I've never read anything by Ursula K. Le Guin. I think that means you have more science fiction 'street cred' than I do, if one can apply the concept (perhaps the concept, but definitely not the name) to science fiction.
I'm not the biggest fan of LeGuin. We had to read The Dispossessed in high school, which was a very unpleasant experience. But I mean, knowing you, you might like some of her stuff. I just didn't like all the blatant communist/socialist propoganda.
Perhaps because there's no real evil to fear in socialism? I wish it wasn't such a dirty word in American politics. What's wrong with ensuring that everyone has access to health care? Doctors still make plenty of money in countries with socialized health care. They haven't all fled to the U.S. last I checked.
My Le Guin Street CredsiberiannightFebruary 15 2008, 21:14:07 UTC
The concept of street cred and/or indie dick measuring contests can be applied to almost anything besides music. Comics, RPGs ("D20 Sucks" being the RPG equivalent of Coldplay/the Shins hatred), Movies, Literature, Historical Reenactment -- whatever; they can all be reduced to the 'realer' 'indier'-than-thou dynamic, which is the dick measuring form of street cred. Perhaps even philosophy can be described in such terms--"Dude, The Critique isn't Nearly as good as Kant's debut" or the somewhat less overtly competitive "You haven't read the Laws? How the hell can you know anything about Plato if you haven't read The Laws?"
I've read all three original Earthsea books, the first when I was in 7th grade and the other two later in highschool, and I really liked them. Any 'meaning' behind the first was lost on me, but the next two were -quite- Buddhist. So I guess I do have more sci-fi/fantasy streetcred than thou on this account, but I've never read Dune, so go figure. Will
Re: My Le Guin Street CredanathelenFebruary 22 2008, 04:27:49 UTC
I like(d) The Shins.
You make me hate all my favorite music, Will.
Dick measuring happens in every field. I have seen ugly one-upping contests between aging female weavers along hardware lines ("I've got an 8-harness 60" countermarche loom." "Oh yeah, well, mine's computer-guided."), experience ("Indian silk is my favorite, honestly - I've worked with Chinese, and it just doesn't have the strength"), and taste ("Nappy tabbies are sooo last year." "Browns are all the rage in New Zealand.").
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Did you just call me a communist?
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I've read all three original Earthsea books, the first when I was in 7th grade and the other two later in highschool, and I really liked them. Any 'meaning' behind the first was lost on me, but the next two were -quite- Buddhist. So I guess I do have more sci-fi/fantasy streetcred than thou on this account, but I've never read Dune, so go figure.
Will
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You make me hate all my favorite music, Will.
Dick measuring happens in every field. I have seen ugly one-upping contests between aging female weavers along hardware lines ("I've got an 8-harness 60" countermarche loom." "Oh yeah, well, mine's computer-guided."), experience ("Indian silk is my favorite, honestly - I've worked with Chinese, and it just doesn't have the strength"), and taste ("Nappy tabbies are sooo last year." "Browns are all the rage in New Zealand.").
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