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Vampire, whole no. 8, December 1946
Page 11
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few girls who has ever become a truly active fan; she participated actively for a half-decade or longer, and was noted for the stinging satires and straight-from-the-shoulder discourses which characterized her fanzine, The Nucleus. Russell Chauvenet was a top man in NFFF, a braintruster in FAPA, and probably the most cogent essayist fandom has yet produced. this article appeared in the Fall 1941 issue of Chauvenet's FAPAzine, Sardonyx: LA CREME DE LA CREME -- Gertrude Kuslan -- Fans are madmen. For the most part, they realize it with a feeling of superiority, and glory smugly in their "broad viewpoints" and "enlightened precepts". What other group is as intelligent, as clever, as enthusiastic, as truly superior? Why, none, of course! Absolutely none! ....Ah, yes, they are madmen, and they admit it freely. Do they know, I wonder, just how deep their madness, their abnormality extends? Do they know why, for the most part, they are in fandom at all? Oh, but they do, they chorus in protest, indeed they do! It is for the common cause of science fiction whose holy exaltation all have sincerely pledged themselves! It is for the truly lofty purpose of envisioning the great dreams (so Joseph Millard tells us in Sun Spots) which will eventually become the realities of tomorrow! Why, fandom is the pioneer group of the future! The wondrous band composed of wonderful mortals -- all who avidly devour fourth rate pulp trash and call it literature -- who are the only link to the great things that will one day be! Ah, yes, they know all that . . . But why don't they stop fooling themselves? They fool no one else. They are in fandom because they suffer from deep-seated inferiority complexes. They are choked and strangled by more inhibitions and phobias and neuroses than the normal mind can stand and still remain normal. And fans are not normal -- they are insane. They are tortured by a feeling of insecurity in the outside world and suffer from a deep feeling of inadequacy. They fear that the outside world is much too great, much too hard, much too ruthless for them to be able to show it that they exist. Alone they are lost and drowned and forgotten, and they do not relish this. For they also have egos, and their egos are not small and confident, as a self-respecting ego should be, but huge, encompassing, and frightened. And also pretty much starved. So they turn to fandom where they find many others like themselves; they turn to a small unorganized group where anyone can have his way; where the smallest small-fry can immediately begin putting his insignificant thoughts on paper and have them read and commented on; where anyone can be a famous fan if he writes enuf stupid trash and publishes enuf sloppy, boastful publications, and joins all the organizations first. He can speak and be heard and fought and appreciated and known. That is what his little heart most desires -- to be known. Since he is not a caliber to make a mark in the great world, as a substitute he makes himself recognized in a small one. He wants desperately to make a big splash somewhere, and fandom is about the only place. And so he splashes away at a great length, and new fans envy his prestige and promptly set out to emulate him. And he quickly subscribes to all the fan magazines ((the guy must be a bloody billionaire)) and soon issues one in exchange, and writes carloads of articles which have already been worked to death, and anxiously scans each new fanzine that arrives to see if his name is men- - 11 -
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few girls who has ever become a truly active fan; she participated actively for a half-decade or longer, and was noted for the stinging satires and straight-from-the-shoulder discourses which characterized her fanzine, The Nucleus. Russell Chauvenet was a top man in NFFF, a braintruster in FAPA, and probably the most cogent essayist fandom has yet produced. this article appeared in the Fall 1941 issue of Chauvenet's FAPAzine, Sardonyx: LA CREME DE LA CREME -- Gertrude Kuslan -- Fans are madmen. For the most part, they realize it with a feeling of superiority, and glory smugly in their "broad viewpoints" and "enlightened precepts". What other group is as intelligent, as clever, as enthusiastic, as truly superior? Why, none, of course! Absolutely none! ....Ah, yes, they are madmen, and they admit it freely. Do they know, I wonder, just how deep their madness, their abnormality extends? Do they know why, for the most part, they are in fandom at all? Oh, but they do, they chorus in protest, indeed they do! It is for the common cause of science fiction whose holy exaltation all have sincerely pledged themselves! It is for the truly lofty purpose of envisioning the great dreams (so Joseph Millard tells us in Sun Spots) which will eventually become the realities of tomorrow! Why, fandom is the pioneer group of the future! The wondrous band composed of wonderful mortals -- all who avidly devour fourth rate pulp trash and call it literature -- who are the only link to the great things that will one day be! Ah, yes, they know all that . . . But why don't they stop fooling themselves? They fool no one else. They are in fandom because they suffer from deep-seated inferiority complexes. They are choked and strangled by more inhibitions and phobias and neuroses than the normal mind can stand and still remain normal. And fans are not normal -- they are insane. They are tortured by a feeling of insecurity in the outside world and suffer from a deep feeling of inadequacy. They fear that the outside world is much too great, much too hard, much too ruthless for them to be able to show it that they exist. Alone they are lost and drowned and forgotten, and they do not relish this. For they also have egos, and their egos are not small and confident, as a self-respecting ego should be, but huge, encompassing, and frightened. And also pretty much starved. So they turn to fandom where they find many others like themselves; they turn to a small unorganized group where anyone can have his way; where the smallest small-fry can immediately begin putting his insignificant thoughts on paper and have them read and commented on; where anyone can be a famous fan if he writes enuf stupid trash and publishes enuf sloppy, boastful publications, and joins all the organizations first. He can speak and be heard and fought and appreciated and known. That is what his little heart most desires -- to be known. Since he is not a caliber to make a mark in the great world, as a substitute he makes himself recognized in a small one. He wants desperately to make a big splash somewhere, and fandom is about the only place. And so he splashes away at a great length, and new fans envy his prestige and promptly set out to emulate him. And he quickly subscribes to all the fan magazines ((the guy must be a bloody billionaire)) and soon issues one in exchange, and writes carloads of articles which have already been worked to death, and anxiously scans each new fanzine that arrives to see if his name is men- - 11 -
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