I find that a problem in a lot of literature from the 1970s and 1980s: back then, it was novel and somehow forward thinking to even address these things, to acknowledge it. Over time, we realise just how ham-handed most those first attempts are, and now they come off more creepy and juvenile than mature.
Which, really, is another problem with science fiction in general: it tries to project into the future how things might turn out, how society may change, but the authors often make false assumptions about which mores will carry into the future. The chauvinism is only visible in the rearview mirror, and can get in the way of grasping the author’s intent. It’s why I find the changes made by AppleTV+ to Foundation quite enjoyable, as it’s the tale of what Hari Seldon set up with the Foundation that is interesting, not so much the political manoeuvering of a cigar-chomping mayor or the gushing 1950s love affair with nuclear power.
Science fiction simply has the problem that it has a freshness date, and it’s pretty damn hard to see which examples will age gracefully, and which will become chintzy and lose life.
