I like hard SF and don't like politics mixed in (even Heinlein can annoy me), so this isn't something I would follow, but I think the case is philosophically interesting. A substantial portion of serious SF devotees think that "good" SF should be transgressive. Well, if the SF community itself allows one perspective on things to be enforced over the community, isn't it adhering to the transgressive mandate to poke against it?
(Note this article is from the middle of May, almost a month ago. It has already had its “outrage cycle”, so to speak.)<p>In his response to this article, Carmack identifies the original reason he found himself in these circles - “I like hard science fiction stories with a bit of competent libertarian vibe. I have since Heinlein”. I also like those kinds of stories, and likewise I happen to be friends with some of the authors of those stories. I’m speaking from personal experience when I say at least some of these authors are hardline, extremist, radical libertarians.<p>That is the most important piece of context I can give you for making sense of why someone might be attending and endorsing a convention which lists a bunch of right-wing beliefs like “men cannot give birth” and “a fetus is a human being” on their about page[1]. I asked someone who’s planning to attend about that list; they said (paraphrasing): “I happen to be 2/5, but the point is that I accept anyone from 0/5 to 5/5, so that list doesn’t bother me. There is a type of person who only accepts people who are 0/5. The list is supposed to bother that type of person, so that they don’t attend”. (Note that this is just an attendee, not a speaker or the organizer; I don’t know for sure this is the rationale, but it strikes me as likely.)<p>1: Because that <i>is</i> a surprising and confusing thing. It is totally legitimate to be surprised and confused that someone is endorsing an event that endorses those beliefs, and to consequently feel hurt and seek explanation!
The people rallying against wokeness are becoming more annoying than woke itself, which seems to have a goalpost moving definition every fortnight these days.
- "I want everyone at this conference play by these rules."<p>- "I don't like those rules, so I won't be coming and I'll start my own conference."<p>- "Okay, good luck!"<p>Doesn't need to be hard. Everyone wins. This is a non-controversy because 20 people on Twitter are "angry" (what else is new).