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Banshee, whole no. 4, March 1944
Page 16
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16 * * * Banshee CYNICISM OR CRITICISM by Tom Daniel There are a couple of things that stand out to every reader of fantasy fiction, whether new or old, and whether active fan or not. These are the extremely noticeable frankness, and its badly suited partner, cynicism, of the fans. For it is possible to be very frank in making criticisms and statements and still be within the bounds of the term, "critic." What is happening is that too many of fandom's cohorts are taking that as a rather broad term and adding to much scorn to their remarks. Scorn of another is an admission of shortcomings in ourselves! So fans are Slans, eh? Not by a long shot if they can ridicule others of their own ranks. On, you will say in self-defense, another way of puffing outselves up in our own minds to justify those same shortcomings, "They don't show the intelligence necessary to be good members of fandom. They are obtuse, vulgas, procrastinating, and belittling." If, in pronouncing such sentence upon them, we do so in public and noisily, we oureslves haev become members of the hated band. True, there are such who cause trouble and breed ill feeling and unrest in the ranks of the chosen, but who has been set up as the all-important being able to point the finger at each and every one and say, "He is good" or "He is bad"? I'm afraid it won't work that way for any type, Age, color, sex, or creed; there is no line of demarcation. When those of us who are called old-timers were thirteen or fourteen years old, naive and full of the first thrill of our great discovery, who was there of the age of twenty or thirty to point the finger of scorn and laugh at our youthful straightforwardness? Would we have survived the storm of protest at this invasion of their sacred ground by this horde of brats and upstarts? Maybe some would, but there would be the same number of blasted hopes and ideals as of today. We can't ostracize such hopeful idealism. We have become cynical, used to all the diversions and ideas behind this, out one common denominator. Nor do I put myself in any separate category. I have felt the same tide of loose thinking and worldly-wise opinion, maybe even before the normal time of adulthood. But I have kept my ideals. Maybe I have too many of them, that I don't know. They have kept me happy and able to cope
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16 * * * Banshee CYNICISM OR CRITICISM by Tom Daniel There are a couple of things that stand out to every reader of fantasy fiction, whether new or old, and whether active fan or not. These are the extremely noticeable frankness, and its badly suited partner, cynicism, of the fans. For it is possible to be very frank in making criticisms and statements and still be within the bounds of the term, "critic." What is happening is that too many of fandom's cohorts are taking that as a rather broad term and adding to much scorn to their remarks. Scorn of another is an admission of shortcomings in ourselves! So fans are Slans, eh? Not by a long shot if they can ridicule others of their own ranks. On, you will say in self-defense, another way of puffing outselves up in our own minds to justify those same shortcomings, "They don't show the intelligence necessary to be good members of fandom. They are obtuse, vulgas, procrastinating, and belittling." If, in pronouncing such sentence upon them, we do so in public and noisily, we oureslves haev become members of the hated band. True, there are such who cause trouble and breed ill feeling and unrest in the ranks of the chosen, but who has been set up as the all-important being able to point the finger at each and every one and say, "He is good" or "He is bad"? I'm afraid it won't work that way for any type, Age, color, sex, or creed; there is no line of demarcation. When those of us who are called old-timers were thirteen or fourteen years old, naive and full of the first thrill of our great discovery, who was there of the age of twenty or thirty to point the finger of scorn and laugh at our youthful straightforwardness? Would we have survived the storm of protest at this invasion of their sacred ground by this horde of brats and upstarts? Maybe some would, but there would be the same number of blasted hopes and ideals as of today. We can't ostracize such hopeful idealism. We have become cynical, used to all the diversions and ideas behind this, out one common denominator. Nor do I put myself in any separate category. I have felt the same tide of loose thinking and worldly-wise opinion, maybe even before the normal time of adulthood. But I have kept my ideals. Maybe I have too many of them, that I don't know. They have kept me happy and able to cope
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