The Hugos as a Microcosm

Written by the illustrious Jay Swanson

How the Hugos Demonstrated One of Our Greatest Shortcomings

The primary thing missing from public discourse in the United States is empathy. The effort required to stop and listen to one’s opponent, to truly understand them before entering into debate, seems a higher cost than most are willing to pay. Without compassion, there are no winners. Which means at this point, puppy or no, we’re all panning out to be losers.

Let me open by saying that on both personal and professional levels, I had a great time at Sasquan (the 73rd World Science Fiction Convention – Worldcon). It was basically in my home town, and in spite of the smoke the experience was relatively untarnished for me. My main goal was to meet other writers and make friends of all types while drawing a few new eyeballs to Into the Nanten; I left the convention having exceeded my expectations on all fronts.

The r/fantasy crew were central to the entire experience for me and we had a blast together. That said, as you probably know, it wasn’t all roses.

Puppies – The Controversy

-Feel free to skip this part if you’re aware of what’s going on.-

A quick summary, as many of my readers are probably unaware that there was any controversy (if not also unaware that Worldcon/the Hugos existed in the first place):

Basically a group of people (broken into two groups, the Sad and Rabid Puppies) claimed that the Hugos, as an award, were skewed towards what they called “Social Justice Warriors,” stating that the Hugos were only being handed out to books that fit a particularly “liberal” bent – basically they said you’re more likely to get an award for featuring a black transgender protagonist than for how good your writing actually is. They hijacked the nomination process and swept the ballot in many categories.

Things got nasty and in the end the community decided to refuse any awards in five of those categories. “No Award” had only been given to five individual categories over the course of the entire history of the convention up to that point. In one night, that number doubled. It was historic, and it left an impression to witness first hand.

I won’t get into the details, but there is a fantastic summary of it all on Nathaniel Givens’ blog. He comes across as fairly neutral, and I’d suggest giving it a read if you haven’t already.

-Stop Skipping Here-

Overall, I didn’t feel like the controversy with the Puppies (both Sad and Rabid) had much effect on the convention at large. They weren’t visibly present, and if they were around at all they didn’t speak up much. Things proceeded smoothly up to and through the Hugo ceremony on Saturday night. Depending on who you ask.

Compassion – An Endangered Species

As a new member of the Worldcon community, I left with mixed feelings to the response of each “No Award” announced. I knew one of the guys on the ballot for Best Fancast and I was rooting for him. It was when they called another name I was shocked, but then told that the reason was likely because he was on the Puppy slate. As things progressed, and I imagined I knew someone in each successive category, I didn’t like that people cheered what felt like their losses. They didn’t put themselves there – though many certainly deserved recognition for all of their hard work – and yet everyone in that auditorium applauded when it was announced that no one deserved an award that year for each category.

I realize that the cheering overall was in response to the statement effectively made by the community: You can’t hijack our awards. But to those nominees who found themselves swept up in a controversy that they had no part in creating or propagating, there was a different cheer heard: Get the f*ck out.

While I don’t know how everyone on the Puppy Slates got there, I do know that a lot of the nominees either had no idea it was happening, or were displeased to discover they were on it (two different nominations were withdrawn for this reason). Being nominated for a Hugo is a huge honor, something many people dream of, and to have it tainted by outside politics like this was heartbreaking for many.

They are all of them creators. While there are a select few who I’m sure behaved badly, you don’t want to burn the village to the ground in your zeal to kill a couple of witches. Even though their nominations were tainted by the Puppy coven, it’s no reason to grab your pitchfork. Most of the nominees had no real idea what was going on – all they were trying to do was make great stuff.

In many of the discussions and articles I’ve seen online, there is little discussion of who I would obviously describe as the victims of this situation: the nominees themselves. Even then, there’s less real discussion between the Puppies and the rest. A lot of nasty lies have been flung from both sides of the aisle, along with name calling and plenty of shouting to go around.

My Request – A Reboot

As the “gentlemen’s agreement” surrounding the voting system of the Hugos has been broken, I do think that reform is warranted. However, I think that as we enter into another year leading up to the next Worldcon, we should focus on resetting the discourse. There are some really harsh, dark things being said across and between all three parties locked in this controversy.

What seems quickly forgotten is that there is a real corner of the community inhabited by real people who have been negatively affected by all of this. I was not, but I know people who have been (and got invited to a party full of them after the Hugos award ceremony).

There is a group of people who feel that things have gone awry, and another that thinks things were great the way they were. Between them have been swept up a number of people who were and continue to be great fans and creators in the community.

Whether or not you agree with the Puppies or the non-Puppies, it’s important to take the time to fully understand each point of view before summarily dismissing either. This has been made all the more difficult by the variety of shots taken on both sides, but if we could just lay down our torches and try to resume civil discourse rather than trying to burn each other to death, I think it would be well worth it.

And let’s not forget that while the Puppies were proven a vocal minority, they came from a place of true frustration. How we understand the grievances of the minority, and how we deal with those grievances, says a lot about who we are.

America – A Larger Problem

This lack of ability to understand each other isn’t localized just within fandom. Our unwillingness to slow down and speak with those peers who disagree with us has become an American norm (I can’t speak for the rest of the world). What happened with the Hugos is merely a shadow of the specter of disunity that looms high above the country. Whatever your politics, whether you vote red, blue, or some strange amalgamation of purple, there’s a good chance that you simultaneously feel your side isn’t understood well enough – and still many never take the time to listen themselves.

This is ultimately my call: to listen.

Ask questions, understand the responses, then if you still disagree, do so after adjusting your position to reflect what the person in front of you actually believes. This is hard. I realize that. I don’t really want to do it myself, but nothing is going to change until we do – and the anger kindled within these exchanges will only continue to grow. Just because the Sad/Rabbid Puppies were shut down this year doesn’t mean they’re any less frustrated or hurt. Odds are good it means they are moreso.

And that should matter – it does matter – we should seek reconciliation, not to prove that we are right or that our opinions are superior.

Hugos – How it Could Have Been

My real experience with the Hugos began last Saturday, even if I voted months beforehand (and only on like two things because I was too late to vote on most). So I’d like to address what I saw. I do think it was important, considering how everything had escalated, to send a message that said “It is not OK to hijack the Hugos.” That is a fair statement to make, and the “No Award” handed down as a result was not unfair. It was in how they were handed down that mattered.

It’s important to realize that real people were sitting in that auditorium, their hearts in their throats, their hopes burgeoning that maybe, just maybe, they would win something that night. It’s hard enough not winning an award. It’s doubly so when people applaud the fact that no one won it.

Rather than applaud (of which I’m guilty on a few counts), it would have been more appropriate had I simply nodded quietly in approval. In the same moment, it would have been good to reach out and offer comfort to one of the nominees if they had been nearby. Just to say, “Hey, I realize this sucks, but there’s always next year.”

Hugos – Moving Forward

How should we handle all of this moving forward? That’s the question I’d like to raise. The controversy isn’t over, so how we carry ourselves into the next year will determine a lot. I’d like to take this moment to remind everyone involved that it doesn’t matter how the other side acts, you’re only responsible for how you do.

So how will you?

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