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From: Jim.Gifford@ubik.wmeonlin.sacbbx.com (Jim Gifford)
Date: 27 Jun 94 22:58:52 -0800
Newsgroups: alt.shenanigans
Subject: "The Menace of Science Fiction"
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Okay, okay... I mentioned a shen paper I turned in in a stupid required English
class, after my grade was locked up, and got a fair amount of email crying
"gimme, gimme." So, heree, heree...

===========================================================================
James Gifford
English 1A MW 17:30
Dr. Ima Foole
9 January 1989

                       The Menace of Science Fiction

Although it has existed in one form or another for thousands of years,science
fiction as we know it is only about one hundred years old. The development of
science fiction from the works of Jules Verne in the 1860's to today's frenetic
scribblings of Heinlein, Ballard, Rosenberg, et al. has corresponded to a sharp
decline in western civilization. This decline is well known and needs no
further documentation. While it may be extreme to state that science fiction is
responsible for this decline, it is not beyond reason to emphasize science
fiction's role in the slippage of western morals and principles. Science
fiction is a menace to the way of life of all right-thinking people.

No less a personage than Lyndon LaRouche has stated that "...Science Fiction is
a firm part of the Communist plan to dominate western culture;Queen Elizabeth
herself has been known to pen 'sci-fi' under a pseudonym." (LaRouche, 1984.)
Concurring is the respected minister Dr. Jerry Falwell: in an article appearing
less than a year later, he stated

       The decline in American pride, patriotism, and piety can
       be directly attributed to the extensive reading of
       so-called 'science fiction' by our young people. This
       poisonous rot about creatures not of God's making,
       societies of 'aliens' without a good Christian among them,
       and raw sex between unhuman beings with three heads and
       God alone knows what sort of reproductive apparatus keeps
       our young people from realizing the true will of God.
       (Falwell, 1985.)

In a personal interview, the Governor of California, George Deukmejian,stated
"Science Fiction is a danger to all California Republicans." (Deukmejian,
1989.) In an off-the-record commentary, the respected commentator George F.
Will decried the reading of science fiction by people when they could be
reading his column instead.

The danger of science fiction is much disputed by those who write and publish
it. In a blistering counterattack, hack science fiction writer Joel Rosenberg
stated "I find 'Doctor' Falwell's attack on science fiction ludicrous, since he
is obviously something out of science fiction himself." (Rosenberg, 1985.)
Scumbucket publisher Larry Flynt is on record as saying "Hey, people are free
to read whatever they wanna read. That's right in the First Amendment. If they
want to read about Martian women's beavers,there ain't nothing anyone can tell
them different. They wanna read about alien sex? Great! My whole magazine is
about alien sex!" (Flynt, 1987.)

It is clear that those who actually produce and peddle science fiction think it
is perfectly acceptable fare for readers. Noted drug addict and sometime
science fiction writer Harlan Ellison once wrote "People who read science
fiction are a firmer part of the psychic interspatial continuum as we all know
it than are people who don't read it, but that's a given to start with."
(Ellison, 1984.) However, it is questionable whether these people are competent
to comment on the situation.

The dangers of science fiction to the writers themselves is well known. As an
example, note that of the top ten science fiction writers of all time (as
chosen in a magazine survey of science fiction addicts), all ten are dead!
(Gardner, 1989.) It is clear from personal interviews with a number of current
science fiction writers that their work has severely affected their ability to
think in a normal, God-fearing manner. In a 1987 study,Davis psychologist
Patricia Johnson discovered that writers who turned to science fiction from
other fields exhibited a consistent sharp drop in scores on standard
moral-decision evaluation tests. (Johnson, 1987.) That these people continue to
insist that their work is not hazardous to themselves and society is an mass
psychological aberration of the first magnitude.

The cases of readers being seriously affected by large amounts of science
fiction are numerous and well-documented. In his landmark study of the matter,
Lawrence Watt-Evans of George Washington University demonstrated that science
fiction readers who read more than 25,000 words of science fiction per week had
highly biased views of government, society,technology, and English professors.
Most were found to be in favor of a global scientific government, a rigidly
legislated libertarian society,free computers for everyone on reaching the age
of 12, and a total abolishment of college composition courses. (Watt-Evans,
1986.) It is clear to anyone who can think clearly that clear thinkers among
science fiction readers are a clear minority. The problem is clear; the
solution is not.

A number of writers cited herein have called for the total abolition of all
fiction writing that is not set in the present, real world, using real people
and their true-to-fact lives. This would of course eliminate not only the
menace of science fiction, but the equally devastating and frightening menace
of romance fiction. It would also have a strong effect on spy thrillers and
John Irving. However, this writer cannot agree with this oft-stated potential
solution. Despite the enormous and real dangers of science fiction in the hands
of the masses, life without it would be empty, worthless, and boring as hell.


                           Works Cited

Deukmejian, George. Personal interview, 8 January 1989.
Ellison, Harlan. Introduction. Really, Really Dangerous Visions.
        Bantam. New York, 1984.
Falwell, Jerry. "Can Our Young People Find God in the Pages of
        Trashy Magazines? No, Of Course Not!" Reader's Digest August
        1985: 142-157.
Flynt, Larry. "This One's For YOU, Jerry!" (editorial.) Hustler,
        October 1987: 4.
Gardner, Duncan. An Encyclopedia of Science Fiction. Megadodo
        Publications. Betelgeuse IV, 1989.
Johnson, Patricia. An Investigation Into Certain Rigidified
        Indices of Moral Apperception of Science Fiction Writers as
        Demonstrated by Correlated Scoring of Modified Hanna-Barbera
        Systematic Personal Principles Testing. UCD Press. Davis,
        California, 1987.
LaRouche, Lyndon. Queen Elizabeth, Opium, & Science Fiction: The
        Truth About Drugs In America. Frootloops Press. South Bronx,
        1984.
Rosenberg, Joel. "Is Jerry Falwell an Asshole? You Bet!" Analog
        Science Fiction, December 1985: 24-26.
Watt-Evans, Lawrence. Interpreting the neo-Freudian Psychological
        Landscape of Compulsive Readers of Science Fiction, with a
        Special Emphasis on Their Orientation Towards Professors of
        English. GWU Professional Press. Washington, DC, 1986.

                                    ###
===========================================================================

This paper may be reused in honest shenning as long as you eventually give me
credit for it and let me know how it went over...

BTW, lest anyone consider me some sort of dolt for appraising this class as a
"stupid required English class," I should point out that at the time I had been
writing professionally for over eight years (supporting my family for four
years on writing alone), and was unable to convince the department head that I
really, really didn't need a basic composition course.

--
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