The death of live and let live

The elitism and discrimination that dominates literary science fiction today should not be a surprise. It's the result of the same generational trends that have bedeviled American society as a whole, and is why Donald Trump provokes the neo-aristocrats into screeching paroxysms of hysteria.

The generation that grew up during the Great Depression knew nothing but poverty and deprivation. They in reaction spoiled their children, the Baby Boomers. Today we see the effects of the Baby Boomers' offspring on society. The children of the spoiled became even more spoiled.

The Soviet Union subverted and infiltrated college campuses during the Vietnam War era in an attempt to topple the U.S. without a fight. It didn't work, but it did result in the unusual societal outcome that the most spoiled and privileged segments of society are also the most leftist. Today's liberal leaders combine the snobbery of the Met Club with the ideology of the Khmer Rouge.

Just as they have taken over the media and academia, these same people now control literary science fiction. Back when I started writing, about 2003, Baby Boomers still held the reins - people like Gardner Dozois, who judged content first and didn't care about an author's personal faith and morals.

With the rise of people like John Scalzi and Cat Rambo, we find people in control who want to know who you are first before they consider the merit of your work. Remember, these people are so far to the left that 98 percent of authors are no good by their definition. They label you a fascist or Nazi if you believe in God, your country or yourself. They've made terms like Nazi or racist meaningless by using it so widely and indiscriminately.

I suppose the difference between the generations that produced Gardner Dozois and John Scalzi is that Gardner knew he was a liberal but he understood not everybody was - and that's okay. Little privileged pricks like Scalzi think only people like himself should exist and everyone else is profoundly illegitimate.

It's that same attitude - the deep seated fear that your enemies not only want to beat you but kill you - that stampeded thousands of people into voting for a candidate that has many flaws, but a lack of patriotism isn't one of them. Once Hilary Clinton called Trump supporters "deplorables" she assured his election.

Once the sci-fi establishment stuffed the ballot box by buying thousands of WorldCon memberships to euthanize the Sad Puppies in the 2015 Hugo vote, it assured the irrelevance of the award.

The old institutions remain, but they are like dusty trophies on the mantle of a cob-webbed private club. New ones are rising up because that 98 percent of sci fi authors need some place to call home. The Dragon Awards have already clobbered both the Hugos and Nebulas in both quality and prestige.

I look forward to Sirius Science Fiction taking its place in the ranks of venues that publish quality and entertaining speculative fiction.

I am one of those people who refuse to grovel, self denounce or apologize for existing. These snobs and assholes are headed, as Trotsky said, "to the ash heap of history". We have already made great strides in building up a powerful structure of independent publishing and innovative outlets for original fiction. I expect Sirius Science Fiction will play its part.