I don’t care if people write conservative SF, but when they start trying to make a “movement” out of a masturbatory molehill, and start writing up frickin “manifestos” I get really frickin’ irked.
You need a manifesto in order to write fiction? Shit, why didn’t anyone ever tell me sooner! I better start writing my pet interests into a manifesto, so I can never alter those interests again as I increase my breadth and range of interests as I get older and wiser. Only emotionless heroines! Only bisexuality! Only stories about war! No men allowed!
Now there’s a great way to castrate my writing.
It’s like watching somebody jumping up and down in a crowded room going, “Look at me! Look at me! I’m hot! I’m hot!” for about 15 mintues before the bullshit factor sets in, and you realize they’re actually screaming without any clothes on.
I feel the old sniff of elitism: REAL SCIENCE vs. THOSE CRAZY SWORD & SOCIOLOGY BUG-TECH FREAKSHOWS.
We must get back to Real Science! Real Men Doing Real Science!
REAL MEN (science) vs. FEM FICTION (not “real” science)
Don’t think there’s not an undercurrent of that there, too. A lot of SF is already terribly conservative. We don’t need to put more constraints on tech and social mores to make it more so. Really.
I’m hoping these guys will peter out soon enough.
The discussion’s here.
