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October 28, 2008

Dr. BDO's Problem Page : Save The Science Fiction!

I Want To Save Science Fiction!

Dear Dr. BDO,

I'm really worried about the future of Science Fiction. I feel that I should be doing to save it, because it is clearly in trouble. Should I be wandering town centres on a weekend to recruit new Science Fiction fans?

Farseeing in Fife

Hello Farseeing. There is something you must know: you cannot construct a model of space and time and events, using string criss-crossing a room, to calculate a moment or an action that causes the salvation of your beloved genre. Asking how you can save Science Fiction is an invalid question. Instead you should enjoy Science Fiction now, read the books, watch the TV, watch the films. Sure, talk about it with your friends, on the internet or in the real world, but you are not obliged to try and save a somewhat arbitrary categorisation of media. You are instead a consumer, sitting in the stream of media consumption, grab what you like as it flows past. Or if you are a creator, then create, and let others consume it. Beyond that, everything is like whispering in the wind.