Essay Questions

How does the internet impact Tolliver’s dating?

Tolliver recounts, “I met him (Ben) on the Internet. Well, not exactly; I saw him on the Internet, and met him on the street in North Beach. But I would never have known who he was , or rather what he was looking for, had my friend Barney not modelled for a website catering for older gay men.” Although Tolliver is not an utter dot-commer, the internet aids him if finding a partner. The internet is an intermediary which proves handy to Tolliver. Had he not seen Ben on the website, he would not be conscious of Ben’s existence, and their union would not materialize. Accordingly, the internet simplifies dating for gay men.

Deconstruct the imagery of the ‘personals section.’

Tolliver explicates, “At any rate, there was a personals section on the website, so once I’d fled the sight of Barney’s winking sphincter, I checked out the guys who were looking for Sex, Friendship or Long Term Relationships. There were lots of geezers there-by which I mean anyone my age or older-regular Joes From Lodi or Tulsa, smiling bravely by their vintage vehicles, or dressed for some formal event. Most of them offered separate close-ups of their erections artful shot from below so that doubtful browsers could find their way past the snow on the roof.” Based on Tolliver’s accounts, sex is commoditized; hence, it can be traded on the platform of the website. Besides, the images of vehicles are intended to lure the potential clients for they are emblematic of glamour. From the moral standpoint, the images of erections affirm the contribution of the internet in the erosion of morality, for it exposes the nudity of the gay men.