From Lucifer's Hammer' to Newt's Moon Base to Donald's Wall--The Sci-Fi Roots of the Far Right

[DonViejo]

“Frank's right about the others. City people. Tourists. Hippies. Be here in droves pretty soon. We have to stop them.”

DAVID AUERBACH
09.17.17 1:00 AM ET

There is a tendency to see President Donald Trump as a radical break from the past. But conservative techno-futurist Newt Gingrich sees Trump as ushering in a revolution — with a subsequent utopian space-age.Gingrich has envisioned such a breakthrough, and hopes Trump will be an agent of it, for decades. Gingrich’s vision is one stop on a straight line that goes through his friend and legendary science-fiction novelist Jerry Pournelle’s Lucifer’s Hammer to Ronald Reagan’s Star Wars to Bill Clinton’s impeachment to Trump.

Pournelle — who died earlier this month — first rose to prominence as part of an influential group of right-wing science-fiction writers in the 1970s and 1980s that also included Larry Niven, David Drake, Janet Morris, and S. M. Stirling. All envisioned the best of a militarized humanity breaking away from the evils of bureaucracy and bleeding-hearts and aggressively colonizing and conquering space, exploiting its military and financial potential. Unlike most conservatives, all were less concerned with preserving the past for its own sake than for planning for the future—their preferred future.

In partnership with Niven, Pournelle’s science-fiction married aggressive military might with Atlas Shrugged-style techno-futurist fantasies and nativist paranoia, offering what in retrospect looks like an uncannily prescient portrait of the Trump era and its cultural overtones. Take, for example, the pair’s Hugo-nominated 1977 novel Lucifer’s Hammer, which depicts a small ranch of patriotic American farmers as they struggle to survive after a comet hits earth. Early on, the farmers debate how to keep out undesirables:

“They'll all be here, all that can get here," Christopher shouted. “Los Angeles, and the San Joaquin, and what's left of San Francisco … How long can we keep it up, lettin' those people come here?”

"Be n**gers too," someone shouted from the floor. He looked self-consciously at two black faces at the end of the room. "Okay, sorry—no. I'm not sorry. Lucius, you own land. You work it. But city n**gers, whining about equality—you don't want 'em either!"

The black man said nothing. He seemed to shrink away from the group, and he sat very quietly with his son.

more
http://www.thedailybeast.com/from-lucifers-hammer-to-newts-moon-base-to-donalds-wallthe-sci-fi-roots-of-the-far-right

[Arkansas Granny]

1. I recently read "Lucifer's Hammer" again. It's been 25 years or more

since I first read it and I was much more aware of the racist and misogynist undertones of the book this time around. I didn't enjoy it nearly as much as before.

[Locrian]

2. haven't read it for 25 years either..

At the time I was probably 16 - don't remember "getting" the racist overtones but did think it was "off" in some ways.

Looking back - a number of science fiction I read has that weird libertarian mentality that feels like it was written with the physiological / moral maturity of a 12 yr old. No wonder I don't read much of it anymore.

[FakeNoose]

3. This is what turned me off to science fiction

I was an avid reader in the 70's, having just finished my college days, and I do remember enjoying "Lucifer's Hammer" when it came out. At the time I had also been reading Arthur C. Clarke and a few other SF authors. Kurt Vonnegut was my favorite of course, but I didn't regard him as a pure SF writer.

Anyway the thing that turned me off at the time was that I noticed how many right-wingers, survivalists and Ayn Rand-types were raving about "Lucifer's Hammer" like it was their new bible. After that I never read another book by Niven or Pournelle amd I turned away from SF altogether soon after that. It wasn't the quality of the book itself, but rather the quality and type of fans it generated that made me realize it wasn't for me.

Just sayin'

[Ilsa]

4. So these writers envision us as the Romulans, Cardassians,

and Star Wars' Empire. No morality whatsover, except srrength?

[Lithos]

5. Yes, no

It is racism defined by species. Humans are generally white, the other species being inferior and constantly getting their butts kicked in a form of manifest destiny... get the drift?

[krispos42]

6. Military sci-fi will have a certain style to it

If everybody was peaceful, it wouldn't be military sci-fi, now would it? Conflict is needed, and when wars start there are certain niceties that get tossed by the wayside by necessity.

I've read the book a couple of times (none recently) but the excerpt above is an accurate reflection of how rural farmers would typically respond, both then and now.

Survival is generally a ruthless endeavor, and in the story a large comet hits earth, breaking up into fragments as it approaches to that Earth is "shotgunned" with massive impacts. Many of the large chunks slam through the oceans and into earth's crust, creating massive tidal waves and vaporizing cubic MILES of seawater. The ocean takes hours or days to re-cover the blistering-hot craters, causing even more cubic miles of water to be vaporized and forming a giant semi-permanent hurricane over each crater. Each super-cane spins off "regular" hurricanes as trillions of tons of air and water are set into convention currents by the impacts. And of course, the land impacts blow massive quantities of dust into the air and cause massive earthquakes and devastation.

