A lot of folks aren't happy with George R.R. Martin's performance as host of the 66th annual Hugo Awards Ceremony, part of ConZealand, the 1st WorldCon held in that country. Well, technically not actually "held in." Which is part of what makes R.R. Martin's performance so abysmal. Much of his presentation was pre-recorded, thus giving him time to correct major mishaps, like mispronouncing names or generally acting like a doofus.
Some are saying that George was acting like a racist. Others are saying he was being transphobic. Was he?
The short answer is, no, I don't think so. He was just being an old fart. Let me explain my reasons.
It's true, George spent an inordinate amount of time reminding people of the central role played by John W. Campbell, and this didn't go over well in a year when the award for Best New Writer had been changed from the "John W. Campbell Award," to the "Astounding Award."
During the 2019 Hugos, Jeannette Ng, who won the award, took the stage and said, "John W. Campbell, for whom this award is named, was a fucking fascist!" There was cheers, applause, and from some, gasps of shock. But it really isn't so shocking, in retrospect. Michael Moorcock had been calling Campbell a fascist for years, as Ng reminded all of us when she won the Hugo again this year for Best Related Work. Samuel R. Delaney recounted how his manuscripts were sometimes rejected by Campbell because he didn't feel a black main character would be appreciated by his readers.
So was George R.R. Martin's repeated nods to this racist dick really an affront to Jeannette? Was it meant to undermine the inclusive turn the Hugos took?
I don't think so. In one of his many historical ramblings (and I apologize, I went through the streaming cast one more time looking for the exact quote, and couldn't find where it was in the 3+ hour video, so I'm going ahead without it), he said something like, "Some people said that too many men were winning the award before. Some say too many women are winning it now. I say that's all nonsense. It's about excellence, and always has been." That should have put the whole thing to bed. But somehow, things being what they are these days, it didn't.
Let's remember that it was Martin who took a leading role in rallying the troops against the Sad Puppies and Rabid Puppies. It was Martin who defended many female sci-fi writers, and wrote many of the strongest female lead characters of all time. And it was Martin who taught us how fun it is to watch wealthy white people die in gruesome ways.
Yes, George made a stupid joke about the Oscar technically being a eunuch, because he had nothing "down there." Natalie Luhrs wrote in a blog
about the event. “There was also a whole segment about the Oscar
statuette and its crotch,” she also wrote. “It was gender essentialist
and transphobic.”
No, Natalie, it was an old fart making a bad joke. Let's call it what it is. And it wasn't a "whole segment." It was a joke in passing, which George flummoxed.
We need to face facts that George R.R. Martin is old, and has lost some flexibility. Ever since he abandoned science fiction for fantasy he has had his eyes more on the past than on the future. Like most people his age, he's preoccupied more with what happened 50 years ago than what he ate for breakfast this morning. But that doesn't mean we should treat him like Al Franken. (Hell, we shouldn't be treating Al Franken like Al Franken!)
My real fear is that, now that Sad Puppies and Rabid Puppies have been put to sleep, we make the Hugos so politically correct that they become a joke to the moderate centrists of the world. We won't win any friends, not that way. And we won't achieve the wonderful humanistic worlds many sci-fi authors dream of, either. No, let's keep our integrity. Sci-fi can be a little less white and male today without trying to irrationally copy the outrage machine of the radical right.
John W. Campbell should be thought of as the crappy uncle we have to put up with during holiday dinners. We can't get rid of him, because he's family. But we can tell the kids to avoid him. And, of course, there's always grandpa, the one person at the party who offers him a beer and talks with the gross bastard all night long.
That's George. George has fond memories of Campbell, even though Campbell was a shit. George is the grandpa who keeps the jerk from being totally ostracized. That's because George is the type of guy who just has to be nice to everybody. Does that make him a pariah? No. It makes him old. And maybe a little old-fashioned, too.
Meanwhile, the kids have their table, and the young adults have their table. Good. Let them. But I'll be damned if I let any of them kick grandpa in the shins at desert!
So, thank you, Mr. Martin. Not for your Hugo performance. Your jokes sucked, and your hats were ridiculous. But you stood by women during some of their darkest days in science fiction. That earns you a pass for mentioning John Campbell once too often, in my book.
I hope the sci-fi community of today remembers that.
Eric
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