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Some People Just Don't Like Science Fiction

by

Gordon Rowlinson

Some people just don't like science fiction. We lovers of science fiction, shouldn't hold anything against these folks for not liking it. The literary world and the motion picture world has many genres: drama; horror; romance; non-fiction; classics. It's a fact that the genre we love, science fiction, is just not for everyone.

There is a logical explanation for liking or disliking Sci Fi. It is probably something that is hard wired in our brains. Psychologist Paul Allen has identified the personality trait of “Rationals” that determines whether one likes science fiction. Rationals or Nts excel in conceptualizing and theorizing. Enjoying Science fiction requires an amount of suspension of disbelief to enjoy the material as well and to conceive and extrapolate beyond what the writer has written. People who are Rationals are are willing to give a story a significant amount of suspension of disbelief. Allen states, “Rationals are non-conformist critical thinkers. The Nts idolize the science fiction writer as the real architects of change. They can see the cleverness and competency in science fiction.” In short, people who love Sci Fi have very large imaginations.

Something I always impressed me as imaginative was the first Star Wars movie. I always thought Star Wars was so unique and fantastic that demanded that you view it more than once. During my youth, I and a girlfriend once were watching a video of Star Wars for the second time. About 30 minutes into the movie, came the now famous barroom scene where the barroom is filled with assorted aliens, monsters, and funny looking creatures. My girlfriend at the time said, “not this scene again.” I gave her a dirty look that, if looks could kill...

After I broke up with her, I decided I should restrict my dating to ladies that have more than one brain cell. One night I was at a new girlfriend's house and we decided to watch a classic Star Trek TV episode. During an dramatic scene where Captain Kirk and the crew try to act illogical in order to confuse the androids that were holding them captive, my new girlfriend started to laugh uncontrollably and said, “This is terrible. It's like experimental theater!”

After I broke up with her, I resolved to go out with women who have at least a rudimentary understanding of culture. On a date with my next girlfriend, she asked me about a dozen questions about the Stanley Kubrick movie 2001 A Space Oddessy. I explained to her that the movie was somewhat controversial and left many unanswered questions. I added that the original Arthur C Clarke novel was far superior and explained the unanswered questions. 

Because I'm a giving person and understanding person, I lent her a dog-eared paperback copy of 2001 by Arthur C Clarke for her reading entertainment. After two weeks, I asked her if she liked the classic Sci Fi novel. She said that the book was too long and she didn't care for the story as it, “made you think too much.” Horrified, I impulsively blurted out, “well yeah, being forced to think a little strains people with a smaller brain cases!”

After she broke up with me, I made a resolution to not talk about science fiction during the difficult and sometimes stressful dating process. Several years later, I got married and landed a decent job at in a large financial institution. One day I was discussing Star Trek with some co-workers. A jerk from the Accounting department who was listening in, remarked with a dirty smirk on his face, “Hey, why don't you people get a life?”

Doesn't it really tick you off when little creeps from the Accounting department make little smug, snarky comments like that? It just drives me crazy. I mean there's no good comeback to “get a life!”

After many years went by without me talking about science fiction to anyone, I was at a family dinner and made the mistake of showing one of my Sci Fi stories to a cousin. After reading it, he turned to me and bluntly stated, “it's interesting, but why write stories about things that will never happen?” I felt like hitting him over the head with a sock full of horse manure. Having no horse manure, I merely said, “Why do anything? Why continue breathing?”

In conclusion, some people just don't like science fiction. What the hell...let's just be honest and up front about all of this crap. The people who don't like science fiction are called morons.

Thinking can be dangerous. It brings up questions that many people would rather not entertain. Literature and art are supposed to do that. That's why writers are feared by many governments throughout the planet, China, Iran, Russia, and the evnajerkakles in the USA being a few current examples.

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