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From: chabot@amber.DEC (Lisa Chabot)
Newsgroups: net.women.only
Subject: Polling women about Sturgeon
Message-ID: <2117@decwrl.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 28-Jun-84 10:04:22 EDT
Article-I.D.: decwrl.2117
Posted: Thu Jun 28 10:04:22 1984
Date-Received: Sun, 1-Jul-84 03:37:47 EDT
Organization: DEC Engineering Network
Lines: 32

I would like to hear from women who have read works by Theodore Sturgeon:
can you tell me your reactions to it?  Also, I am curious to hear any tales
of women citing "Sturgeon's Law".

Here are my reactions:  I tried it, I didn't like it--I found the stories
I read to be lacking in the far-reaching insight implied by recommendations
of friends or other science fiction readers.  I also found enough distasteful
sexism to keep me from wanting to read more.  Quoting "Sturgeon's Law" (which
says something on the order of 90% of everything is crap) is done as a
demonstration of sophistication and worldliness; the sophistication comes, as
it does in science fiction and other literary forms, from showing that one is
well-read, the worldliness from the cynicism of the statement. Of the times I
have heard the law quoted, I can only think of men saying it. It is possible
that women, brought up to be "nice" and soft-spoken, choke over "crap", but
"garbage" could be substituted without dilluting the force much--however,
perhaps the cynicism is what women choke over?

I'm an old cynic, and my mouth hasn't been clean since I landed in 
Massachusetts; I don't spout "Sturgeon's Law" because I don't think it's worth
saying for either its wit or philosophical weight.

If any women out there are still reading, and can call up the courage to drop
the "nice girl" behavior and shout across this flood of men what you think of
Sturgeon and what you say of Sturgeon (good, bad, indifferent, agreeable, or
>gasp< disagreeable), I need it.

	Thanks,
	L S Chabot

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