I think that most people going into the Chengdu convention realized the looming possibility of a cluster-futz. Holding a convention in country known for tightly controlling all messaging is a recipe for disaster. I fault the Chinese government for not realizing the cussed independence of science fiction fans as much as I fault any committee members who were complicit, either willingly or unwillingly. The authors, artists and fans deserved much better. I am also saddedned that the Chinese fans -- those who read and truly enjoy science fiction and the possibilities that genre opens for them -- whose excitement and enthusiasm for the genre has been belittled through no fault of their own; they also deserved much better. Science fiction is a global genre. Too bad those running one part of the globe did not realize that.
I think that most people going into the Chengdu convention realized the looming possibility of a cluster-futz. Holding a convention in country known for tightly controlling all messaging is a recipe for disaster. I fault the Chinese government for not realizing the cussed independence of science fiction fans as much as I fault any committee members who were complicit, either willingly or unwillingly. The authors, artists and fans deserved much better. I am also saddedned that the Chinese fans -- those who read and truly enjoy science fiction and the possibilities that genre opens for them -- whose excitement and enthusiasm for the genre has been belittled through no fault of their own; they also deserved much better. Science fiction is a global genre. Too bad those running one part of the globe did not realize that.
ReplyDeleteTotally agree. It was doomed to fail before it started.
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