I don't generally have strong opinions on the Hugos, since for various reasons I don't nominate or vote for them. Of those various reasons, the main one is that I don't really keep up with current SF, and haven't done for some time.
And this is what pisses me off so much about this year's debacle. In previous years, I've been able to use the Hugo nominations list as a quick guide to what's good (or at least what's popular) in current SF - titles I should keep in mind for if I should happen to spot them in a bookshop, or on sale somewhere. Yes, sometimes some less than stellar works make the list, and there's always the inevitable swathe of Who episodes, but in general, I can trust that a large number of diverse individuals would recommend to me that I read/watch/listen to this thing.
The concept of a slate vote - any slate - destroys that trust. The fact that it's a slate from a bunch of intolerable fuckwits, driven by some sort of pathetic fucked up bizarro notion of "justice" over quality, just makes it that much worse. It's no longer a distillation of the wisdom of the crowd - it's a list of things that a small group want to be on the list for political reasons, and there's plenty of them around already. I don't want to have to go and find the non-slate list, and the was-on-the-slate-but-didn't-want-to-be list and so on (I mean, I will, but I'm quite cheesed off that I have to).
The slate has taken the joy out of the Hugos for me. It was previously things an enthusiastic friend might press into my hands, saying "Oh man, you've got to read this! It's great!" Now it's mostly things that some rabid right-wing loudmouth is pushing on me, yelling "YOU MUST READ THIS BECAUSE IT HAS BEEN MARGINILISED BY A CONSPIRACY OF SOCIAL JUSTICE LIBERALS!" "Is it any good?" "IT DOESN'T MATTER!" So, yeah. Fuck them for spoiling something good.
Anyway, thanks for the clear and entertaining explanation of your voting - I'll be keeping in mind those that you and other smart folk I follow have recommended. I'm particularly liking the sound of The Goblin Emperor, which wasn't on my radar at all before all this, so I guess that's one good thing to come out of it.
(no subject)
Date: 2015-07-23 08:32 am (UTC)And this is what pisses me off so much about this year's debacle. In previous years, I've been able to use the Hugo nominations list as a quick guide to what's good (or at least what's popular) in current SF - titles I should keep in mind for if I should happen to spot them in a bookshop, or on sale somewhere. Yes, sometimes some less than stellar works make the list, and there's always the inevitable swathe of Who episodes, but in general, I can trust that a large number of diverse individuals would recommend to me that I read/watch/listen to this thing.
The concept of a slate vote - any slate - destroys that trust. The fact that it's a slate from a bunch of intolerable fuckwits, driven by some sort of pathetic fucked up bizarro notion of "justice" over quality, just makes it that much worse. It's no longer a distillation of the wisdom of the crowd - it's a list of things that a small group want to be on the list for political reasons, and there's plenty of them around already. I don't want to have to go and find the non-slate list, and the was-on-the-slate-but-didn't-want-to-be list and so on (I mean, I will, but I'm quite cheesed off that I have to).
The slate has taken the joy out of the Hugos for me. It was previously things an enthusiastic friend might press into my hands, saying "Oh man, you've got to read this! It's great!"
Now it's mostly things that some rabid right-wing loudmouth is pushing on me, yelling "YOU MUST READ THIS BECAUSE IT HAS BEEN MARGINILISED BY A CONSPIRACY OF SOCIAL JUSTICE LIBERALS!" "Is it any good?" "IT DOESN'T MATTER!"
So, yeah. Fuck them for spoiling something good.
Anyway, thanks for the clear and entertaining explanation of your voting - I'll be keeping in mind those that you and other smart folk I follow have recommended. I'm particularly liking the sound of The Goblin Emperor, which wasn't on my radar at all before all this, so I guess that's one good thing to come out of it.