Don’t explain, Lavender Scare of the 1950s, Marxist interpretation

 

Don’t explain, Lavender Scare of the 1950s, Marxist interpretation

Don't Explain is a story written by Gomez about the inner struggles of a gay woman, Letty is a black lesbian who chooses not to explain in the face of social pressures and identity identification. This story not only reflects the helplessness of being a sexual minority, but also the oppression of capitalism in Marx's theory, and there is also such a period in history, that is the gay purge in American politics. This article will combine Marx's literary theory and related historical facts to analyze Letty's dilemma in Don't Explain to explain individual identity and oppression under capitalism.

Letty faced oppression and discrimination from society because of her black and gay identity. She is uneasy about her identity because society sees her as someone at the bottom of society, whether because of her race or sexual orientation. The idea of American capitalism promotes the "American Dream" that if you work hard, you can succeed, however, people like Letty, face all sorts of injustices and barriers to equal opportunities. The capitalist concept of competition makes people in society fall into relentless competition. Marxist theory states that our belief in the American Dream leads us to ignore the reality that a large number of people, including those who can afford it, have no or no equal opportunity in education, employment, or housing due to factors such as gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, and socioeconomic class. Worse still, the American Dream leads us to believe that the poor who are unable to significantly improve their financial situation must be lazy and/, or otherwise unworthy of decent living conditions. In contrast, those at the bottom of society are often marginalized and ignored, which reflects class oppression in the capitalist system.

At the same time, the pressures and fears that Letty faced highlighted the social discrimination she faced as a black and gay person. She fears violence and social exclusion, as social prejudice and discrimination against these minorities make them more vulnerable and dangerous. This is the same as the historical persecution and discrimination of gay groups in the workplace, especially the "lavender scare" of the 50s of the 20th century when the US government purged the gay community from politics and expelled them as "sexual perverts", as was the purge of communists.

There are some commonalities between LGBTQ+ people and communists, mainly in the following ways:

First, they are both seen as subversive threats: in the United States in the 50s of the 20th century, both LGBTQ+ identities and communists were identified by the government as a subversive threat to the country. The government has pursued the two groups on the grounds of "national security" and even banned them from government work. Second, these two groups are implicated by the government: during the lavender scare, the U.S. federal government fired LGBTQ+ federal employees in the name of national security. Similarly, during the Red Scare, the government pursued and fired those suspected of being associated with communism. Third, both suffer from social discrimination: LGBTQ+ identities and communists are seen as outliers in society and face unfair treatment and treatment. Fourth, these two groups chose to stand up: in the face of government persecution and social discrimination, both LGBTQ+ identities and Communists actively resisted and struggled. They organized and spoke out for their rights and dignity, like Frank Kamini, who led the decades-long struggle for gay rights.

The reason why these threats are threats is related to the vicious competition of capitalism. Capitalism believes that competition between individuals – competition for jobs, competition for salary increases, competition for customers, competition for loans, competition for rewards, and so on - is the best way to promote a strong society because competition ensures that the most capable and intelligent people rise to the top. Conversely, Marxist theory argues that unfettered competition is oppressive because it tends to ensure that the most selfish and immoral people rise to the top. After all, they are willing to win at all costs. As a result, the needs of entire communities are often overlooked, and the needs of those who are least willing or unable to compete are often sacrificed entirely.

All in all, while it may seem absurd to compare LGBTQ+ identities to communists, it certainly proves the antagonism and inequality of the capitalist underclass. Classism is a belief that our worth as human beings is directly related to the social class to which we belong: the higher our social class, the higher our natural or innate superiority. Similarly, in the United States, those trapped in the lower classes are seen as inferior, as if it were their fault. But it is precisely in this way that these two groups can fight for their equality and dignity, which proves that where there is oppression, there is resistance. In this historical context, Letty's story illustrates the complex relationship between sexual minorities and social oppression under capitalism. As Marxist theory emphasizes, her experience reflects how the socioeconomic system in which we live shapes our identity. Not only can we feel at ease for Letty, because perhaps shortly her "don't explain" won't be the stone in her heart, but we can also gain a deeper understanding of the ills of capitalist society and the importance of Marxism in explaining and critiquing this oppression.

Works Cited 

Gomez, Jewelle. “Don’t Explain.” Using Critical Theory, edited by Lois Tyson, Routledge, 2021, 354-361. 

“Lavender Scare.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 19 Feb. 2024, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lavender_Scare.

“What Was the Lavender Scare, and Why Is It Not Well Known?” Quora, www.quora.com/What-was-the-Lavender-Scare-and-why-is-it-not-well-known. Accessed 20 Mar. 2024.