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Fantasy Commentator, v. 1, issue 5, Winter 1944-1945
Page 86
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86 FANTASY COMMENTATOR I am also told by our serious thinkers that science-fiction has become a haven for those who are either incapable of taking up a technical career or too lazy to do so. Such statements are so obviously false that they scarcely deserve any attention. Speaking for myself, I have been practicing engineering in a highly technical field for over twenty-five years, and for nearly the same number have been an instructor in numerous phases of electrical engineering and yet strangely enough I still read the science-fiction and fantasy magazines. Another group of the intelligentsia seems to think that Fascism, Communism and other petty -isms are proper and suitable subjects for discussion and debate in the science-fiction fan magazines and fantasy organizations. Shades of Verne, Reade and Serviss! It was bad enough to put up with Esperanto and the trick-work faddists---but it is a sorry state of affairs when practically every fan magazine one reads is cluttered up with Leftists, Rightists and their -isms. Science-fiction fandom has sunk to an extremely low estate, and the blame falls squarely on the shoulders of the fans and their own publications --- with some little assistance from the professional magazines. Beginning in the days of The Time Traveller, The Fantasy Fan and Fantasy Fanzine, I have contributed to and supported innumerable fan magazines. In most cases, it was money thrown away. Very few of the later magazines have even remotely approached Fantasy Magazine or The Fantasy Fan in interest or quality. Many of these magazines should never have seen the light of day, and very few were missed when they suspended publication. But each one shares some of the responsibility for unloosing a litter of misbegotten offspring. The spawn of science-fiction magazines? Precocious youngsters whose only desire was to see their names in print. Irresponsible amateur editors who abandoned their magazines without even excuse or apology to their subscribers; editors who planned so carelessly they changed the size of their endeavor two or three times in as many issues; editors who discontinued their magazines and callously announced that subscribers would receive some other pamphlet or other to fill out their subscriptions; editors who announced their magazines and after months of delay distributed a few sheets of wise-cracks and asked the subscriber what he was going to do about it; editors who accept subscriptions and sent the magazines only after months of follow-ups; editors who mutilated and distorted articles without advising writers who contributed them; and editors who made no effort to safeguard their subscribers from misleading advertising. Second-hand magazine dealers who profit shamelessly at the expense of youthful collectors. Even more reprehensible, the fans (?) who buy and sell magazines and excerpts at prices raised far above their intrinsic value either from the viewpoint of age or scarcity. Fans who deliberately alter titles of stories in their advertising in order to mislead prospective buyers. Stories of plagiarism and plot stealing, of double-crossing and ballot-box crookery. Tales of thugs brought into meetings as a bodyguard for purposes of intimidation. Accusations and counter-accusations. Childish arguments between fans who pretend to be grown up. "Articles" on religion. Obscene drawings. Reams of paper wasted on personal feuds and controversies---feuds in which the magazine readers are not interested, yet for which they pay. Inventors of trick words and boosters of Esperanto. Hektographed and mimeographed publications that can't be read. Deliberate misuse of fans' names in submitted articles. Threats and jealousy. Needless references fifteen-year-old drunks. (Who cares: spank the youngsters and put them to bed without any supper.) Puerile discussions as to who sold whom a copy of what. More political propaganda. Illustrations that can't be seen---and it's probably just as well. Insults and challenges. Delightfully frank descriptions of fellow fans, such as this one (which appeared in a magazine edited by one of the -ism addicts): "...mental perverts, literary whores and would-be (concluded on page 90)
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86 FANTASY COMMENTATOR I am also told by our serious thinkers that science-fiction has become a haven for those who are either incapable of taking up a technical career or too lazy to do so. Such statements are so obviously false that they scarcely deserve any attention. Speaking for myself, I have been practicing engineering in a highly technical field for over twenty-five years, and for nearly the same number have been an instructor in numerous phases of electrical engineering and yet strangely enough I still read the science-fiction and fantasy magazines. Another group of the intelligentsia seems to think that Fascism, Communism and other petty -isms are proper and suitable subjects for discussion and debate in the science-fiction fan magazines and fantasy organizations. Shades of Verne, Reade and Serviss! It was bad enough to put up with Esperanto and the trick-work faddists---but it is a sorry state of affairs when practically every fan magazine one reads is cluttered up with Leftists, Rightists and their -isms. Science-fiction fandom has sunk to an extremely low estate, and the blame falls squarely on the shoulders of the fans and their own publications --- with some little assistance from the professional magazines. Beginning in the days of The Time Traveller, The Fantasy Fan and Fantasy Fanzine, I have contributed to and supported innumerable fan magazines. In most cases, it was money thrown away. Very few of the later magazines have even remotely approached Fantasy Magazine or The Fantasy Fan in interest or quality. Many of these magazines should never have seen the light of day, and very few were missed when they suspended publication. But each one shares some of the responsibility for unloosing a litter of misbegotten offspring. The spawn of science-fiction magazines? Precocious youngsters whose only desire was to see their names in print. Irresponsible amateur editors who abandoned their magazines without even excuse or apology to their subscribers; editors who planned so carelessly they changed the size of their endeavor two or three times in as many issues; editors who discontinued their magazines and callously announced that subscribers would receive some other pamphlet or other to fill out their subscriptions; editors who announced their magazines and after months of delay distributed a few sheets of wise-cracks and asked the subscriber what he was going to do about it; editors who accept subscriptions and sent the magazines only after months of follow-ups; editors who mutilated and distorted articles without advising writers who contributed them; and editors who made no effort to safeguard their subscribers from misleading advertising. Second-hand magazine dealers who profit shamelessly at the expense of youthful collectors. Even more reprehensible, the fans (?) who buy and sell magazines and excerpts at prices raised far above their intrinsic value either from the viewpoint of age or scarcity. Fans who deliberately alter titles of stories in their advertising in order to mislead prospective buyers. Stories of plagiarism and plot stealing, of double-crossing and ballot-box crookery. Tales of thugs brought into meetings as a bodyguard for purposes of intimidation. Accusations and counter-accusations. Childish arguments between fans who pretend to be grown up. "Articles" on religion. Obscene drawings. Reams of paper wasted on personal feuds and controversies---feuds in which the magazine readers are not interested, yet for which they pay. Inventors of trick words and boosters of Esperanto. Hektographed and mimeographed publications that can't be read. Deliberate misuse of fans' names in submitted articles. Threats and jealousy. Needless references fifteen-year-old drunks. (Who cares: spank the youngsters and put them to bed without any supper.) Puerile discussions as to who sold whom a copy of what. More political propaganda. Illustrations that can't be seen---and it's probably just as well. Insults and challenges. Delightfully frank descriptions of fellow fans, such as this one (which appeared in a magazine edited by one of the -ism addicts): "...mental perverts, literary whores and would-be (concluded on page 90)
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