From: prs9k@brain.med.virginia.edu (Phil Scarr)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.written
Subject: Re: SF + PC
Date: 30 Dec 92 12:59:10 GMT
Organization: Neuroclinical Trials Center, University of Virginia

In article <1992Dec30.000017.29100@bnlux1.bnl.gov> weiner@bnlls1.nsls.bnl.gov (Gary Weiner) writes:
>In article <1hodudINN3in@agate.berkeley.edu> curtis@cs.berkeley.edu (Curtis Yarvin) writes:
>>In article <1992Dec28.100738.8703@murdoch.acc.Virginia.EDU> prs9k@brain.med.virginia.edu (Phil Scarr) writes:
>>>
>>>In the past, merit was assigned to DWMs only, now that is
>>>changing and the literary community is responding to the "PC" agenda to
>>>reform the cannon.
>>
>>Reform?  Feh.  Feh on your reform.
>>
>>I say we spike it.
>>
>>c
>
>I agree, if for no other reason than the greatest philosphers, writer's and
>poets throughout history, the prime shapers of our thoughts, literature
>and culture have been lumped together and discarded with a derisive
>acronym, the DWEM (Dead White European Male).
>
>Socrates? He's a DWEM, Plato and Aristotle too. Shakespeare? Milton?
>Marlowe? Blake? No way man, they're DWEM. Washington? Jefferson? 
>Lincoln? Hey, those are DWEMs also.
>
>The truth is, most of the people you want to know about to learn about
>the devolopment of our culture, values and literature are DWEMs. That's
>just the way it is. Before the 20th century, if you weren't a DWEM, you
>had very little say or import (Of course, exceptions do abound, but you
>get my point).

But don't you see that this is tautological?  If all you are taught is
that the best and brightest are DWMs of European decent then you get a
skewed view of the world.  Our culture (meaning the culture of the US
and even Western Europe) is made up of lots of different parts.
Especially here in America, our culture IS multicultural (despite what
many republicans would have you believe, this is NOT a Christian
Country!).  Travel through any city and you will see influences from all
over the world.

The fact of the matter is there is a great deal to be learned from non
DWMs.

>
>The thing is, if you want a more diverse cannon (and this is a good thing
>IMHO) then don't say "We Need More Black/Red/Blue/Yellow/Women/Homosexual
>/etc authors in our cannon" say "We should have this book in our cannon
>because it deserves to be there"

Yes and no.  Many of the arguments for inclusion ARE based upon some form
of merit or deservedness.  BUT, we, as literati should PUSH the non-DWM
or even non-WM for inclusion FIRST, because they have been left out so
long.  Kind of a literary affirmative-action if you will.


>
>And what this has to do with Science-Fiction is beyond me.

SF is literature so we are discussing literary things...

>Gary J. Weiner  | Brookhaven National Laboratories  | "The killer awoke 
>PO BOX 715      | National Synchrotron Light Source |  before dawn...
>Upton,NY 11973  |    weiner@bnlls1.nsls.bnl.gov     |  he put his boots on..."

	-Phil
-- 
PHIL SCARR        \      We are Microsoft...     /          (o) 804.243.0229
 University of    /     OS/2 is irrelevant.      \          (f) 804.243.0290
 Virginia,        \     UNIX is irrelevant.      /        prs9k@Virginia.EDU
 Neurosurgery     /     Openness is futile.      \     prs9k@Virginia.BITNET
 HP-UX is my life!\ Prepare to be assimilated... /   ...uunet!virginia!prs9k