Sexism in SciFi
So I don't follow Science Fiction fandom/publishing/inside baseball as a rule, but every once in a while it pops up into my attention because one or more of my favorite authors mentions something.
There was a controversy last year over a magazine called "The Bulletin", it is the house organ for the Science Fiction Writers Association (SFWA). There were two parts, first a group of people I'm going to call the social justice warriors (SJW) objected to the cover
they thought it was sexist and demeaning to women. Then they objected to a column inside where two foagies (Barry Malzberg(74) and Mike Resnick(71)) referred to female editors as "lady editors" commented on how beautiful some of the ones they had known were.
Shit flew. The editor resigned. John Scalzi (the SFWA president at the time) suspended publication.
Low level shit continued for months. Recently the new president (Steve Gould) posted a job ad for the editor that noted they would work under an advisory committee they'd have to work with. A former editor (David Truesdale) circulated a rather florid petition objecting to subjecting the editor to what he saw as politically correct censorship. Several names signed (this was where I noticed). The SJW started another shitstorm over this petition saying that it was an attempt to keep SF a sexist, racist old boys club.
This all annoys the crap out of me.
I don't like the SJW. They have cast crap on a lot of writers I respect. They forced a the premier feminist scifi convention (wiscon) to withdraw an invitation to a brilliant author (e_moon60) because she posted something the could be read as insensitive to muslims. I think their objections in these cases are so overblown it would be comic except they are hurting real people.
I do not understand why the above cover is unacceptable when images like this and this are archetypal images of the science fiction and fantasy world.
Here's the thing that really annoys me.
I agree with the general point of the SJWs. I think there is residual racism and sexism in Science Fiction publishing. I can even appreciate the argument (though I disagree) that the cover is sexist. But the right answer is not making such a stink you shut down the magazine for six months, write an article about it and get the editor to feature it prominently on the cover of the next one. What I see coming out of the SJWs is a change to be egotists and stir shit and drama while using the excuse of historical unfairness.
There was a controversy last year over a magazine called "The Bulletin", it is the house organ for the Science Fiction Writers Association (SFWA). There were two parts, first a group of people I'm going to call the social justice warriors (SJW) objected to the cover
they thought it was sexist and demeaning to women. Then they objected to a column inside where two foagies (Barry Malzberg(74) and Mike Resnick(71)) referred to female editors as "lady editors" commented on how beautiful some of the ones they had known were.
Shit flew. The editor resigned. John Scalzi (the SFWA president at the time) suspended publication.
Low level shit continued for months. Recently the new president (Steve Gould) posted a job ad for the editor that noted they would work under an advisory committee they'd have to work with. A former editor (David Truesdale) circulated a rather florid petition objecting to subjecting the editor to what he saw as politically correct censorship. Several names signed (this was where I noticed). The SJW started another shitstorm over this petition saying that it was an attempt to keep SF a sexist, racist old boys club.
This all annoys the crap out of me.
I don't like the SJW. They have cast crap on a lot of writers I respect. They forced a the premier feminist scifi convention (wiscon) to withdraw an invitation to a brilliant author (e_moon60) because she posted something the could be read as insensitive to muslims. I think their objections in these cases are so overblown it would be comic except they are hurting real people.
I do not understand why the above cover is unacceptable when images like this and this are archetypal images of the science fiction and fantasy world.
Here's the thing that really annoys me.
I agree with the general point of the SJWs. I think there is residual racism and sexism in Science Fiction publishing. I can even appreciate the argument (though I disagree) that the cover is sexist. But the right answer is not making such a stink you shut down the magazine for six months, write an article about it and get the editor to feature it prominently on the cover of the next one. What I see coming out of the SJWs is a change to be egotists and stir shit and drama while using the excuse of historical unfairness.