Will Shetterly's Blog, page 46

Did anyone ever say women are destroying science fiction? No.

 I shared this on Facebook and Twitter: Has anyone in the last fifty years actually said women are ruining science fiction? When I was a boy in the early '60s, one of my first faves was the ubiquitous Andre Norton. By then, her readers knew she was female. Because of her, I thought Andre was a girl's name. A lot of discussion follows on both sites, but after several days of discussion and

There are no male or female brains

Scans prove there's no such thing as a 'male' or 'female' brain | New Scientist: ...there is no such thing as a female or male brain, according to the first search for sex differences across the entire human brain. It reveals that most people have a mix of male and female brain features. And it also supports the idea that gender is non-binary, and that gender classifications in many situations

today's example of the heartlessness of left identitarianism

Tweeted by someone whose account has been suspended: This is the inevitable conclusion of race and gender reductionism. ETA: Two examples of black identitarians mocking poor white people

Yes or no? Superman was the first superhero

"...like the pulps before them, comic books and comic strips contained all the elements of the superhero — the powers, the mission, the identity — but it took Siegel and Shuster to put them all together into Superman." —Peter Coogan Yes Superheroes owe so much to Superman that they use his name—if Superman had the name of his first imitator, Wonder Man, we would speak today of wonderheroes

On private censorship: social media sites are like printers, not publishers

A popular argument in support of social media censorship is that publishers aren’t obliged to publish anyone who submits to them. Which is true. It’s why you can run your social media site as you please and block anyone you please. “My site, my rules” applies to all publishers. But social media sites are not publishers. They’re publishing platforms. We, the users, are the publishers. The social

Two points about private censorship by Sarah Wunsch of the ACLU

When Clark University invited Norman Finkelstein to speak, then canceled the speech in response to protesters, Sarah Wunsch of the ACLU wrote: ...the cancellation of his speech violates the basic principles of freedom of speech and academic freedom which are so fundamental to an institute of higher learning. The existence of an opportunity to speak at another time or in another location does

Skintight costumes—why the Domino Lady may have been as important as the Phantom in the creation of Superman

Historians of the superhero call the Phantom the first superhero for one reason: Early in 1936, two years before Superman's first appearance, the Phantom wore a skintight costume. He met other criteria for being a superhero, but they're much older than comics or cartoons: he used an alias and wore a mask. A skintight costume makes sense in cartooning. The Phantom deserves to be called the first

A reminder for Clinton fans: more Sanders supporters voted for Clinton in 2016 than Clinton supporters voted for Obama in 2008

I recommend reading Did enough Bernie Sanders supporters vote for Trump to cost Clinton the election?, but if you're too busy or too lazy, here are the essential bits: Based on data from the 2008 Cooperative Campaign Analysis Project, a YouGov survey that also interviewed respondents multiple times during the campaign, 24 percent of people who supported Clinton in the primary as of March 2008

Weaponizing the disabled for censorship and plastics

I've seen two examples, perhaps on the same day, of using the disabled to defend bad policies: 1. To promote language policing: The Nation Apologies for Publishing an 'Ableist' Poem - Hit & Run : Reason.com 2. To promote the plastics industry: Disability group wants pause on straw ban campaign - BBC News. Paper straws work. Yes, they can get soft if you take a long time with one. Then you get

If you think banning plastic straws is a mistake

I’m seeing three popular complaints with banning disposable plastic straws: 1. It’s not a complete solution. Literally no one is saying that it is. Change has to start somewhere. 2. It inconveniences disabled people. No one is talking about banning all disposable straws. Paper bendy straws are still available. As for Starbucks offering paper straws wrapped in plastic, meh. Straw dispensers