[ SECRET POST #5099 ]

[case]

⌈ Secret Post #5099 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.


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Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 02 pages, 31 secrets from Secret Submission Post #730.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

Why wouldn't they? It sounds like a distinctive aesthetic and an underrepresented POV in speculative fiction.

[(Anonymous)]

It sounds tacky as fuck and kind of pathetic, and if any of the authors are American also reductive and imperialistic.

[(Anonymous)]

Nayrt

None of that makes any sense and it really sounds like you're just spoiling for a fight

How is it tacky? How on earth is it pathetic? How are you saying, absolutely sight unseen, that it's reductionist? Are you saying it's impossible for any individual American writer to be anti-imperialist? And if you don't know who it's written by, why are you leaping to these conclusions?

[(Anonymous)]

AYRT. Almost all scifi and fantasy tropes (i'm including fantasy because that picture in the secret is fantasy) have arisen from western history, myths, legends and modern history.

So to just transport those over is ridiculous and a little pathetic and tacky. Especially in fantasy.

Then there's Africa itself. We're in post-colonial times, but Africa has shifted from being colonised, to being at the mercy of western globalization, to being at the behest of China who have heavily invested in infrastructure as a sweetener to mining rights, all at a cost that is now coming due. Africa isn't a power and is unlikely to be in the next 200 years at least. Its struggles are overwhelming and yet also mundane - trying to get vaccinations to remote areas (sometimes without the teams doing so being murdered by the suspicious locals), the struggle for basic sanitation, the struggle against malaria, the struggle against corruption, the struggle against gender inequality on a mass scale.

Then technology itself, which hasn't exactly brought unmitigated joy to Africa. Technological waste that is highly toxic and hazardous to human health, yet is still sorted through by those living in desperate conditions who want to try and earn money to survive. Lithium mined by children from the Democratic Republic of Congo.... God there are so many examples of how the global thirst for technology has dicked over some African countries. And unfortunately that will continue to be the case for years to come.

Now for me, decent scifi extrapolates from where we are to where we're going to be. Maybe some actual African authors do that but I can't see how that can be anything other than unrealistic or depressing as fuck.

If we're talking about American authors, I can only imagine how much cultural appropriation and ignorance is going into these fucking things. Black Americans seem to think that being black grants them the cultural rights to any culture that has come from people who aren't white. It's a form of imperialism, ironically enough.

[(Anonymous)]

So to just transport those over is ridiculous and a little pathetic and tacky. Especially in fantasy.

You have no knowledge that's what the genre is doing. You just leaped to that conclusion. "This genre would be bad if it was done in a bad way, so it sounds like a pretty bad genre to me." What kind of sense does that make?

Now for me, decent scifi extrapolates from where we are to where we're going to be. Maybe some actual African authors do that but I can't see how that can be anything other than unrealistic or depressing as fuck.

This seems like it's wrong in three different ways. First, it's an unimaginative definition of science fiction - science fiction can be many different things. One kind of science fiction is extrapolative. But many other kinds can exist. Second, it's a failure of imagination - simply because you can't see a realistic course for optimistic extrapolative African science fiction, you assume no such course exists. Third, it's... not really a critique! Even if what you say is true, the fact that it's depressing doesn't make it bad! It just means it's not to your taste! And it definitely doesn't make it tacky, or pathetic, which is what you called it.

If we're talking about American authors, I can only imagine how much cultural appropriation and ignorance is going into these fucking things. Black Americans seem to think that being black grants them the cultural rights to any culture that has come from people who aren't white. It's a form of imperialism, ironically enough.

I agree that the problems you point to exist.

I don't think saying, as a blanket statement, that every American author necessarily is an imperialist, or every single Black American author does these things, makes sense. Particularly, it seems like you're just ignoring the existence of recent African immigration in America.

And finally, it just seems like none of the points you made really justify coming in - again, with no knowledge of the genre - and saying you don't understand why anyone would read it because it sounds imperialist, pathetic, and tacky to you.

[(Anonymous)]

Nowhere have I claimed this is anything other than my opinion. (Shrugs) All i've done is elaborate on why that is my opinion. Idgaf to be honest whether people agree or not.

[(Anonymous)]

Well, your opinion is incoherent and ill-informed

[sabotabby]

AYRT. Almost all scifi and fantasy tropes (i'm including fantasy because that picture in the secret is fantasy) have arisen from western history, myths, legends and modern history.

lol wut

Then there's Africa itself.

The whole continent? All 54 countries?

Now for me, decent scifi extrapolates from where we are to where we're going to be. Maybe some actual African authors do that but I can't see how that can be anything other than unrealistic or depressing as fuck.

Why would African authors be worse at this than American or European authors? Don't answer that; it was a rhetorical question.

If we're talking about American authors

I thought we were talking about African authors.

Look, I know you're just trying to troll but at least keep your trolling straight within your actual troll post.

[(Anonymous)]

How is it tacky? How on earth is it pathetic? How are you saying, absolutely sight unseen, that it's reductionist? Are you saying it's impossible for any individual American writer to be anti-imperialist? And if you don't know who it's written by, why are you leaping to these conclusions?

They just feel like kicking dirt online for the sake of venting their shittiness.

[(Anonymous)]

And yet I notice you don't have anything concrete to say to the comment where I list my reasons. I think it might just be you venting your shittiness.

[(Anonymous)]

You're just a random online asshole.

[(Anonymous)]

Like how you copped out on responding to the point-by-point takedown above and just u-turned to "It's my opinion, don't come for me uwu"?

Dipshit, you said nothing about this being just your opinion. Your comments are full of objective-sounding statement. You *opened* with a challenge that no one should care about something you know nothing about.

[(Anonymous)]

da, but what makes the subject tacky or pathetic?

[(Anonymous)]

I'm also lost. I assume they're talking about "post-colonial African scifi" written by African authors (as the only cases I can think of are), in which case, why why why would it be tacky or offensive?

[(Anonymous)]

African Science Fiction (https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/african-science-fiction/). It's embarrassing that you shot your mouth off about something you are genuinely ignorant about.

[(Anonymous)]

That article has just confirmed all my suspicions. What a fucking ridiculous genre.

[(Anonymous)]

Man, whatever. You are just a seriously unpleasant human being.

[(Anonymous)]

Yes god forbid someone have an opinion on something.

[(Anonymous)]

God forbid someone spew their unpleasantness all over the place. Being an asshole is a choice and it doesn't make anyone's life more pleasant.

[(Anonymous)]

Nah, you're just being purposefully unpleasant because you want to start something, and maybe feel smug for whatever reason. You need a nap, anon.

+1

[(Anonymous)]

African sci-fi killed the ayrt's parents.

[(Anonymous)]

How do you know feel about the white people sci fi that makes up the other 99% of sci fi?

[(Anonymous)]

Eh, it's a field of pretty slim pickings these days. Unlike the early 20th century when technology seemed full of hope and amazing potential, it's now become clear that the human race will gladly let all sorts of inhuman shit fly so long as we can get cat videos/porn quicker and more conveniently than ever before. Finding actual scifi that seems realistic in the face of that and isn't just grim dark shit is difficult. I think The Expanse novels are the only thing in years that have managed it, and even that's got some grimdark shit going on.

[(Anonymous)]

White and African aren't exactly the only races on Earth, you know.

[(Anonymous)]

If you write about anything else you’re damned if you do and damned if you don’t. Of course there’s only white and black here.