Stance, framing, and the construction of reality in Facebook comments about Taiwan’s same-sex marriage bills

2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 218-234
Author(s):  
Ping-Hsuan Wang
Keyword(s):  
Discourse Analysis ◽  
Public Discourse ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Digital Age ◽  
The Other ◽  
Same Sex ◽  
Same Sex Marriage ◽  
The Public ◽  
Cooperative Interactions ◽  
Online Comments

This study proposes an integrated framework to elucidate the process of socially constructing reality by examining how Facebook commenters argue over two same-sex marriage (SSM) bills in Taiwan. Through stance-taking, which involves evaluating, positioning and aligning with others, some commenters contest while others defend SSM by referencing the referendums and the laws. The analysis shows that (dis)alignments facilitate multiple ‘team performances’, that is, cooperative interactions that project competing definitions of the situation, or ‘frames’, within which events are interpreted differently: one bill is criticized as undemocratic while the other contradictory. This bottom-up approach emphasizes participants’ agentive role in shaping the public discourse. The discourse analysis of online comments illustrates reality as constituted by negotiation over taken-for-granted concepts in the digital age, while highlighting the intersubjectivity in large-scale platforms like Facebook and how online commenting is used to (re)frame issues.

scholarly journals Value-Based Communication during Covid-19 Pandemic: A Study on the Twitter Messages of Turkish Ministry of Health

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-44
Author(s):  
SEDA MENGU ◽  
MURAT MENGU ◽  
KEMAL GUNAY
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Discourse Analysis ◽  
Public Discourse ◽  
The Other ◽  
Language Games ◽  
Ministry Of Health ◽  
The Public ◽  
Descriptive Research ◽  
Life Styles ◽  
Psychological Sense

Influencing the whole world by obliging people to change their daily practices along with their relations and assume different life styles, Covid-19 has brought about some likely deleterious effects in Turkey as well. Undoubtedly, it has caused disturbance and even panic in social and psychological sense. In such cases of uncertainty and panic, communication with the public should be clear, explicit, alleviating and to some extent, guiding. People can be guided and convinced more easily if the level of distress and uncertainty decreases. Such a way of governing and compelling communication consists of different directions, requirements and combined effort. If co-operation is appropriately based on values, this process will be much easier. To that end, public discourse during the outbreak of the pandemic in 2019 was as successful as it was based on the daily life and language of society. Noteworthy, there are similarities between value-based collaboration and governmentality. Policies, customs, patterns and guidelines help maintain control and guidance over collaboration. At this point cooperation acts as a matter of participating in language games that build social and organisational realities that are created, debated, distributed and changed by means of mutual action and cooperation. The purpose of this study is to analyse the messages sent by the Ministry of Health during the pandemic in Turkey via social media, particularly Twitter, in order to find out to which extent these messages encompass the features of value-based communication. Thus, discourse analysis and descriptive research model are going to be implemented together. More specifically, the first tweet in which Corona was first referred was sent on January 25, 2020 and from then on 505 Tweets were posted. For the discourse analysis, 100 tweets that have received the most interaction are going to be used. As for the other descriptive analyses; on the other hand, all 505 tweets are going to be utilized in cluster analysis. Keywords: value-based communication, discourse, social media, pandemic

scholarly journals Contemporary sociology and the challenge of LGBT perspective

Sociologija ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 58 (suppl. 1) ◽  
pp. 324-345
Author(s):  
Marija Radoman
Keyword(s):  
Public Discourse ◽  
The Other ◽  
Practical Reasons ◽  
Same Sex ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Family ◽  
Lgbt Parenting ◽  
Methodological Problems ◽  
Sociology Of The Family ◽  
The One

This paper analyzes certain theoretical and methodological problems in the research of (homo) sexuality. It also provides an overview of some of the conclusions about LGBT parenting. There are both theoretical and practical reasons behind making connections between the topics of parenting and problems of a different sexual orientation. On the one hand, there is a need to expand the knowledge of the LGBT population and same-sex families in domestic sociology (considering that these issues are present for more than a decade in our society), while on the other hand, LGBT parenting problem analytically refers to the study of homosexuality because these two issues are inseparable in the public discourse. In general, the aim of this paper is to introduce LGBT perspectives in sociology and sociology of the family by pointing out the epistemological importance of studying non-heterosexual orientation and alternative family forms of LGBT. The first part includes the analysis of certain theoretical and methodological problems in the study of the LGBT population, and the second part gives an overview of contemporary research on same-sex families.

