Is Anyone Fooled?

[mishalak]

When someone says something along the lines of, "I think fantasy is just fine, I just don't think it should be nominated for Hugos," does anyone actually think the person means that he actually thinks fantasy is okay? I mean really. It's as bad as the Seinfeldian, "Not that there is anything wrong with that."

Comments

[thirdworld.livejournal.com]

It's idiotic is what it is. Good writing is good writing.

[mishalak.livejournal.com]

Well that and the fact that I think that I can count the number of sci-fi stories that used real world physics/economics/other sciences all the time on one hand. Most science fiction breaks the science somewhere, just in different ways than fantasy does.

[thirdworld.livejournal.com]

A lot of fantasy is more realistic that a lot of SF. A lot of what is called SF is really fantasy. In the end, who cares? It only needs to be a good story, well told. I'm always amazed by fans who complain about people looking down on SF fans from one side of their mouth, while they look down on other fans. And we're not even talking lit vs media here, were talking kinds of lit, or lit fans who happen to like wearing costumes or are furries or sing. It's silly. Fortunately, most fans are very tolerant, but there are still plenty stodgy, crusty, opinionated old buggers.

[mishalak.livejournal.com]

I can sympathize, but only so much. Once upon a time they were the dominate force in fandom. Now all these other things have taken over. Rather like living in a neighborhood for a long time and suddenly finding you're being priced out of things by gentrification. Change can be mighty uncomfortable.

[thirdworld.livejournal.com]

Gentrification is a pretty good comparison. However the changes have come through a slow metamorphosis within the group, rather than some alien group moving in and taking over.

[mjlayman.livejournal.com]

It doesn't matter, he's wrong. The Hugos are specifically for science fiction and fantasy, so fantasy should definitely be nominated.

[mishalak.livejournal.com]

The person who inspired me to write this would have sidestepped a lot of this if he had just said, "I think the Hugos should be about just science fiction and that's why I only nominate science fiction works." Instead he first wrote a sentence that made it seem like he thought his view was in the constitution or something. Then he made is worse by spinning that he really likes some fantasy, honest. This after saying that it makes his "skin itch".

[mishalak.livejournal.com]

Even better would have been if he said, "I like science fiction better and that's why I only nominated science fiction works." Then it is just a preference, and who can fault that?

[mjlayman.livejournal.com]

Definitely. Back when I went to Worldcons and nominated/voted, I only nominated and voted for SF because I'd read the fantasies and didn't like them as well. That could certainly be because I don't like fantasy much in general, but there was probably someone on the opposite side balancing me out, too.