The SF fan and Progressive Thinking

[captainduprix]

Do you believe that SF fans are more or less likely than the general public to be progressive?

I used to believe the former, however after years of unofficial research, I have begun to question my assumptions.

I think the SF fan is no more or less likely to believe in progressive social issues than any other person. Some fans are drawn to the genre because of the inherent open-minded approach that the "science" aspect necessarily dictates. This type of fan is one who is thoughtful, analytical, and fascinated by the unknown. For others, SF simply offers an escape from reality, and the responsibilities inherent therein. For them, SF is more of an alternative to reality. This is the reactionary, socially- inept individual who sees reality as frightening, and retreats into a world of fantasy, where one does not have to interact or understand or tolerate.

As a moderate-to-liberal person, I was always drawn to programs like Star Trek as much for their social commentary as for the spaceships and adventure. The future-tech hooked me, but it was the humanism that kept me hooked.

Sadly, I don't see as much of that in current television-based SF anymore. There is no message, no underlying social theme. This is a direct reflection of the change in our collective mindset in general, which brings me to my original point: the days of SF as the domain of the enlightened and progressive are no more.

 

[RJDiogenes]

You're right. It used to be different. When I was a kid, SF appealed to intellectuals and progressives and other non-conformists; now, it's become very mainstreamed. SF fans used to talk about outsiders as "mundanes," but now there are just as many, if not more, mundanes within fandom. These days, SF shows and books get buzz by bragging about their lack of imagination, or their fashionable "edginess." It's pretty sad.

 

[Spot's Meow]

I just have to say, I was very confused by the "SF" for a while, kept thinking of San Francisco. I thought, what do Giants fans have to do with this??

Anyway, I'm not sure where I lie on the spectrum of fandom. I am "moderate-to-liberal" as you stated, and I enjoy the humanism element as well, but I feel like my main purpose for watching scifi is to escape reality. That's the main reason I watch any TV or movies. I feel that I can appreciate both aspects.

 

[jamestyler]

My brains overloading so I'm not much into 'thinking mode' which I'm probably about to display by attempting to post...

I have this impression TV is filled with Sean Conney types who will look at a script and say "I don't understand this..." and forget about it.

If you pull the average person off the street and show them Star Trek, they'll bash it from the start. We're still seen as a niche market and years of public perception of being the nerd collective, it's become too much to wash off. So the studios have to mainstream it, water it down and feed us something easier to digest.

The ST:IX trailer is a good example of this. It's designed to trick people into watching by not being SF straight away then as it switches tells you it's ok to like it as theres action, explosions, fighting and tits.

It's not just SF thats suffering though, it's eveything. If a comedy is too sophisticated, the masses won't enjoy it. Kevin Smiths a good example of that - and I know he gets very mixed reactions - but the masses will cheer at Jay and Bob more than the rest of the movie as it's more 'obvious'.

Outside the TV rant - I try not to think of people and politics. People are idiots.