vs. what's popular outside the genre.

Outside the genre all the tropes that made the puppies into fans are being turned into mainstream ideas. Particularly through other media. Superhero movies and the like. Comic culture and convention culture is hot as shit right now.

Sci-fi has always sat in somewhat parallel to that even when superman was in black and white. but there was never a superhero novel winning a hugo (i may be wrong). Rather sci-fi was the literization of these ideas though often with a pulpy edge. A litttle too far nerd for the mainstream. And that's still the case, but there's this whole thing happening which is sci-fi book to big screen and its getting eaten up. If you search for Wesley Chu in here you'll read my thoughts on that, and oddly enough he one the Campbell award this year too. He's writing some pulpy shit if there ever was one.

So this is the shield these guys can hide behind. Look at what's popular with comic book and movie going fans, how come our genre isn't seeing reflecting that. Well that's because the genre traditionally praises those that go beyond the level of engagement with the audience. These movie properties are just as diversified these days so why should't sci-fi reflect that same diversity but rather than tokenise it (which in some regards it does) similarly take it a level deeper.

Look, I wrote about Ancillary Justice above as well which is really the one that pushed them over the ledge. That shit is fucking phenomenal. And if the lead character was clearly demarked as a blonde white male these guys would have soaked it up. They want to position about it being all about the story, but then end up getting trapped in the use of gender pronouns so much they can't even appreciate the fact that it's a fucking space opera. A fantastic one at that.

Yeah they just racist and mad. some more the latter than the former but the most vocal more the former.
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Big PEMFin H & z's
"I ain't no entertainer, and ain't trying to be one. I am 1 thing, a musician." � Miles

"When the music stops he falls back in the abyss."