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From: henry%clemson.csnet@csnet-relay.arpa
Newsgroups: net.sf-lovers
Subject: The Problems With Science Fiction Today - a reply
Message-ID: <2139@topaz.ARPA>
Date: Thu, 30-May-85 03:16:08 EDT
Article-I.D.: topaz.2139
Posted: Thu May 30 03:16:08 1985
Date-Received: Fri, 31-May-85 04:39:44 EDT
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Organization: Rutgers Univ., New Brunswick, N.J.
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From: Henry Vogel <henry%clemson.csnet@csnet-relay.arpa>

I have one question for Davis Tucker: Who died and appointed you Ghod?
You throw forth your opinions as if they were fact. They are not. Absolutely
ALL artistic appreciation is opinion. Nothing else. Just because a majority
may agree with your opinion (which, I believe, is not the case now), that
does not make the opinion RIGHT. You have your opinions and I have mine.
Don't try to foist yours off on me as the Word from on high.

Also, I think you've lost the ability - if you ever had it - to read for fun,
for enjoyment. If no one read for fun, the publishing industry would be
practically non-existant. As for science fiction, it would never have gone
beyond The War of the Worlds (an excellent book, but the field doesn't end
with that one title).

On top of all that, you give the impression that you believe science fiction
to be the last refuge for the hack writer. That's rediculous. Go to a book
store and look at the bestsellers list. Just about every writer on the list
would most likely fit your definition of hack. Even the worst of the science
fiction hacks has got to be better than Barbara Cartland. However, she has
written lots of books (only one plot, I believe, but lots of books) and they
sell quite well. As for television and Star Trek, consider that there are at
least two episodes of the Dukes of Hazzard for every one Star Trek. Face it,
hacks are everywhere. Some of the mainstream hacks have even tried to write
science fiction (it doesn't strike me as quite fair to use Gore Vidal and
Doris Lessing as your only examples of mainstream writers - they represent
a very small minority of the ones who have tried to write sf) and most of
them have failed miserably.

Try thinking your arguements out a little more thoroughly next time, please.
And then present them as what they are - opinions.

Henry Vogel
henry%clemson.csnet@csnet-relay.arpa