SAN FRANCISCO, 8:33 AM, WED JUL 9 | 30 POSTS IN THE LAST 24 HOURS | tips@io9.com | RSS
Posts Tagged “

scifi politics

”
scifi politics

Are Conservatives Better at Creating Futuristic Stories?

During a recent campaign appearance, Republican presidential candidate John McCain revealed his science fictional side: He gave an entire speech where he pretended the year was 2012 and he'd already been president for four years. Apparently, he'd been getting a lot of things done, like fixing the environment and lowering taxes. More importantly, though, he was participating in a U.S. conservative tradition. He was spinning tales of a future where conservative forces triumph, roll back progressive culture, and make the world a better place. Like conservative congressman Newt Gingrich, who published an alternative history novel, McCain was trying to seduce U.S. voters with his vision of another world. Given the political climate in the U.S. right now, it would seem that conservative science fiction is pretty compelling indeed. Let's take a look at a few of the greatest hits of right-wing scifi from the USA. More »

3:00 PM on Fri May 16 2008
By Annalee Newitz
2,895 views, 132 comments

Latest by n/a: @StrangelyBrown: And hence you run away with your tail between your legs. Not able to provide a shred of legitimate points to prove your misguided positions, no matter how many times they changed. Calling it elucidated just indicates you don't know more »

scifi politics

Thinly-Veiled Allegories About the Middle East in U.S. Science Fiction

If science fiction is really about the present, then it's no surprise that the longstanding tensions between the United States and Middle Eastern countries should make itself known in tales of "desert planets." From Tattoine to Klendathu, planets full of barren dunes are usually not-so-subtle allegorical stand-ins for a stereotyped "Middle East." Let's take a closer look at five science fictional tales from the United States that deal more or less openly with the relationship between that country and the Arab world to find out more. More »

4:00 PM on Fri Apr 4 2008
By Annalee Newitz
10,531 views, 83 comments

Latest by beercheck: @Annalee Newitz: I dunno. Did your post actually make the point you intended? Under the circumstances of the title, it sounded to me as though you were using the bug/Iraqi analogy as an example of a "Thinly-Veiled Allegory About the more »

scifi politics

US Stem Cell Policy Inspired by Anti-Authoritarian Scifi

You may have been wondering why President Bush vetoed bills that would have authorized government funding for stem cell research that could lead to cures for everything from Alzheimers to paralysis. Apparently it's partly due to reading parts of Aldous Huxley's Brave New World, a classic 1930s scifi dystopia about a world where the government genetically engineers everyone to be obedient workers. What's hilarious is that Huxley was a leftist, and he would have despised Bush's anti-science policies. More »

1:00 PM on Thu Dec 27 2007
By Annalee Newitz
761 views, 2 comments

Latest by RoninianHoon: @dculberson: who says all that "junk" up there is really junk? more »

they live

Must See: They Live

Must-see movies are futuristic classics that shouldn't be missed. Of course, not every must-see is perfect. That's why we've rated them 1-5 on the patented "crunchy goodness" scale. Written by Sherilyn Connelly.

Title: John Carpenter's They Live
Date: 1988

Vitals: A hunky drifter discovers that via special sunglasses he can see both the aliens who run the world and the hidden propaganda they use to control humanity. Any parallels to consumer culture and/or the Reagan Administration purely intentional.




More »

2:19 PM on Tue Oct 2 2007
By Annalee Newitz
163 views, Comment