From: JBrandt@AAA.UOregon.EDU (Jay Brandt (Jason))
Newsgroups: alt.callahans
Subject: Re: What is Cyberpunk?
Followup-To: alt.callahans
Date: 7 Nov 1992 01:38:35 GMT
Organization: University of Oregon, Architecture
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: aaa.uoregon.edu

In article <9211040031.AA10546@yrloc.ipsa.reuter.COM>,
dgil@IPSAINT.IPSA.REUTER.COM (Gillett, David) wrote:
> B'Naal:
>   As a means of furthering my knowledge, Jason, what is this 'Cyberpunk' that 
>   you have mentioned?
> 
> Mentor the Sage:
>   Cyberpunk is a sub-genre of science fiction which probably achieved its peak 
>   of popularity during the 1980s.  

Jason chuckles "Actually, I'd say the genre hit something of a plateau,
rather than a peak in the 80's. It's still growing slowly, if the number of
Cyberpunk-related books, magazines and RPG's appearing recently on the
market are any indication." 

>   The cyberpunk setting is of the near future, rarely more than 50 or 100 
>   years from today.  A lot of the hardware, especially weapons and computers, 
>   is not much evolved beyond what we already have, although many stories 
>   feature artificial intelligence and/or direct connection between the human 
>   brain/nervous system and digital electronics.  Socially, this future is 
>   pretty distopian; the distinctions between governments, corporations, 
>   organized crime, and street gangs have just about vanished.  The 
>   protagonists are usually struggling to survive in a polluted concrete, 
>   steel, and digital jungle.

Jason ponders that a moment. "True, Cyberpunk is often portrayed in a
distopian setting. Yet amid that negative environment I see signs of hope.
In spite of the overwhelming power of the corps and the gangs, and in spite
of ineffective or dictatorial governments, these people in the shadow of
society still thrive. Perhaps not well, but on their own terms. The little
guy is threatened with being crushed by the 'legit' powers that be, or by
criminal factions, (and sometimes does indeed lose big-time), but many of
them do what they want in spite of the overwhelming odds. In some cases a
small team or even a single street samurai or shadowrunner manages to bring
an all-powerful corp to it's knees. The use of the high-tech in common
hands as an enabling factor, and the rebelious nature in the face of
overwhelming odds, is what attracts many people to the genre."

"The 'Punk' movement, as I understand it, started with a generation that
saw no future for themselves. No work, increasing corruption, increasing
violence, and worst of all, no way out. They made a way out, gnawed right
through the walls of society. They got an attitude, and used outrageous
behaviours and other actions to make some sort of impact on their lives.
It's easy to ignore a broke street kid hanging out in downtown, if he looks
like he came from your neighborhood. It's easy to think of him as
invisible, and to pass him by. It's a lot harder to ignore him if he's
wearing a screaming pink mohawk haircut spiked straight up a foot from his
head, studded leathers, and talking and acting like your worst nightmare."

"Tech freaks, sci-fi fans, hackers, Rave and other movements blended with
this disenfranchised group, and Cyberpunk was born."

>   Critics claim that the genre is unnecessarily nasty and violent.  Proponents 
>   claim that the genre takes a realistic look at current trends in the Real 
>   World(tm), trends which drove the sci-fi mainstream to follow _Star Wars_ 
>   off into a distant future of escapist fantasy or wallow in post-holocaust 
>   angst.  (Naturally enough, some fans of mainstream sci-fi deny this, and the 
>   argument goes around again....)

"Yes, it's escapist, but so is most literature. The difference is it isn't
passive. It's a rebel who is ready to stand up and strike back at the
faceless forces that are breathing down his or her neck. The violence is a
reflection of waht appears to be bearing down unmercifully on them."

"Personally, I wouldn't consider myself a 'Punk'. But I do consider myself
a Cyberpunk. I'm not the least bit interested in shaving my head, or
getting tattoos, or piercing myself with saftey pins or nose rings, or
dying my hair some neon shade. But I do wear black a leather jacket, and
occasionally carry blades and/or martial arts weapons if I'm going into
'bad neighborhoods'. I know how to use them, but don't seek a fight unless
it can't be avoided. I was raised in a neighborhood where climbing onto the
high-tech bandwagon was one of the sure paths out, if you were smart enough
and quick enough. I was a minority in my own neighborhood, as a white anglo
male. I lived on the edge of and regularly hung around in neighborhoods
where there were only two ways to travel safely. You either had
connections, or you carried yourself with an attitude that said 'don't mess
with me - you'll regret it'. I'm fascinated by the tech in Cyberpunk books,
and the possibilities it raises, for good or for ill. If I could really get
a cyberlink and jack into the Martix, to soar through even the simple
communications network that is Internet today, I'd do it in an instant.
It's all part of the 'attitude' and its a bit different for each person who
walks this path. Funny thing is, at work, most of my colleagues would never
expect that kind of attitude from me. The attitude, for me at least, is
also sometimes being a chamelion, taking on the colors and methods of your
environment to survive."

"I recently started writing Cyberpunk stories, and it's being well received
by people who like that style. It's an interesting kick. Given a choice
would I line in that kind of world? Probably not. But could I survive, and
even thrive, there? You bet yer ass, chummer!"

Jason
_____________________________________
I bought an internal modem, but I can't swallow it. :-)
Newsgroups: alt.callahans