So it's about survival in the abrupt aftermath of the collapse of civilization and everything that entails: food, medicine, water, transportation, education, law enforcement, and the justice system are all thrown into chaos and small groups of humans are on their own. There of course will be common themes with other such fiction, such as zombie apocalypse (The Walking Dead). Each independent band will, for a while, be on its own until civilization gradually re-forms under new governments and in new nations.

[yallerdawg]

10. Cannibalism is usually a major theme.

Zombies and cannibals.

What could be more rightwing Republican!

[NotASurfer]

12. Trump does tend to refer to "very fine people"

Maybe he's playing up a future zombie-and-cannibal USDA grading standard?

[Adrahil]

15. Read The Expanse series...

It has some excellent bits of military sci-fi. There is definitely prejudice and even hate in it, but the authors themselves are reasonably liberal and avoid embracing such ideas as good or are a good read, IMO.

[Spider Jerusalem]

17. Probably because military sci-fi tends to be written by fascist assholes? (n/t)

[DonCoquixote]

7. the newer sci fi has moved away from that with a vengance

http://www.forharriet.com/2014/08/7-black-women-science-fiction-writers.html#axzz4sx2fNndJ
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/7996.African_American_Science_Fiction
http://nkjemisin.com/
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2017/aug/11/hugo-awards-2017-nk-jemisin-repeats-best-novel-win-the-obelisk

I put an emphasis on jemison because she has the Hugos (sci fi Pulitzer equivalent) to back it up, and she gave ri9ght wing people like sad panda a sad

[csziggy]

8. Thanki you for those links! For decades I have been reading mostly female SF writers

Since I was turned off by militarist themes. But I need new authors since I have been stalled on the same small group.

I'll add the authors featured in these lists to my wish lists to watch!

[DonCoquixote]

9. Glad to help

I will admit many of the old right guard are howling, but they are losing:
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/aug/21/hugo-awards-winners-nk-jemisin-sad-rabid-puppies

and a fine and fitting post from her blog:
http://nkjemisin.com/2013/08/time-to-pick-a-side/

[csziggy]

11. Wow - I had no idea any of that was going on

I don't do fan stuff or go to conventions. My husband has attended DragonCon often and for many years but he mostly does the gaming stuff and we pretty much don't talk about what happens in Atlanta.

So I have never heard about any of the misogynistic crap that happens. I read my fiction, mostly mystery and SF, stick to authors who create worlds I enjoy - which often means women authors - and don't have many friends who I discuss my reading with.

As a young adult back in the 1960s my favorite SF author was Andre Norton and years later I was delighted to find out that she was a woman. There were a few other authors who used pseudonyms or initials who also turned out to be female. When I realized that those were among my favorite authors, I began seeking out women writers.

It's good to hear that the old guard is dying off. They have biased the perception of the genre and the concept of what the future could/should be for far too long.

[DonCoquixote]

16. sorry to toot my horn, but

sharing this sort6 of info that gets overlooked is one of the main reasons DU still has a purpose.

[csziggy]

18. It is info like this from people like you that keep me here. nt

[ismnotwasm]

13. Oh yes those sexist fuckers especially Pournelle

Which is why I got more into authors such as CJ. Cherryh and Octavia Butler as soon as I discovered them

[hunter]

19. My favorite is Ursula K. Le Guin.

"Always Coming Home" is wonderful.

[hunter]

14. I had some interesting online conversations with Pournelle way back...

... when it was still possible to have reasonable discussions with Republicans. He reminded me of my grandfather.

My grandfather was an Army Air Corp officer in World War II and later an engineer for the Apollo Project. Unlike Pournelle, my grandpa never got into computers. My grandpa was an analog guy all the way: slide rules, op amps, wheels, gears and levers... very steam punk. I think my grandfather was the first steam punk.

My grandpa and Pournelle both had what I regard as the immigrant-to-California "Missouri" sort of accent. They were both racists and could be shockingly unawares of it. At best they knew to keep it to themselves, paying attention to the founding documents of the U.S.A., that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, but sometimes it just leaked out of them. (My grandpa was terribly upset when I was marrying, in his words, a "Mexican girl" and he boycottted our wedding. To his credit he got over that.)

I don't think the libertarian-techno-utopians like Pournelle saw this coming -- a venal and cunning Republican Party leadership inflaming the fears of their their ignorant followers so they might take them for everything they've got; their money, their property, their healthcare, their public education, and eventually their lives. They didn't recognize Ronald Reagan was a puppet. They were bedazzled by the high tech toys of the Military-Industrial-Complex.