The 2015 Hugo Awards: a win for science fiction.

[mckitterick]

A few words on the results of this year's Hugo Awards, and how it was a win for science fiction.

It's science-fiction's job to point out the problems of the world. When we see the dominant paradigm as harmful, we seek change. We're subversive and transgressive.

Hierarchical, conservative, or privileged people and organizations don't like to hear what

Comments

[pointoforigin]

When we were in Washington DC last week, we saw an exhibit of the paintings of Caillebotte at the National Gallery. This reminds me of some of the comments made about his paintings by members of the French art establishment of the time. They rejected a painting he submitted for exhibition, of workers scraping a floor, because the subject wasn't suitable for art. They mocked one of his portraits because one hand wasn't visible and they thought the other one was too big. There was always some reason why this new kind of painting wasn't up to their standards. But now it's in a world-famous museum, immortalized for all their bluster. Change comes, whether welcome or not.

One thing I like about Callebotte is that he included modern realities in his paintings, like trains and railway bridges--and even though he was an Impressionist, he included details like the rivets on the bridges!

Anyway, I like your analysis of events.

[mckitterick]

Thank you for sharing that! What an interesting bit of art history, and, I think, relevant to what I was trying to say.

[sf_reader]

I expect the Puppies to be back stronger next year. They got a ton of publicity and ruined the Hugos. They won.

[mckitterick]

I suspect they'll _try_, but doubt they'll get any traction. Check out this great Salon piece.