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One Right-handed Screwdriver, Please
Jan. 26th, 2011 09:19 amSo, Rand Simberg links to a Pajamas Media article asking is science fiction becoming more conservative? Well, Mike Z. leaps into the comment thread at PJ Media and attempts to do the Lord's work, but I think the question is stupid for two reasons.
The first reason is that science fiction publishing is not political. It's a business. Thus, Orson Scott Card, a flaming homophobe and conservative participant in the PJ Media article, is published by Tor, a "liberal New York" publishing house. Baen, a famously "conservative" publisher, employs card-carrying Socialist Eric Flint in a critical role. (I mean "card-carrying" in the literal sense - Eric has and will whip out his Socialist Party membership card from his wallet for you.) In short, publishing is a business, and publishing decisions are made on the basis of what will make the publisher money.
The second reason this question is stupid is that science fiction writing is not inherently political. Much like the screwdriver, one can write a story that advocates for either political agenda - or neither. (Please tell me how a book about goblins
fits on the political spectrum.)
The sign of a true partisan (or any fanatic) is that everything is viewed through the lens of their beliefs.
Note: The comment threads at Simberg's can be rather rough. You have been warned.
The first reason is that science fiction publishing is not political. It's a business. Thus, Orson Scott Card, a flaming homophobe and conservative participant in the PJ Media article, is published by Tor, a "liberal New York" publishing house. Baen, a famously "conservative" publisher, employs card-carrying Socialist Eric Flint in a critical role. (I mean "card-carrying" in the literal sense - Eric has and will whip out his Socialist Party membership card from his wallet for you.) In short, publishing is a business, and publishing decisions are made on the basis of what will make the publisher money.
The second reason this question is stupid is that science fiction writing is not inherently political. Much like the screwdriver, one can write a story that advocates for either political agenda - or neither. (Please tell me how a book about goblins
fits on the political spectrum.)The sign of a true partisan (or any fanatic) is that everything is viewed through the lens of their beliefs.
Note: The comment threads at Simberg's can be rather rough. You have been warned.
