For those of you who are science fiction fans I wonder what you think about the recent results of the Hugo awards. I bet Synova is the only other person who frequents Lem's who knows about this recent dust up.
The Hugo's are a literary award given to the best science fiction stories of the year. There has been a controversy the last few years over the proposition that the entrenched subculture of Social Justice Warriors were awarding the Hugo's based on criteria other than merit. Sort of affirmative action for nerd writers. These awards always seem to go to obscure stories that celebrate trans-gender gay tele-paths who find themselves by being pissed on by water when they tell everyone they are homos. Instead of the space operas and military sci-fi and fantasy elf fests that sell millions upon millions of copies. The last few years a group of like minded conservative writers have campaigned to see some of the more commercial viable and non-pc books get a fair shake from an incestuous cabal that controls the nominations and the awards. This group was know as the "Sad Puppies" and they ran a slate of candidates of writers who they thought deserved consideration. For example Jim Butcher of the "Harry Dresden" novels was one of the writers they nominated. A best seller who never would have a nomination if the elitists had anything to say about.
Well the Empire struck back and encouraged voters to vote for "No Award" to prevent writers who were supported by the Sad Puppies would lose. Which happened for several awards including best novella and best short story. The social justice warriors had marshaled their forces and beat back the Sad Puppies. Better no award than an award supported by the Puppies.
A related group called the Rabid Puppies also ran a slate. They are a more extreme version of the Sad Puppies led by a very interesting dude called Vox Day. He is basically sound in his reasoning if not as conservative as I would like. They are hated by the social justice warriors to a degree you seldom see anywhere being called Nazi's and racists and homophobes at every turn. So you can just turn off your radio set right there.
You might say "Why should I give a shit." I know Chip is saying that right about now if he read this far down the post while thinking about making a pop up book of Captain Kirk banging green alien chicks.You shouldn't really. Give a shit that is. I just think it is indicative of where we are today. The battle between the politically correct pantywaist social justice warriors and the rest of us. The whole reason that Donald Trump is the front runner in the primaries. Why blog comment sections fracture and people get banned or never speak again.
The most disappointing thing about the whole thing is reading the reaction of some of my favorite writers. Especially Eric Flint and George RR Martin. Reading their blog posts about this issue really pisses me off. To the point that I don't want to buy any of their books. This happens to me with actors all the time. Now they are doing it to my favorite authors. They should remember the famous words of Michael Jordan who when asked why he didn't speak out about racial issues said "Republicans buy sneakers too." I think they are making a mistake in alienating a big slice of the purchasing public. Which is what the Sad Puppies are all about. Asking why popular fiction is not what wins awards instead of politically correct bullshit.
Publishing is different now. People can self publish on Kindle and not have to get the approval of editors or gatekeepers who will prevent popular authors from finding an audience. So it will be interesting to see how this plays out.
Well interesting to me anyway. Just sayn'
25 comments:
As a Sci-Fi/Fantasy afficianado myself, i've see an absolute slate of female centric titles on the sci-fi/fantasy shelf. They all have females on the cover and written from that point of view, so I have stayed away. Sci-Fi/Fantasy is primarily a male centric/dominated genre with females as good strong seconds. The injection of SJW'ness in the genre has made me stay away from it.
It's interesting that you connected this to Trumps popularity. It's all about language police, isn't it? People don't CARE that Trump is a circus act, they only care that he's sticking it to the language police.
Reminds me of that dust up the author of the blog that shall not be named had over "how dare you call it bull-shit". Somehow if someone was spewing huge piles of baloney all right thinking and good people were supposed to find some way to disagree without being *rude* on account of the guy was a PhD in something or other. As if there is a functional difference between the simple word "bull-shit" and a high falutin' multisyllibic circumlocution to explain that the person is spewing utter nonsense and expecting to be taken seriously when they've no right to be taken seriously at all.
Our whole society seems geared to punish anyone who calls it bull-shit. No, if we disagree we're supposed to do so respectfully as if the claims or arguments made are actually serious arguments and claims. Instead of pointing and laughing when someone explains that a wonderful author who writes wonderful books has committed the crime of wrong-think bad-writing because she postulated a history where no bearing land bridge ever existed (blah blah colonial something or other blah erasing minorities blah blah) the "good" people maybe roll their eyes, explain that while the *concerns* are valid (blah important blah and how the complainers are doing important work toward inclusion blah) that the accusation is just a wee bit unfair... and then shut up quick before they become targets themselves.
No... Point. And. Laugh.
