial, always smiling TV-rific Ronald Reagan became president in 1980. “It’s morning again in America.” And the customer relationship came in full blast. For many younger people this particular twist on the always important “relationship” word was like fresh air rather than a freezing wind blowing down their necks. It’s not like it had never been around, but during the feel-good 1960s and the get-your-rock ‘n’ rolls-off 1970s, lots of us were looking for something beside it: social engagement, liberation (a word like “empowerment” that the corporations immediately took to their kind hearts), “Nirvana,” the guru next door, and a meaningful encounter that might last one night, but, heck, it was still a great night.
Most of us remember that period as a time of “affinity,” We preferred this to the more mundane exercise of cruising for customers that led ultimately to the “New Consumerism,” a cosmetically egalitarian concept which states that all you are is what you own and/or what you can buy.
In other words, all consumers are created equal in their unimpeded opportunities to keep on buying and consuming. (And, if you don’t believe this, you are a revolting, disgusting, and possibly sexually deviant “elitist,” belonging to that group Rush Limbaugh loathes while chomping down on one of his $32 burgers at the 21 Club.)
On May 15, Beacon Press will release a new book that tells the stories—both personal and professional—of selected lesbian and gay couples who contributed in significant ways to the American culture. Outlaw Marriages ~ The Hidden Histories of Fifteen Extraordinary Same-Sex Couples was written by Rodger Streitmatter, a professor at American University who contributes an article to LGBT-Today each month.
