Article re: obsessional fannishness

[pegkerr]

From Arts and Letters Daily:

The geek shall inherit the earth. Well, let us hope not. The truth is that most sci fi and fantasy fans are infantile, escapist people, as shallow as they are socially inept... more

.Well, isn't that . . . acerbic. And from someone who counts himself (herself?) a fantasy fan, too. (See, e.g., the author’s defense of Tolkien--which admittedly doesn’t particularly plow any new ground at all.) However, it does touch upon something I’ve been thinking about myself lately, about the difficulty of managing (and perhaps dubious usefulness) of some of my obsessional jags.

Comments?

Comments

[fireriven.livejournal.com]

From that article:

Fiction in these genres can be a terrific tool for exploring ideas, but it cannot satisfy the human urge to find meaning in life and to aspire to a better world. That can only come through confronting the questions that we face in the here and now.

Except that it is by dreaming, by the act of imagination and creation that we advance ourselves and create a better world. Think of what wouldn't exist if we didn't dream the world as other than it is!

I think her (his?) arguments are highly unrealistic and ignore the existence of microcosms in all aspects of life.

I could pick it apart further, but I won't. I've made my main point.