In 1983, Larry Kramer published an article entitled “1,112 and Counting” in the New York Native – a bi-weekly gay newspaper. Kramer begins the article by noting that gay men are at risk of, essentially, becoming “extinct” due to the AIDS crisis. He specifies the rise in cases, specifically in the New York metropolitan area. He explains what doctors know, but focuses on what they don’t know and the known causes of AIDS. He also notes that, because gays and bisexuals were the majority of those infected, they were deprived of the medical attention that say, straight white men would get if it were a “straight white man disease.”
Kramer brings a call to action – prompting readers to consider the epidemic and the lack of help from public officials and politicians just because many of the people affected are a minority. He starts a fight against the epidemic through his words.
This artifact applies a number of rhetorical concepts and through these, utilizes a number of rhetorical functions. The utmost important concept applied to this article is Kramer’s use of exigency. At the time of publication, AIDS was considered a health crisis among gay men. It was something people knew about but were not talking about and he brings light to the severity of the disease and the lack of attention it was garnering.
This blog discusses and analyzes the rhetorical functions found throughout this artifact which is, today, more than 30 years old. Despite the fact that this artifact is not as timely as speeches and articles published today, it shows the progress made within LGBTQA rhetoric and how many rhetorical concepts can evolve with the times and ultimately, affect the greater good.
1,112 and Counting 