Moving the Needle?

2021 ◽  
pp. 170-198
Author(s):  
Ravi K. Perry
Keyword(s):  
Civil Rights ◽  
Public Discourse ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Main Question ◽  
Same Sex ◽  
President Obama ◽  
Same Sex Marriage ◽  
The Public ◽  
Healthcare Insurance

In this chapter, I discuss the evolution of the Obama administration’s policies that effected the lives of Black Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) communities. I discuss the dilemma—the inclusionary dilemma—that for all the ways President Obama and his administration may have moved the needle on American public opinion and the embrace of LGBTQ civil rights and marriage equality, there was less movement in terms of African American attitudes and, in turn, relatively less progress for Black LGBTQ communities. Having said this, however, I believe the targeted universalism of the administration still mattered in improving the lives of Black LGBTQ families. As I explain, targeted universalism is a policy approach whereby a policy that is crafted to appeal to and positively effect a very broad constituency—i.e., healthcare insurance and American uninsured families—has a positive ancillary effect upon the well-being of a specific constituency. I examine this main question principally by discussing how Obama and his administration slowly shifted not only the public discourse about same-sex marriage but legal interpretations and administrative guidelines relating to LGBTQ civil rights and healthcare. In turn, these actions prompted at least modest positive changes for LGBTQ and Black LGBTQ persons.

scholarly journals Going to the chapel: Same sex marriage and competing narratives of intimate citizenship

2004 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 9-28
Author(s):  
Marcus O'Donnell
Keyword(s):  
Public Discourse ◽  
Same Sex ◽  
Same Sex Marriage ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Everyday ◽  
The Ideal

The public discourse about marriage oscillates between a story of the ideal and a story of the everyday. A range of symbolic references or myths are mobilised in media stories about marriage; this is particularly evident in the polarised debate around same-sex marriage. This article identifies and explores three of the myths that underlie the rhetoric in same-sex marriage stories: 1) the evolution/revolution myth; 2) the apocalypse myth and 3) the myth of the child. It also argues that the production of such stories has effects on the realm of ‘intimate citizenship’ (Plummer 1995) and that it is through this contested storytelling that new identities and their attendant rights become possible.

Public Hearings about Same-Sex Marriage

2012 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 83-107 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen Tracy
Keyword(s):  
Discourse Analysis ◽  
Final Section ◽  
Democratic Process ◽  
Same Sex ◽  
Same Sex Marriage ◽  
Public Hearings ◽  
Context Features

This study analyzes public hearings about same-sex marriage to show how the contexts that are established for citizens' and legislators' talk make arguments about the issue being disputed. Situated within the traditions of argument studies and discourse analysis, the article explores different meanings of “context.” The study evidences how two sets of context features created positive (or negative) stances toward the issue of same-sex marriage, and shows that how the controversy was formulated and how participation was designed gave distinct advantages to speakers advocating for (or against) same-sex marriage. The final section draws out implications of these legislative choices for citizen presenters and for the officials themselves as the enactors and guardians of democratic process.

A Catholic Inclusive Approach to Homosexuality in Nigeria

2018 ◽  
Vol 74 (4) ◽  
pp. 396-408
Author(s):  
Daniel Ude Asue
Keyword(s):  
Catholic Church ◽  
Social Teaching ◽  
Same Sex ◽  
Same Sex Marriage ◽  
The Public ◽  
Public Debates ◽  
Inclusive Approach ◽  
Inclusive Society ◽  
The Church ◽  
The Catholic Church

This essay discusses Same-Sex Marriage Prohibition Bill in Nigeria, with a focus on the contribution of the Nigerian Catholic Church to the law. Though the Catholic Church in Nigeria did not actively contribute towards the public debates about homosexuality that resulted into the Same-Sex Marriage Prohibition Bill it nevertheless welcomed the bill. However, the official teachings of the Catholic Church and elucidations from the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria could potentially contribute to creating an inclusive society. In what way can we potentially utilize the principles of Catholic Social Teaching to make room for an inclusion of homosexual persons in the life of the church and in society?

