Sitting in the dealers’ room at the 2025 World Science Fiction Convention (WorldCon) in Seattle. Wearing my replica TNG-era com badge and Starfleet delta earrings. I didn’t wear my Manticoran Navy officer’s uniform because my involvement in the TRMN has waned significantly. A gentleman sitting at the same table is wearing his uniform, and I said, “Go Manticore!”, but he ignored me.
My publisher threatened to take away my author card if I didn’t autograph copies of my books at his table. So, if you want some autographed books, you can head over to Water Dragon Publishing, or, better yet, send me an email and I’ll be happy to address an autograph to you personally.
The first ribbon I attached to my member badge says, “No Kings.” I picked it up at the registration desk before I even obtained my dealer badge (ribbon). Dozens of people have asked me where I got it, and when I tell them, they respond, “There weren’t any there when I went through registration.”
Sorry, dude. Can’t help you with that. I haven’t seen many No Kings ribbons, so I’m thinking they may have been a limited run.
I’m not seeing many panels on today’s schedule that I want to attend, but there is one at 19:30 tonight that looks interesting:
Why Does the Alt-Right Love Science Fiction?
The description: Over the past few decades, there have been attempts to co-opt science fiction in support of racist, sexist, and classist political movements. Even works such as Star Trek, Neuromancer, and The Dispossessed have been claimed by alt-right leaders as foundational texts for their awful worldviews. Why does the alt-right love science fiction, and what problematic assumptions are coded into the genre that cause it to be open to these interpretations?
First off, anyone who wonders, “When did Star Trek become so woke?” has had their head up their butt since 1966.
Second, I’m well aware that embracing science fiction fandom has placed me solidly in a progressive echo chamber. If the bulk of Sci-Fi fans had their druthers, The Felon and his cronies, along with all the White Christian Nationalists, would have been launched into a parallel universe long ago, where they can play out their Project 2025-basedmasturbatory fantasies without bothering other people.
That’s not to say that there aren’t any Republicans at the Con today, but they tend to keep their political opinions to themselves and quietly back out of conversations that turn political. And they tend to be the kind of Republican who’d vote for Eisenhower or Nixon, but not The Felon.
Thirdly, I have a dinner engagement tonight, but if I can get back to the Con before 19:30, I’ll attend this panel.
What do I do about the echo chamber? Truthfully, not much. I remind myself that the loudest progressives are just as guilty of not fact-checking their talking points as Fox News is. I mean, really, people just don’t google it when it supports their agenda.
Apropos of nothing, here is a Hawaiian Dalek.
Memoirs of an Earthling 