ecl@mtgzy.UUCP (e.c.leeper) (10/09/86)
> Should we question the value of the works of Hemmingway or Dylan > Thomas because they were alcoholics? Oscar Wilde because he was a > homosexual? Lewis Carroll because he was a pedophile? The greatest > writers of all time were great because their flawed personalities > allowed them to look at the world in a way we "normal" people can't > imagine. I can't let this pass. What makes you think that being a homosexual means you have a flawed personality? Or that you're not normal, since you seem to be implying that "normal" means "correct" rather than "what the majority does." I'll admit that homosexuals are in the minority. So are Jews. Does that mean we're not normal? To me, one of the big pluses of science fiction is the emphasis on the diversity of the universe. It gives its readers a sense that things are not the same everywhere, that there are different cultures, different ideas, different philosophies, different mores. So I am doubly distressed when a science fiction fan (and I presume the people who read/post to this group are fans) displays insensitivity and even dislike to the diversity around us. The world would be a pretty dull place if we were all clones, wouldn't it? Evelyn C. Leeper (201) 957-2070 UUCP: ihnp4!mtgzy!ecl ARPA: mtgzy!ecl@topaz.rutgers.edu It's not reality that's important, but how you perceive things.