MORE DoomyDoomDOoom with DOOooOOoom Sauce for HUGO!

[seawasp]

Y'know, the Gloomy SF Is Better movement is now *FORTY YEARS OLD*. The original New Wavers are dead or reaching the end of their careers. Don't you think it's time to GIVE IT AN F'ING REST? I mean, really, picking WATERS OF MARS ,of ALL the Doctor Who you could have chosen?

Yes, I know. I'm USED to awards being given to the stuff that's worst, but it does get a bit WEARING after a while. Hell, it's not like the Grand Finale this year was all sweetness and light; it was pretty grim. But it didn't involve grade-A choice stupidity AS WELL as doomy doom dooOoooOooom.

(I can't judge most of the others, not having read 'em. But I know what Charles Stross writes, and I find it likely that there's a lot of doominess in it.)

Comments

[murstein.livejournal.com]

The whole country is on a "We're doomed! Doomed, I say!" kick. It would be surprising if a little didn't spill over into fandom.

[seawasp]

But like I said, this isn't just NOW spilling into fandom, it's part of something that seems to have been fairly common over at least the past 40 years (the so-called New Wave).

[jordan179.livejournal.com]

The usual point being to create an "If This Goes On..." scenario, take it deadly serious, and assume that everyone in the fictional universe is a complete idiot so that the world ends because nobody can find their left socks, or something like that :)

[murstein.livejournal.com]

No, it's not just now spilling over. But a reinforcement is, rather like when you're almost-but-not-quite over the flu, and are visited by someone infected with a completely different strain.

[autopope.livejournal.com]

What country would this be?

(Hint: I'm not American.)

[murstein.livejournal.com]

Good point. I spend enough time arguing economics with Americans who have confused political ideology with economic history, that it's easy to forget when my words are likely to have a wider audience.

I'm referring to the US. On the other hand, I thought I detected the same, in a stiff-upper-lip fashion, from the latest British election, too. On the gripping hand, this year's Worldcon was held in Australia, which seems to have managed better in the recent global downturn than anyone else in the world.

Perhaps it's just a matter of fashion, like this little gem of despair?