I thot the young fans went overboard in their enthusiasm for stf, but after all it's slightly excusable in them. But when middle-aged people talk about the stuff they write for pulps as if it were the finest literature ever written -- ugh, it sickens me. I find it hard to believe that anyone who knows the stf field can't realise that if the whole thing were wiped out tomorrow no one else would give a damn.
Gahh, stfreading is supposed to teach you to think for yourself instead of accepting the opinions of others -- and then everyone obediently swallows Hubbard's crackpot Dianetics simply because Campbell printed it in aSF. No wonder Palmer made a goldmine out of Shaverism -- all you have to do is tell stfreaders that only the fine mind of a fan could grasp this particular bit of hogwash, and they suspend all critical judgement and swallow whatever they're told.
Hubbard might have something revolutionary, for all I know, but until he dishes out facts instead of propaganda, no one can judge. Yet most of fandom is already enthusiastically championing Dianetics without the faintest idea of what it's all about. I wonder what would have happened if Hubbard had sold his article to Palmer rather than Campbell? We'd probably have all the Amazing readers boosting Dianetics and all the fans sneering at it.
Sometimes I think the hydrogen bomb might be a good way to round off this enlightened era.
ahr
Text versions and page scans Judy Bemis
Data entry by Judy Bemis
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