Okay... this post is prompted by my recent visit to Goodreads and reviews on several current novels that will remain nameless for now. The reviews are calling for the banning of ideas that may upset them, which brings me to Ray.
Of all the big three sci-fi writers, Asimov, Bradbury and Clark, Bradbury was the most prescient of humanity's tendencies and potential. He penned stories about racism, class, the tyranny of ignorance and rooted them solidly in the realities of human nature. His tour de force was 'The Illustrated Man', a selection of short stories with a tattooed individual as its canvas.
It's one of these stories that comes to mind today. Usher 2 is set on Mars at some point in the future. The main protagonist is awaiting the arrival of the 'Moral Guardians', individuals who have sucked every ounce of life and fun from Earth through the banning of many forms of Fiction. They are on Mars to do the same to that planet. They have destroyed classics of literature, because it offends their sensibilities or they aren't 'real' enough for them. Anything fanciful and outside of current experience is frowned upon and removed, libraries of books have been burnt, and God forbid anyone attempt to create anything that isn't 'real'. I will not spoil the denouement of the story, because I believe you should read it. Suffice to say, this powerful tale was written in the Fifties, a time when conservative minds attempted to control ideas that they considered 'subversive'.
It's funny and unbearably tragic that most of the efforts to stifle creativity and deny a voice to certain ideas, is now the province of the more liberal types. And like the destroyers of thought in Bradbury's world, these people believe they are acting for all of the right reasons. They want to protect people, keep them safe from anything that may harm. And like the Moral Guardians of Bradbury's work, they don't want you to tackle or create things that they don't like.
Bradbury would say, and I would agree, that the destruction of ideas in any form is harmful. People need to see things they don't agree with, they need to tackle ideas that are alien or painful. Free thought should be protected and fiction especially, needs to breathe.
Of all the big three sci-fi writers, Asimov, Bradbury and Clark, Bradbury was the most prescient of humanity's tendencies and potential. He penned stories about racism, class, the tyranny of ignorance and rooted them solidly in the realities of human nature. His tour de force was 'The Illustrated Man', a selection of short stories with a tattooed individual as its canvas.
It's one of these stories that comes to mind today. Usher 2 is set on Mars at some point in the future. The main protagonist is awaiting the arrival of the 'Moral Guardians', individuals who have sucked every ounce of life and fun from Earth through the banning of many forms of Fiction. They are on Mars to do the same to that planet. They have destroyed classics of literature, because it offends their sensibilities or they aren't 'real' enough for them. Anything fanciful and outside of current experience is frowned upon and removed, libraries of books have been burnt, and God forbid anyone attempt to create anything that isn't 'real'. I will not spoil the denouement of the story, because I believe you should read it. Suffice to say, this powerful tale was written in the Fifties, a time when conservative minds attempted to control ideas that they considered 'subversive'.
It's funny and unbearably tragic that most of the efforts to stifle creativity and deny a voice to certain ideas, is now the province of the more liberal types. And like the destroyers of thought in Bradbury's world, these people believe they are acting for all of the right reasons. They want to protect people, keep them safe from anything that may harm. And like the Moral Guardians of Bradbury's work, they don't want you to tackle or create things that they don't like.
Bradbury would say, and I would agree, that the destruction of ideas in any form is harmful. People need to see things they don't agree with, they need to tackle ideas that are alien or painful. Free thought should be protected and fiction especially, needs to breathe.