History Related to the Text
Me Talk Pretty One Day displays society's general outlook on homosexuality in the 1960’s, when David Sedaris was growing up. The harsh climate is evident by a fear of coming out, which is best related by a comical interaction between a young Sedaris and his midget guitar teacher Mr. Mancini. In his admittedly girlish voice, Sedaris embarks on an absurd rendition of the Oscar Mayer commercial, that for some reason involves an impression of Billie Holiday. Witnessing the oddity, Mr. Mancini immediately attributes the strangeness to homosexuality, stating, “I don’t swing that way – you got it?” (Sedaris 29). This shames Sedaris into assuming his teacher meant he should have dubbed his guitar with the name of a man, and taken up the flute. The negative view of homosexuality never seems to affect Sedaris greatly, but is nevertheless a common theme throughout the book. The intensity of the climate is especially prevalent in the early childhood sections, in which young David is an example of how difficult it is for young people to be outwardly gay.
The account of Sedaris’s life also highlights the history of drug culture in America, specifically in the 1970’s and 80’s. In the section “Twelve Moments in the Life of the Artist”, Sedaris recounts his addiction to crystal meth during his 20’s. The addiction seems to be shared by all of his conceptual art friends, a theory that is confirmed by the eventual migration of the drug dealer. Without a steady flow of meth, the gang convenes at David’s apartment, desperately hoping for somebody to pull drugs out of their pocket (Sedaris 56). Drug addiction is historically associated with both the 1970’s and the art community, and the experiences of David Sedaris attest to that.
According to an article in The Sunday Times, “France has adopted a posture of pained superiority” (Bremner). This self-dubbed bout of superiority has often put the French and the Americans at odds with each other, and Sedaris’s experiences in France are demonstrative of this in both perspectives. The inability to interact with the French was to be expected, but when Sedaris takes the role of victim even amongst Americans, the stereotyping becomes increasingly obvious. A group of American tourists, assuming everyone around them is French, make insulting comments, in English, about the offensive smell of the “little froggy”, in reference to Sedaris (Sedaris 221). He is now victim to the negative stereotyping from both sides of the French-American feud. The obliviousness of this folly speaks volumes about the silly prejudices that go on between France and America.
The account of Sedaris’s life also highlights the history of drug culture in America, specifically in the 1970’s and 80’s. In the section “Twelve Moments in the Life of the Artist”, Sedaris recounts his addiction to crystal meth during his 20’s. The addiction seems to be shared by all of his conceptual art friends, a theory that is confirmed by the eventual migration of the drug dealer. Without a steady flow of meth, the gang convenes at David’s apartment, desperately hoping for somebody to pull drugs out of their pocket (Sedaris 56). Drug addiction is historically associated with both the 1970’s and the art community, and the experiences of David Sedaris attest to that.
According to an article in The Sunday Times, “France has adopted a posture of pained superiority” (Bremner). This self-dubbed bout of superiority has often put the French and the Americans at odds with each other, and Sedaris’s experiences in France are demonstrative of this in both perspectives. The inability to interact with the French was to be expected, but when Sedaris takes the role of victim even amongst Americans, the stereotyping becomes increasingly obvious. A group of American tourists, assuming everyone around them is French, make insulting comments, in English, about the offensive smell of the “little froggy”, in reference to Sedaris (Sedaris 221). He is now victim to the negative stereotyping from both sides of the French-American feud. The obliviousness of this folly speaks volumes about the silly prejudices that go on between France and America.
