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The most off-topic WCDT discussion ever
Akima:
--- Quote from: ZoeB on 10 May 2013, 02:47 ----- we also walk dogs.
--- End quote ---
A priceless Chinese cultural artefact, probably looted, used as the equivalent of the plastic toy handed over with a Happy Meal, so that a few wealthy white people can look at it. The author's racist and colonialist assumptions are revolting. Fuck you, Bob! :x
Edit: It seems that "We Also Walk Dogs" was first published in 1941, when middle-class white Americans like Heinlein would have taken it for granted that they, and their British counterparts, were fully entitled to do whatever they liked with Chinese artefacts. The depressing thing is that this is still true to a considerable extent, as demonstrated by the behaviour of Western museums, and that, returning to science-fiction, Joss Whedon's attitude to Chinese culture, as exhibited in Firefly and Serenity, is much the same as Heinlein's; that Chinese "stuff" is cool, but who cares what Chinese people think or say?
Is it cold in here?:
"Colonialist" is clearly right, but if the creator of Henry Gladstone Kiku and Dr. Royce Worthington was "racist", he deserves much credit for overcoming it.
EDIT: with a little more thought, it's inevitable that someone born in Missouri in 1907 would start out racist. He's a shining example of growing past it.
GarandMarine:
I'd argue that Whedon's Firefly isn't just "Hey Chinese is cool" the whole idea was that Chinese and Western (predominantly American) society had merged on a very fundamental level during the migration from Earth.
Zwammy:
I was looking back through the archives and saw this (especially panel three) http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=509 which of course made me think about how the current Faye/Angus storyline and Marten's current state of relationship... Just sayin'.
Kugai:
--- Quote from: Akima on 10 May 2013, 16:45 ---
--- Quote from: ZoeB on 10 May 2013, 02:47 ----- we also walk dogs.
--- End quote ---
A priceless Chinese cultural artefact, probably looted, used as the equivalent of the plastic toy handed over with a Happy Meal, so that a few wealthy white people can look at it. The author's racist and colonialist assumptions are revolting. Fuck you, Bob! :x
Edit: It seems that "We Also Walk Dogs" was first published in 1941, when middle-class white Americans like Heinlein would have taken it for granted that they, and their British counterparts, were fully entitled to do whatever they liked with Chinese artefacts. The depressing thing is that this is still true to a considerable extent, as demonstrated by the behaviour of Western museums, and that, returning to science-fiction, Joss Whedon's attitude to Chinese culture, as exhibited in Firefly and Serenity, is much the same as Heinlein's; that Chinese "stuff" is cool, but who cares what Chinese people think or say?
--- End quote ---
Sensei Heinlein's views changed a lot over the years as time went on. One has to take much of his earlier work in context with the time he lived and grew up in. I've been a fan of his works for a couple of decades now and, despite some of the cringe making things in some of his works, I still enjoy them.
And still want Paul Verhoven publicly flogged.
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