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eumeliaWhen some one links to an article titled The War on Science Fiction and Marvin Minsky on a website called The Spearhead and the Author's nick is Pro-male/Anti-feminist Tech; you know you're in for some fun sci-fi critique!
My first thought after reading that diatribe of misogyny, homophobia and exclusionary nostalgia, was pretty uncharitable, petty and mean.
Not even the most "one of the boys/I'm not a feminist" female-geek wouldn be able to consider this person particularly tasteful.
Seeing as he's laying out misogyny and homophobia pretty fucking thick. Without any shame and certainly without any self-reflection.
But That's what cowards do.
I'm reminded of my entry into the comic book world, there are women there (readers that is) and I gravitated to the classics (Batman, Superman, Catwoman, Wonder Woman, the Justice League - yeah, I'm a DC grrl) and to horror-fantasy (DC's Vertigo line; Sandman, Hellblazer, Fables, Lucifer etc).
This is not an odd thing, most people like more than one kind of genre in they chosen form of medium, but I definitely felt the overwhelmed by the amount of boys in this medium and how my reading of the stories being feminist (even before I could articulate why it was feminist - I was 15 when I got into comics) made me iffy about getting into discussion with other Batman fans - many of them, somehow, ignoring the fetish gear he dons in order to fight crime and the only women he's ever been interested in sexually (he doesn't do romance) have been other criminals who wear costumes.
I digress.
The article linked above says this:
This is the opening paragraph.
He may have missed the fact that some of this year's Nobel Laureates, in the sciences, were women.
They probably began their careers, what 30-40 years ago?
Sci-Fi is "traditionally" about men doing things because, 'Lo the things women did were/are not considered important or as important as the things men do, this includes writing sci-fi - which women have been doing for the same amount of time as men... it's called having a pseudonym.
One of the regular writers of Star Trek:TOS was D.C. Fontana (i.e. Dorothy Catherine Fontana), who neutralised her name and used the pseudonyms Michael Richards and J. Michael Bingham in order to get ahead in the field of teevee and sci-fi writing.
She wrote other well-loved "male" oriented programmes and shows we all grew up on.
How's them apples shit-bag? Feeling excluded? Feeling as though your wants and desires have been co-opted and changed in order to incorporate a vision that *gasp* doesn't 100% reflect you.
Welcome to the human condition.
Numerous books, movies and teevee programmes have been written about it, as I'm sure you know.
According to this dude, sci-fi has been ruined by its feminization.
And lest we forget them pesky Homoseckshuals!
Don't worry bb, the Captain kisses people he actually likes, you he'd probably shoot and state he was thinking of humanity's future.
The author goes on to cite the BBC's leftist leaning and pro-woman agenda, so he's not surprised that shows like Torchwood get huge ratings and was the biggest sci-fi hit of the summer.
What? Action and inter-personal drama?! It actually works!?!?
News flash, it's what works in Hard Science Sci-Fi as well - Have you read Heinlein? Herbert? The buddy-films that are a huge portion of the sci-fi/action genre are about the relationship between the two men - but relationships are for women or something idiotic like that and so any chemistry between two men (and to a lesser extent two women) is us Slashers reading too much into it.
It's called subversive reading, it's what minorities do in order to actually enjoy shows, books, comics and other texts which show case us as blatant stereotypes, parodies or ya know simply Bechdel Fail.
Times they are a changing, and guess what, they've been "changing" and "changed" since the mid-60's, you, Pro-Male/Anti-Feminist Tech failed to get on that boat and complaining about us women and queers taking over your genre and taking your jobs in science...
This is not a tree-house club and there are no more Wendy houses.
This is a sandbox - please stop peeing in it.
ETA: I couldn't stop myself. I commented, sans a link to this blog. I don't need to make easier for them to find me.
My first thought after reading that diatribe of misogyny, homophobia and exclusionary nostalgia, was pretty uncharitable, petty and mean.
Not even the most "one of the boys/I'm not a feminist" female-geek wouldn be able to consider this person particularly tasteful.
