Some sf characters are not black, white, red or yellow but green:
Dan Dare's Treens from Venus;
ERB's Tharks, Warhoons and lesser hordes on Barsoom;
Anderson's Merseians.
Thus, sometimes sf addresses current issues obliquely through a sort of "knight's move," two squares forward into a fictional future and one square sideways into an alternative reality. We know that Mars is not like Barsoom but still read ERB. An Alan Moore-style deconstruction of Rupert Bear might show teenage Rupert working in an office in a city beset by species riots between Elephants and Rabbits - ("I'm a Bear!") - simultaneously bizarre- and familiar-sounding.
Anderson introduced the Merseians as space opera villains and would-be galaxy-conquerors in a pulp magazine. (See image.) After such an introduction, these greenskins could have retained that uni-dimensional role throughout an interminable Captain Flandry adventure series. Instead, as the series progresses, we see:
Merseians protecting Flandry on Talwin;
later friendships between Terran and Merseian scientists on Talwin;
cultural integration on Dennitza;
Kossara's life-long friendship with Trohdwyr;
ychani definitely not wanting Roidhunate rule on Dennitza;
Flandry and Kossara marching with ychani to the Dennitzan Parliament;
and -
"...moonlit gravbelt flight over woods, summer air streaming past her cheeks, a campfire glimpsed, a landing among great green hunters, their gruff welcome..."
-A Knight Of Ghosts And Shadows, IV, p. 401.
Perfect: the green aliens have been effortlessly transformed from stereotypical villains into great green hunters giving a gruff welcome. The most powerful anti-racist message is a narrative showing the complete absence of any conflict between members of the two groups.
4 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
While we do see mention of Terran and Merseian scientists at the Talwin scientific base being friendly to each other, that should be understood with some caveats. E.g., the scientists Djana came to know plainly agreed with the desire of the Roidhunate to destroy the Empire--because it dared to hinder and oppose it.
Another caveat is that not all Merseians were green. In "Day of Burning," the Gethfennu gang boss Haguan Eluatz is described as deeply black and more heavily scaled than the average Merseian. But I've seen no mention in any of the stories about any Merseians having racist views of fellow Merseians.
I have wondered if some of the Merseians who settled on Dennitza were among the losers in the struggle for power between rival vachs, the Gethfennu, and other Merseian nations. But most were almost certainly simply seeking a better life.
Ad astra! Sean
Ethnic distinctions between human beings are both arbitrary -- all social groups are equally "imagined communities" with non-verifiable origin myths -- and deadly realities.
Because what enough people believe becomes as real as a rock, and like a rock, it can kill you.
Kaor, Mr. Stirling!
I absolutely agree! Which is another reason for opposing open ended, unlimited immigration--because unassimilated immigrants can too easily stir up LETHAL ethnic passions.
Ad astra! Sean
Sean: it's dumb to base policy on -hopes- about how human beings act, rather than a rational appraisal of how they -do- act. History shows that arousing tribal passions is easy, because human beings are simply constructed that way.
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