Flint and Martin don't have to take these people seriously. They've got a lot of room to "tolerate" the precious darlings and really, who isn't *for* social justice? So some less than bright activists go off the deep end, it doesn't affect THEM, even when Martin is attacked for white male privilege sin committed in Game of Thrones, because it's important for them to be publicly positioned as FOR equality and inclusion, blah blah.
So fabulous. Who's against those things? Actually really against them instead of just being *accused* of it? Pretty much no one.
But you point and laugh, mock the earnest and possibly mentally ill, and the ONLY reason anyone can imagine you'd do so is that you hate immigrants, hate minorities, want to preserve your white male privilege (being either white or male is optional here) and generally are a bad person.
It's not just in Science Fiction or in Gaming... it's everywhere in our society.
And so... we end up with Trump.
Methadras, check out Larry Correia. It's not science fiction, though, but his books have all the testosterone you could possibly hope for.
I did actually *count* representation (I'm getting good at SJW buzz words) on book covers one time. On new release hardbacks at Barnes and Nobel in the SF&F section, there were two thirds women to one third men on covers (where sex was clear). The covers were beautiful, mostly. Very artsy. Not a lot of sci-fi camp. And then they explain that "boys don't read."
The front page is sort of non-intuitive for me, but this is the link to the Sad Puppies nomination pages for next year. We're hoping that people will use them as a resource to find books they might like and want to read. Anyone can nominate books or stories they feel are particularly good though they should be published this year so that they're eligible for the Hugos next year.
http://sadpuppies4.org/sp4-recommendations-pages-and-faq/
I've followed this about as close as I followed Gamer Gate, which is to say I know what the issues are, the opinions of both sides, that I certainly have views shared by only one side, but I generally don't care. The people I read and games I play are still being published. In nearly both cases, I prefer much older titles to newer ones, but I suspect it is because the side I disagree with has been ruining newer titles with garbage that doesn't improve the material and is unnecessary.
In many ways though, this is nothing new. This is just about block voting. Minorities often use block voting to gain control, and it is effective while annoying the majority. Usually the only way to counter it is to join a block vote of your own, which is what the Sad Puppies are doing. It usually doesn't become an issue until the block voting minority starts going beyond electing their slate and into enacting rules/laws/regulation that is intended to cement their power and block the majority. It is most effective when you challenge a portion of the majority that if alienated will fracture the majority into smaller minorities. The history of this tactic has typically been ugly.
Thanks Synova. I was hoping you would speak to this.
I have always enjoyed Eric Flints works. I think I have everything he has ever written. Either by himself or in collaboration with other authors. Certainly everything in the 1632 universe. I like to go to his home page to read the snippets. They short little exerpts of upcoming works.
However the last time I went there I noticed a series of posts about the Sad Puppies and the Hugo's. I was really dismayed at what he had to say. It totally changed my opinion of him and I guess his works. I am torn. I don't know if I am going to continue to follow him.
It's all about language police, isn't it?
Yes.
As if there is a functional difference between the simple word "bull-shit" and a high falutin' multisyllibic circumlocution to explain that the person is spewing utter nonsense and expecting to be taken seriously when they've no right to be taken seriously at all.
Right.
if we disagree we're supposed to do so respectfully as if the claims or arguments made are actually serious arguments and claims.
Yes, and that gets old, especially when all you get back is more of the bullshit. I'm tired of subsidizing this by being nice about it. But not so tired as to support Trump.
Trooper, that's the best summary of the issue I've seen. I've been trying to follow the dust-up, but reading about it has been confusing with every report hysterically slinging the nasty rather than describing the facts. How sad is that, an incomprehensible literary fight?
I grew up reading science fiction but not so much any more. After reading so much that was crap, I found myself avoiding it.
I'm firmly convinced most hard science fiction is written by Asperger types for Asperger types, so I see why the pendulum swung so far into the touchy feely other extreme, but that doesn't make any of it good.
Funny thing about GRRM, I waited so long for the last novel I haven't been able to read it because I fear it may be his last. The tv series provides a worthy alternate, don't you think? I'm going through Dresden withdrawal now, waiting for Butcher's next. Just reread the entire series, except for the Bigfoot short stories.
I still mourn the passing of Zelazny.
Trooper, I sort of try not to find out what some of my favorite authors think about things. The internet is bit of a blessing and curse at the same time. Both Flint and Martin at least seemed to try to be fair, mostly. For whatever it's worth, at least to start with.
The thing is Synova put her finger on it. The same thing happens at blogs as in the politics of America at large. Colleges. Your work if you work at a big business. They will even come into your small business and tell you how to bake a cake.
I understand where you are coming from Leland. I have always thought that Trump was a jerk off. But he is willing to burn it down. I am with him in that. None of the other candidates seems to have the balls to knock him down. I mean the guy has a glass jaw. You have to get down and dirty if you want to smash him. If you can't beat Trump how are you going to handle the Clinton mud machine.