Seeing as he's laying out misogyny and homophobia pretty fucking thick. Without any shame and certainly without any self-reflection.
But That's what cowards do.
I'm reminded of my entry into the comic book world, there are women there (readers that is) and I gravitated to the classics (Batman, Superman, Catwoman, Wonder Woman, the Justice League - yeah, I'm a DC grrl) and to horror-fantasy (DC's Vertigo line; Sandman, Hellblazer, Fables, Lucifer etc).
This is not an odd thing, most people like more than one kind of genre in they chosen form of medium, but I definitely felt the overwhelmed by the amount of boys in this medium and how my reading of the stories being feminist (even before I could articulate why it was feminist - I was 15 when I got into comics) made me iffy about getting into discussion with other Batman fans - many of them, somehow, ignoring the fetish gear he dons in order to fight crime and the only women he's ever been interested in sexually (he doesn't do romance) have been other criminals who wear costumes.
I digress.
The article linked above says this:
Science fiction is a very male form of fiction. Considerably more men than women are interested in reading and watching science fiction. This is no surprise. Science fiction traditionally is about men doing things, inventing new technologies, exploring new worlds, making new scientific discoveries, terraforming planets, etc. Many men working in the fields of science, engineering, and technology have cited science fiction (such as the original Star Trek) for inspiring them when they were boys to establish careers in these fields.Emphasis mine.
This is the opening paragraph.
He may have missed the fact that some of this year's Nobel Laureates, in the sciences, were women.
They probably began their careers, what 30-40 years ago?
Sci-Fi is "traditionally" about men doing things because, 'Lo the things women did were/are not considered important or as important as the things men do, this includes writing sci-fi - which women have been doing for the same amount of time as men... it's called having a pseudonym.
One of the regular writers of Star Trek:TOS was D.C. Fontana (i.e. Dorothy Catherine Fontana), who neutralised her name and used the pseudonyms Michael Richards and J. Michael Bingham in order to get ahead in the field of teevee and sci-fi writing.
She wrote other well-loved "male" oriented programmes and shows we all grew up on.
How's them apples shit-bag? Feeling excluded? Feeling as though your wants and desires have been co-opted and changed in order to incorporate a vision that *gasp* doesn't 100% reflect you.
Welcome to the human condition.
Numerous books, movies and teevee programmes have been written about it, as I'm sure you know.
According to this dude, sci-fi has been ruined by its feminization.
And lest we forget them pesky Homoseckshuals!
Things are worse in Britain. A few years ago Doctor Who was brought back. The man who brought back Doctor Who was Russell T. Davies, a gay man who proceeded to add a recurring character called Captain Jack who comes from the 51st century that wasbisexualomnisexual. Yes, omnisexual as in not only is this character bisexual, but he has no problem with having sex with non-humans too.
Don't worry bb, the Captain kisses people he actually likes, you he'd probably shoot and state he was thinking of humanity's future.
The author goes on to cite the BBC's leftist leaning and pro-woman agenda, so he's not surprised that shows like Torchwood get huge ratings and was the biggest sci-fi hit of the summer.
What? Action and inter-personal drama?! It actually works!?!?
News flash, it's what works in Hard Science Sci-Fi as well - Have you read Heinlein? Herbert? The buddy-films that are a huge portion of the sci-fi/action genre are about the relationship between the two men - but relationships are for women or something idiotic like that and so any chemistry between two men (and to a lesser extent two women) is us Slashers reading too much into it.
It's called subversive reading, it's what minorities do in order to actually enjoy shows, books, comics and other texts which show case us as blatant stereotypes, parodies or ya know simply Bechdel Fail.
Times they are a changing, and guess what, they've been "changing" and "changed" since the mid-60's, you, Pro-Male/Anti-Feminist Tech failed to get on that boat and complaining about us women and queers taking over your genre and taking your jobs in science...
This is not a tree-house club and there are no more Wendy houses.
This is a sandbox - please stop peeing in it.
ETA: I couldn't stop myself. I commented, sans a link to this blog. I don't need to make easier for them to find me.
