Quote:
Originally Posted by Xanthe
That is so true. We no longer accept scientific advances with unvarnished wonder.
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And much of SF is designed to be accepted with unvarnished wonder. But in most literature, the elements of science and technology are now being impacted by politics and finance, used foolishly or irresponsibly, dark closets are being opened and downsides are being revealed... you could say we've entered a more adult stage of literature in the 21st century, more gray and gritty, less two-dimensional. Much (certainly not all) of SF isn't keeping up with that adult evolution, either intentionally or unintentionally, and the result is a genre that is considered childish by the majority. It's one of the reasons SF media like the
Star Wars and
Star Trek franchises do so well, despite Sawyer's obvious denigration.
(Interestingly, SF isn't the only genre to reject modern realism: Romance also distances itself from gray and gritty reality, and receives much of the same criticism as SF; but as its primary subject is considered more adult, it has become more acceptable, though as more of a literary "vice.")
There, I said it (well, I implied it): SF has become a "vice," a form of entertainment that is not well-thought-of by most. And the genre hasn't done much to promote the more adult aspects of itself; we hold conventions, and people dress up in Princess Leia bikinis and Klingon garb, and we just shrug and smile.
Maybe if SF fans spoke to non SF fans more about the technologies that were inspired or shaped by SF; the social mores that were predicted by SF; the human gaffes that were forewarned by SF; and the way our modern lives reflect our SF; maybe then, SF would be more popular and more accepted.
(Then he quietly reached across his desk, grabbed his replica Dr. Who sonic screwdriver, and slipped it into a drawer...)
