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Fan Slants, v. 1, issue 1, September 1943
Page 18
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18..................................................................FAN SLANTS [title in large rounded text] EDITORIAL THOUGHTS ON FAN ORGANIZATION Things are happening in sciencefiction fandom. The war has temporarily deprived us of some of our top fans. Most of those now in the service have had to drop all fan activity, depending on us to carry on until such time as they can return to the field. Until that time, it is up to us to do as much as possible to keep fandom on or near the high plane of pre-war days. As most of you now, the National Fantasy Fan Federation has folded or is at best slowly dying. This is a serious matter. If it (the NFFF) is to be revived or if any other organization is to take its place, its program should take into account the best interests of all fandom. Any such or-ganization must be liberal enought o admit the neophytes and yet have enough pres-tige so that those who have worked so long to make fandom what it is will be able to give it their whole-hearted cooperation without feeling that they are taking part in something that is merely "amateurish" or "fly-by-night". They will only participate in an organization that they can be proud of. Just as important is the right of the new fans to be able to enter whole-heartedly into an organization that they know is for them---one in which they can learn the finer points of fantasy appreciation with out being subjected to ridicule every time they make an error. Any organization which undertakes to accomplish these two things has ahead of it a lot of hard work. It will, as can be expected, make errors and blunders that will do it no good. But if it has complete cooperation from all concerned it could and would be a huge success. The program of such an organization would be liberal in its viewpoints yet careful and cautious in carrying out its activities. The first object of any fan organization is to improve, if possible, the pro ma-terial to which fans are subjected. This can be done only if a majority of the pro-mag readers are represented. At no time has fandom comprised more than a handful of the pro-mag readers. I believe it was Campbell who once said "If all the members of the organized fandom were to boycott our publications, it would not make any appreciable difference in our circulation." This, unfortunately, is the undeniable truth. We must represent a majority of the pro-mags' readership to secure any results in that sphere. The second goal of sciencefiction fandom is---and this is the desire of nearly all members---to better the condition of the world as it is now. The majority feels that something better must come out of the present chaos if the human race is to survive and continue progress. Unfortunately, there is at present very little that we, either as a group or as individuals, can do to influence the general public. The sooner we realize this, the better off we will be. It is up to the interested parties to work hard through fandom and other organizations to build up a definite program which will supercede any of those offered today. Because we are fans of a type of literature that is looked down upon by the av-erage man---either through exposure to material like that in the Ziff-Davis publica-tions, or due merely to plain ignorance, we are considered crackpots and fanatics. This could be remedied if more people were brought into contact with such fantasy novels as "Odd John", "The New Adam", "Slan!", "The Ark of Fire", and other great contemporary works. We also must continue to insist on the appearance of this bet-ter material---in quantity---in the pro-mags. Not until science-fiction has reached a level of accomplishment high enough to secure favorable public recognition can we hope to present our ideas for world betterment. In the interim, we will be at a dis-tinct disadvantage. I would whole-heartedly support any organization which pledged itself to carry out a constructive program, and I do not doubt there are others who feel the same way. A fan group with these ideas as the basis of its activities can bring our hobby out of its present obscurity and make it a worthwhile activity in the eyes of the public, instead of "the useless plaything of a bunch of kids who never grew up."
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18..................................................................FAN SLANTS [title in large rounded text] EDITORIAL THOUGHTS ON FAN ORGANIZATION Things are happening in sciencefiction fandom. The war has temporarily deprived us of some of our top fans. Most of those now in the service have had to drop all fan activity, depending on us to carry on until such time as they can return to the field. Until that time, it is up to us to do as much as possible to keep fandom on or near the high plane of pre-war days. As most of you now, the National Fantasy Fan Federation has folded or is at best slowly dying. This is a serious matter. If it (the NFFF) is to be revived or if any other organization is to take its place, its program should take into account the best interests of all fandom. Any such or-ganization must be liberal enought o admit the neophytes and yet have enough pres-tige so that those who have worked so long to make fandom what it is will be able to give it their whole-hearted cooperation without feeling that they are taking part in something that is merely "amateurish" or "fly-by-night". They will only participate in an organization that they can be proud of. Just as important is the right of the new fans to be able to enter whole-heartedly into an organization that they know is for them---one in which they can learn the finer points of fantasy appreciation with out being subjected to ridicule every time they make an error. Any organization which undertakes to accomplish these two things has ahead of it a lot of hard work. It will, as can be expected, make errors and blunders that will do it no good. But if it has complete cooperation from all concerned it could and would be a huge success. The program of such an organization would be liberal in its viewpoints yet careful and cautious in carrying out its activities. The first object of any fan organization is to improve, if possible, the pro ma-terial to which fans are subjected. This can be done only if a majority of the pro-mag readers are represented. At no time has fandom comprised more than a handful of the pro-mag readers. I believe it was Campbell who once said "If all the members of the organized fandom were to boycott our publications, it would not make any appreciable difference in our circulation." This, unfortunately, is the undeniable truth. We must represent a majority of the pro-mags' readership to secure any results in that sphere. The second goal of sciencefiction fandom is---and this is the desire of nearly all members---to better the condition of the world as it is now. The majority feels that something better must come out of the present chaos if the human race is to survive and continue progress. Unfortunately, there is at present very little that we, either as a group or as individuals, can do to influence the general public. The sooner we realize this, the better off we will be. It is up to the interested parties to work hard through fandom and other organizations to build up a definite program which will supercede any of those offered today. Because we are fans of a type of literature that is looked down upon by the av-erage man---either through exposure to material like that in the Ziff-Davis publica-tions, or due merely to plain ignorance, we are considered crackpots and fanatics. This could be remedied if more people were brought into contact with such fantasy novels as "Odd John", "The New Adam", "Slan!", "The Ark of Fire", and other great contemporary works. We also must continue to insist on the appearance of this bet-ter material---in quantity---in the pro-mags. Not until science-fiction has reached a level of accomplishment high enough to secure favorable public recognition can we hope to present our ideas for world betterment. In the interim, we will be at a dis-tinct disadvantage. I would whole-heartedly support any organization which pledged itself to carry out a constructive program, and I do not doubt there are others who feel the same way. A fan group with these ideas as the basis of its activities can bring our hobby out of its present obscurity and make it a worthwhile activity in the eyes of the public, instead of "the useless plaything of a bunch of kids who never grew up."
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