The Disposition of Aids Imagery in New York Times' Obituaries

Abstract

Analysis of 100 AIDS death obituaries published in the New York Times indicates that the imageries in these obituaries reflect much about the American society: about attitudes toward homosexuality, attitudes toward AIDS, and our understanding of the linkages between sexual practices and AIDS. Overall, the analysis suggests that the construction of AIDS obituaries in the New York Times may be manifestations of the American sociopolitical structure and a consequence of the bias and prejudice about homosexuality which appears to facilitate the rapid convergence of public fear and attitudes about AIDS.