Lyman and Scott are accused of exhibiting a "blatantly biased
attitude against (sic) homosexuals throughout the reading [of their book, A
SOCIOLOGY OF THE ABSURD]." Allegedly "They relate homosexual relations to
some sort of clandestine meeting of social pariahs". As an example--the
only one offered for an "attitude" that is supposed to characterize the
entire book--three sentences are quoted (and the word liaisons is spelled
incorrectly in the quoted material but not in the text from which it is
taken) from a single page (p. 56) of the text. In addition to being
"shocked" and "disturbed" by the alleged "attitude", Wood is "astonished
that such a mind-expansive field as Sociology would require reading such
mind-stifling material." The latter complaint would seem to be lodged
against Professor Epstein who had the temerity to require that his students
read the offending material. Because I have not been consulted in the
construction of Professor Epstein's reading list ( nor should I have been--I
believe in academic freedom--), I will leave it to Professor Epstein to
justify his choice of required readings.
It is strange that Wood believes that "this has little to do with
the topic of adventure" since it has everything to do with it. But I will
let that pass.
I strongly suggest that Wood and others who have been "shocked" and
"disturbed", read the paragraphs above and below the allegedly offensive
sentences. There is, as is obvious to those capable of understanding
English, no homophobic bias.
To those who are not aware of how homosexuality is legally
constructed in American society, and who must wonder why homosexual groups
seek representation as a minority in quest of civil rights, I recommend
reading BOWERS v. HARDWICK 478 U.S. 186 (1986). They will then discover
that it is not Lyman and Scott who have constructed homosexuals as social
pariahs, but the United States Supreme Court! Indeed, Lyman and Scott's
work is among those that has exposed this prejudice and brought it into
sharp critical focus.
For those interested in Lyman's continuing work on this topic,
please read Stanford M. Lyman, "Without Morals or Mores: Deviance in
Postmodern Theory," INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF POLITICS, CULTURE, AND
SOCIETY, Vol. 9, No.2 (1995), pp. 197-236.
Yours sincerely,
Stanford M. Lyman, Ph.D.,
Robert J. Morrow Eminent Scholar
and Professor of Social Science,
Florida Atlantic University,
Boca Raton, Florida 33431-0991