The Reagan era sought to reform America based on a heteronormative Christian ideal that was simply not reality for the majority of America. Jerry Falwell, a prominent evangelist, founded the “Moral Majority” in 1979, an organization that aimed to eliminate what they perceived as negative cultural trends like legalized abortion, the women’s movement, and the gay rights movement.[1] The politics of the eighties, a decade that saw eight years of Ronald Reagan as President, was dominated by the viewpoint that America had two enemies: domestic moral decay and Soviet Russia.

Tseng Kwong Chi’s photography mocks and challenges the piousness and American exceptionalism that defined this period. His “Moral Majority” series features portraits of various political figures associated with this ultraconservative movement, including Falwell. Chi was able to photograph these men by pretending to be a sympathetic journalist.

In perhaps his most striking photo of the series, he poses with Reverend Daniel C. Fore, the chairman of the Moral Majority’s New York chapter, who once compared homosexuality to having sex with the dead. For this photo, Chi chose to stand alongside Fore, ditching his usual Maoist garb in favor of a suit and a tie.

The irony of the photo is tangible, as Chi is a queer Asian-American standing side by side with a very prominent, homophobic leader. In Chi’s other work, he playfully exhibits his cultural roots in photographs that do not hide his identity and personality. Conversely this photo displays Chi posing stiffly with his arms behind his back, wearing clothes that conform to what Fore would consider to be sensible.

In doing so, Chi ridicules what Fore and the Moral Majority define as sensible. The shot is shown in black and white, which emphasizes the binary that anti-homosexual, anti-immigrant conservatives view their country in. A man can either conform to Fore’s Christian vision of the family, sexuality, and country or be lambasted as another sinner in a country that is experiencing a shocking moral decline.

Chi parodies the blatant flaws of the minister’s worldview in his depiction of the American flag. In each shot of this series, a large crumpled up America flag is positioned in the background. The flag is positioned very prominently behind the two subjects, and immediately catches the viewer’s eye. At first, an observer doesn’t think twice about the flag, and it plays off as a fairly normal backdrop. Once you look closer, you realize the alteration Chi made, and it evokes an uncomfortable feeling. I am far from a effusive patriot but the visual of the flag in this state makes me feel uneasy. Aside from commenting on these figures’ misguided patriotism, the wrinkles in the flag represent the hypocrisy of the Moral Majority. Chi interprets the promotion of hate and discrimination to encourage morality as sharply contradictory.

Additionally, the shading of Minister Fore’s face hides half of his visage. Framing the minister as a shadowy figure suggests a degree of moral ambiguity. Many on the right consider Fore to be saint-like, a beacon of purity. Chi’s portrayal of this Conservative leader contradicts such a description, and hints at the xenophobic, homophobic, and racist undertones behind Fore’s emphasis on “purity.” The subtle nature of the shadowing is representative of the fact that many conservatives fail to recognize the ignorance behind these viewpoints. Discrimination is justified by claiming it will protect our kids or make us safer. In reality, Chi feels this to be simply sanctimonious, hateful rhetoric.

While Tseng Kwong Chi’s work sheds light on how nonconformists attacked the Christianization of politics, the Clash allows the listener to feel the rage and discontentment of those who defied the norm of sensibility during the 1980’s. Considered to be one of the first punk bands ever, the Clash anticipated the anger present in the eighties counterculture in their 1979 studio album “London Calling.”

In the first song on the album, also called “London Calling,” Joe Strummer sings, “London calling and I don’t want to shout, but when we were talking I saw you nodding out.” This line perfectly exhibits how the Clash’s style contrasts with previous political bands. While Bob Dylan gently sung his folksy protest songs in his nasal monotone, the Clash have no qualms about yelling their message in an explicit manner. In this song the instrumentation is fairly repetitive. The guitar and bass seem to change between two three note sets for the majority of the song. This builds the emotion of the song until Strummer declares, “London is drowning, and I live by the river!”

This perpetual build evokes a feeling of brewing conflict. The Clash resonated heavily with those victimized or opposed to the Moral Majority’s suffocating moral standards. The song begins with Strummer exclaiming, “London calling the underground, come out of the cupboards, you boys and girls.” This lyric reaches out to those that felt they needed hide their true selves because of the discriminatory politics of extreme conservatives .

Queer men like Chi experienced demonization of gays and lesbians during Reagan’s presidency. The President’s first speech on the AIDS epidemic was not until May 31, 1987, after more than 25,000 people died in the United States, a majority of which were gay men. The Clash’s confrontational, unapologetic music rang true to many that viewed the Republicans “sensible” conformity as oppressive to their individuality and identity.

The increasing polarity between the Christian conservatives in power and the angry counterculture is matched by the Clash’s intensity. When men that don’t fit the conservative mold, like Tseng Kwong Chi, hear the Moral Majority demean traditionally oppressed groups, it incites a furiousness that mixes perfectly with the tone of punk rock. The Ramones, Dead Kennedy’s, the Misfits, and the Clash all gave this generation a voice, just as Dylan, the Beatles, and the Rolling Stones gave the hippie generation one.

 

[1] “Christian Fundamentalism.” Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 23 Oct. 2016.