Ummm, no. Just no.
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Yes of course it counts! Maybe I didn’t explained myself properly, I meant it used to be that way, or at least the more hardcore/stereotyped kind of sci-fi/geek also fits that. When Episode VII was released there was a lot of rage against John Boyega, and that was 5 years ago. And I’m not really into gaming but whenever there’s female/non binarie characters in popular/awaited games, there’s always a lot of rage from these same groups.
It has been continually changing for the best, thankfully.
I’m always fascinated by the fact that they speak English but their writing is alien or strange symbols.
The Expanse is my favourite sci fi show in many years and it has a wonderful diverse cast (while except for Cas Anvar) that just feels organic.
Can you explain what you mean by the Cas Anvar comment? I feel like there’s something I’m missing…
Oh…turns out he’s a bad man. I suggest Google.
ETA: so still diverse, just not wonderful.
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It’s worse than that, the empire blew up a planet that they knew was mostly populated by pacifists because there might have been rebels there too.
I bet the Washington Examiner complains whenever an anarchist puts a brick through a bank window too, the right-wing press rarely has the insight to know when they are being hypocrites.
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I used to work with a woman that was named after Nichelle Nichols.
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Unfortunately racism impinges on every aspect of our society, including sci-fi fandoms. (kind of the theme of the thread). Like in most areas, there are plenty of artists and fans who want and promote diversity, but those are not the voices that get amplified. Like in other fields, the people in positions to choose what gets produced and distributed are overly represented by cis-het white men that promote what appeals to them.
Similarly the fans that complain about changes also get amplified more than fans pleading for better representation.
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Obviously it is for narrative purposes, imagine if English speakig crowds should have to get through the painful experience of having to watch an entire movie with subtitles.
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Oh wow you’re right. It turns out the first auto-question you get if you google his name is “What happened with Cas Anvar?”
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I agree with you. I also think that it is “farily new” and still struggling (for the same reasons you stated) that these kind of fandoms are becoming more diverse and open.
I think all that alt right crap also caught these fandoms too early; the only people in my circle of friends that are into that (and consipracy theories, anti vax etc) are extremely geek culture consumers too (mostly sci fi, gaming and fantasy).
Consequences are a hell of a thing!
I know; like fuck our nerdy fandoms, right?
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As I replied before, I failed to express that what I meant was that “nerd/racist/mysoginist” concept was something more prominent and it was changing. Black Panther, for example, wasn’t extremely popular and seen as a Marvel comics icon (like Captain America, Iron Man or Thor) until 2018 but was created in 1966. And even in 2018 there was a lot of people that felt “menaced” by this new era of black super heroes being popular.
I love BB but it is a bubble, we readers/commenters usually agree and share similar points of view or ideas, and that’s why we keep coming back but it’s a jungle out there.
Edit: grammar
The way he was abruptly written out of the show felt reminiscent of “Poochie.”
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Maybe not to you and your personal demographic, yo.
Personally, I know plenty of Blerds (Black Nerds) who were waiting to see Wakanda on the big screen for years before Chadwick Bosman took on the role of T’Challa.
(Rest in Power.)
Weird; we usually hear that claim promoted by those who are irate that many mutants here don’t agree with their opinion, but at least you didn’t use the term “echo chamber.”
Maybe endeavor to be less assumptive about others and how they think…
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This reminds me of the patch naming schema the 4X game Stellaris has taken, each major patch/content release has been named for a Sci-Fi author. They did a bit better on this score though, so far having named patches for CJ Cherryh, Ursula K Le Guin, Mary Shelley and Octavia Butler. (though that is 4 out of 19)
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Did she live up to her namesake?
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That’s the thing-- we all live in our own bubbles, and can’t ever know everything about any subject. The beauty of this place, and others like it, is that they help us share our experiences and get a better, bigger picture of our world.
In general, if you get a large enough group of people together, for any reason, some percentage of it will inevitably wind up being loud-mouthed, obnoxious, reactionary fools. Sci-fi/fantasy fandoms are no exception, unfortunately, and I’ve seen that in action.
Yet some of the most passionately anti-racist, anti-sexist, open-minded and compassionate people I’ve ever known have been fans of at least one sci-fi or fantasy franchise. Years ago, I was a member of a Star Trek fan club that collected clothes and materials for a local Rescue Mission, and volunteered at an annual childrens’ charity picnic. We tried to turn our ideals into reality, and I like to think, in some small way, we succeeded. I’ve also heard of Buffy fans running blood drives, an X-Files group fundraising for Doctors Without Borders in their favorite actor’s name, and other charitable endeavors.
If you consider how often the fantasy/sci-fi genre uses its tales and tropes to illustrate and critique the current culture, it isn’t that surprising.
I think many (if not most) people who like stories of far-off worlds tend to be more open-minded and not-so-connected to the status quo. We find inspiration in idyllic possibilities, and want to see more of them come to life in the world at large. True, not every fan will turn their affections into activism, but I’ve seen it happen often enough through the years to know that sci-fi and fantasy fandoms aren’t the “wretched hive of scum and villainy” that the actions of a few misanthropes imply it is… despite the noise they make when they crawl out from under their slimy little rocks.
But that’s my take, based on several decades of multiple online and RL fandom groups… 
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