I hear you Synova. I know that Martin was a putz but Flint surprised me. I bet Harry Turtledove and SM Stirling think along the same lines. But they are smart enough to keep their mouths shut.
Even Republicans buy books. Just sayn'
I can handle them trying to tell me how to bake a cake. It's when they drop their drawers, take a dump, and try to tell me it really is a brownie, and that if I don't try it, then how do I know it is not a brownie. That's the argument you have with some of these people, and I just can't anymore. And I say that while otherwise understanding that if they want to bake a cake a certain way, and enjoy it even if I don't. It's the way they argue, as Synova put her finger on, that is just reprehensible.
Scanning DirecTV guide... Gaslight is coming on TCM at 7p CDT. Yes, that's the film to describe this.
Jorge is the unTolkien. The first three books were good and it has gone downhill ever since. I predict that in the end the Magical Hedgehog of Destiny will emerge from his burrow under Kings Landing (about 15 years from now) and declare that we've bypassed Spring and Summer altogether and to brace for More Winter. Whatever. There's an overabundance of and over reliance on magic and mystery and there will end up being one ring (some sort of ultimate magic) to rule them all. Mainly because Martin is such a hopeless unthinking partisan political hack that that will seem like an authentic and happy ending to him.
George Martin and his fellow travelers burned down the Hugo Awards rather than allow for the possibility of real (intellectual) diversity being rewarded. The Glorious Tolerant Left: Purging Wrongthink and Diversity With Extreme Prejudice The Better To Serve the State.
You would lose that bet because we've been following this from the beginning. First Gamer Gate then the Hugos. Sara Hoyt writes extensively on this at her own site and on Instapundit. Milo Yiannopoulos writes covers this on Breitbart and every day on Twitter.
Synova @ 5:57 !!!
I know about sad puppies. I say, keep embarrassing these jerkoff SJW ever chance we can. Of course, SJW cannot be embarrassed (they have no shame) but it is clarifying to do so.
I don't know about Turtledove, but Steve Stirling is kinda-sorta not-left-wing in a Penn Jillette sort of way. You don't find many social cons in publishing outside of John C. Wright. And I have no idea what Eric Flint has to say about the Hugo thing except I could imagine - his personal politics are straight-up red-diaper Trotskyite union-fanaticism. The 1632 series is interesting at least in part because he doesn't really write a large percentage of it - early on, David Weber was involved, and later on, there were dozens of co-authors and people just hoeing their own row.
Larry Correia's politics are nice and all, but the one book of his I tried to read was undigestible Marty Stu monster-hunting rubbish. It's a shame - I like to give openly conservative writers a chance, but talent rarely lines up well behind level-headed politics. Creativity and fascistic tendencies tend to go hand in hand - your average fascist is a frustrated artist given power instead of fame.
I mean you can kind of guess where some of them are coming from. For example Stirling made one of his major heroes in "Island in the Sea of a Time" a black lesbian. So you can kind of figure out his politics. Although he did have a character who was an echo terrorist get raped by a leopard.
What really amuses me is that the puppies are calling George RR Martin by the hilarious nickname "George Rape Rape Martin." Now that's pretty funny because there is a rape in every other scene!
Your point about Flint having co-authors is very astute. I think that might dilute his hardcore lefty spin although the union stuff does permeate it.
Correa is pretty much unreadable but I like Hoyt and Torgerson. Hoyt makes a good point on her blog. With the new self publishing on Amazon this whole argument is moot. The publishers like Tor are dinosaurs like newspapers and are just too stupid to lie down and die.
I have been selling my library on Amazon. Number one seller? Jim Butcher of the Harry Dresden stories.
The guy that the SJW's refused to give an award to because....I don't know...because the puppies like him?
I liked the Hard Magic books. I wouldn't consider them Marty Stewish much. Correia has the first volume of a fantasy out new as well.
The first monster hunter book really was just him having fun writing gun porn for his friends. I thought they were fun, what little I read, but I think that the Hugo nom he got for Warbound was well deserved for that series.
And I think that trying to correlate creativity and talent with bat shat crazy politics is problematic (to borrow a term) because of the aversion to long term closet dwelling among the sane. Not so true anymore but when the whole industry makes the non fascistc unwelcome it's not surprising that they don't stick around.
(the whole concept of art as service to the greater good requires a fascist attitude about what that greater good requires.)
I am just a SF dabbler, but I also have followed this (from afar, to be sure).
Bottom line Troop is correct ... they are trying to make puppies approval the kiss of death.
When are these tiresome (and evil) people going to crawl back in their holes?
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