And complaining, don’t forget complaining…

(1)  The old author-vs-art canard?  It’s a load.  You can’t separate the the artist from the art.  I’ve chucked books by better authors than these across the room because of biases in their work.  (Mieville?  I love you, but your books would be better without the politics-upside-the-head.)  It’s also a handy-dandy way of defending an indefensable act of buffoonery…  remember the cries of “But Harlan’s such a great writer!”?

(2a)  Where did I say I only buy works from authors whose views are in-line with mine?  Where did I demand that other people make their purchases according to some monolithic “PC” standard?  If the work seems biased in stupid ways, however, I won’t touch it with a ten-foot pole.

(2b)  But that’s not what I said–what I said was I wouldn’t be buying any hypothetical books *due to the rude behavior exhibited here by some authors towards readers and colleagues*.  Charging in with “Waaah! Waaah! Pathetic fucking children.” is not how you carry on a public debate like an adult.

(3)  Define PC, BTW.  The last time I heard a person use it seriously was when my elderly father, bless his heart, was complaining about the news not accurately portraying the natural criminal tendencies of “n****rs”.  I hope not typing out the word in full doesn’t tar me with that horrible PC brush.

(4)  Point taken–you and Paul aren’t as frothy as some in this thread.  But Paul was still rude as hell–shockingly so, considering he ought to know better–and you jumping on the martyr’s bandwagon, as if you’re somehow Speaking Truth to Power!, instead of debating the point in a mature fashion, is probably not a good way to get your name out there.

Originally published in 1967, DANGEROUS VISIONS features three women, and apologizes for excluding a fourth, Kate Wilhelm. Kate appears in the sequel, AGAIN, DANGEROUS VISIONS; released in 1972, that one includes seven, including a Nebula-winning tale from Joanna Russ and the masterpiece “The Word for World is Forest” from Ursula K. Le Guin.

In the 36 years since then, hundreds of female and non-Anglo authors have authored hundreds (if not thousands) of books and stories in the SF/ Speculative Fiction genres. Daniel Cole’s assertion above that all these authors and stories revolve around PC concepts of “oppression” is as absurd, bigoted and ill-informed as it is badly written and poorly conceived.

Three or four decades ago, Harlan Ellision understood the frontiers of science fiction. Clearly, some folks haven’t caught up with him since.

How did a body of literature based around the opening of minds and the possibilites of human experience get so crowded with close-minded people of limited human experience? That, I suppose, remains a question for the ages.

Perhaps someone will write a book about it.  

- Phil Brucato

——————

* – by Harlan Ellison, likewise excluded from Asheley’s “mind blowing” collection.  

Now, I’m all for people voting with their purses/wallets.

But I personally don’t require the politics and opinions of a given author to be consonant with mine in order for me to enjoy that author’s fiction.  Frankly, I think a given artistic product assumes a life of its own once it’s left the artist’s or producer’s hand, and enters into the wider world. 

In fact, I am personally uncomfortable with the mentality which demands that the creator-producer of an art product must have similar opinion to mine before I’ll consider buying the art product.

To me, that’s the heart and soul of Political Correctness.

Evaluate the creative product, independent of the creator.  That’s a cleaner motto.

Oops, look at me, going and being a “foaming asshat” again.  My bad.

What I *do* find offensive is the defensive posturing of the hysterical screeching crap-flinging monkey brigade.  Paul, Lance, Sanders, Brad, etc.?  You realize this is an open, public thread?  And that you’ve turned off yet another (very un-PC) reader by being frothing, foaming asshats?  The height of professionalism there, dudes.  Why bother to debate your point when you can just insult the people who don’t agree?

*another young, avid specfic reader who just added more names to her Never Buy This Hack’s Work list*

*reads controversy*

*shrugs, goes back to her Bujold novel. Is looking forward to rereading some Moon, McIntyre, Tepper and McCaffery later. Doesn’t buy anthology.*

Clearly I’m not part of the target marketing demographic. Or they’d have have picked a more “mindblowing” mix of authors.

I wish the editors of this book understood how absurd they appear to the younger generation. And how young writers (like me) take note of them, i.e. specifically take note to never buy, endorse, or work with them in the future. There is just no excuse for this kind of thing anymore.

I guess Octavia Butler, James Tiptree and Samuel Delany, even if they won their fair share of Hugos and Nebulas, should have moved past writing “novels about oppression”. That way they could have escaped the P-C niche and reached mainstream sf readers like him. Maybe even be considered for a spot among the truly mind-blowing authors collected in the anthology.

Best post yet.  Deliciously candid and not PC.

Bravo.

Yes their are sci-fi writers that are female and that are african american but they have yet to move past writing novels about “oppression” and until they do they will not rise to the level of Clark or Asimov (who really should have been included in this collection as well, but this is only one editors opinon). 

Worry more about writing good novels and winning hugo’s and nebulas that is how to prove the bredth of the genre.