The Implications of Religious Liberty

2017 ◽  
pp. 143-162
Keyword(s):  
Religious Freedom ◽  
Religious Liberty ◽  
The Political ◽  
Marriage Equality ◽  
Same Sex ◽  
Protection Measures ◽  
Same Sex Marriage ◽  
Public Discussion ◽  
The Public ◽  
Faith Based

The political terrain surrounding the legalization of same-sex marriage and the need to accommodate individual's faith based objections have been part of the public discussion since the passage of initial marriage equality statutes. These exemptions played an important part in the bill's passage and have gone largely unquestioned from proponents of marriage equality. This chapter discusses the heightened lawmaking efforts by opponents insisting on broad protection measures for religious claims based on opposition directed towards homosexuality. This Chapter discusses the resulting tension between religious freedom and marriage equality.

The future is queer kids: Queering the homonormative temporalities of same-sex marriage

Politics ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (3) ◽  
pp. 265-280
Author(s):  
Callum Stewart
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Relations ◽  
Same Sex ◽  
Temporal Perspective ◽  
Same Sex Marriage ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Future ◽  
And Gender

Same-sex marriage is emblematic of a crisis of vision in lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and gender non-binary, intersex, and queer (LGBTIQ) politics, according to some queer theorists. Through the concept of homonormativity, Duggan insightfully criticizes same-sex marriage politics as spatially privatizing and depoliticizing queer difference. Brown argues, however, that Duggan herself reifies homonormativity. He calls for theorists to imagine the queer potential in non-fixed spatial relations. Given Duggan and Brown’s focus on spatiality, this article approaches queer imaginations beyond homonormativity from a temporal perspective: I ask what transformational potential same-sex marriage holds to queer heteronormative and homonormative temporalities. I argue that same-sex marriage may not only queer the public/private dichotomy, but also subvert the heteronormative temporality of straight time. Straight time produces identities, spaces, and times as fixed, pre-political, and timeless, and is constructed against queer time in which identities, spaces, and times are non-fixed, political, and sociohistorically constructed. By theorizing straight/queer time as politically produced through the reproductive relation between adulthood and Childhood, I repoliticize the temporalities of homonormative and queer imaginaries and recognize children as queer citizens of a queer future. Same-sex marriage may therefore produce two previously untheorized images of queer potential: the Child queered by their parents, and the Child queered by their sexuality.

Counter-discourse corpora, ethical subjectivity and critique of argument: An alternative critical discourse analysis pedagogy

2015 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 781-813 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Discourse Analysis ◽  
Critical Discourse Analysis ◽  
Corpus Linguistics ◽  
The Other ◽  
Critical Discourse ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Argument Evaluation ◽  
Ethical Subjectivity ◽  
Online Comments ◽  
Text Cohesion

In the article I model an alternative critical discourse analysis (CDA) pedagogy which is based on an ethical subjectivity instead of a political subjectivity. Aimed at undergraduates, it facilitates critical purchase on arguments which attack the standpoint of relatively powerless groups/organizations (who seek political change). Via corpus linguistic analysis of appropriate web-based data, I show how the analyst can rigorously find out at scale the recurrent key concerns of a relatively powerless Other with whom they were previously unfamiliar. They use this counter-discourse information as a lens on an argument which criticises the relatively powerless group, ascertaining whether or not the argument has distorted the group’s key concerns. Should this be the case, I highlight how the analyst can go on to explore whether any mischaracterisation has implications for the argument’s credibility because it loses coherence relative to the outlook of the Other. The approach is grounded in Jacques Derrida’s ‘ethics of hospitality to the Other’. It is in being hospitable to the outlook of a relatively powerless Other, and adopting it for purposes of argument evaluation, that the analyst effectively creates an ethical subjectivity. That said, the ethical and political are, in principle, relatable with this method as I indicate. Keywords: absences; argumentation; change.org; corpus linguistics; counter-discourse; critical discourse analysis; ethical subjectivity; Jacques Derrida; online comments; text cohesion.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document