Date: Thu, 05 Apr 2007 18:56:54 -0400
From: Ted White <twhite8 at cox.net>
To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at KeithLynch.net>
Subject: [WSFA] Re: Scalzi's "Sagan Diary"
Reply-To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at KeithLynch.net>

Michael Walsh wrote:

> > twhite8 at cox.net 04/05/07 12:49 PM >>> Michael Walsh wrote:
>
> >>> So how does this guy qualify for a Fanwriter Hugo nomination?
> >>
> >> Vox populi, is the phrase that comes to mind ...
> >>
> >> There has also been comments about the utter lack of any Japanese
> >>  nominations in any category, and the dearth of female nominees.
> >>
> >> 409 people sent in nomination ballots this year.  That's from a
> >> pool of voters consisting of Lacon IV and Nippon members.  The
> >> final ballot is voted on by just members of Nippon.
> >>
> >>> Has he done *any* fanwriting anywhere?
> >>
> >> Discussion here:
> >> http://nielsenhayden.com/makinglight/archives/008804.html#008804
> >>
> >> PNH's comment here:
> >> http://nielsenhayden.com/makinglight/archives/008804.html#178278
> >
> > All very sensible in a generalized sense, but not directly
> > applicable to Scalzi, who has never been an active fan.
> >
> >> Scalzi's webpage: http://www.scalzi.com/whatever/ Comments on the
> >>  Fan Writer nomination:
> >> http://www.scalzi.com/whatever/005001.html
> >
> > None of it very much to the point, since none of the people
> > commenting to Scalzi know what fandom or fanwriting *is*.
> > *Sigh*....
>
>  1.  More fannish types should nominate and vote.  Looking at the
>  "Hugo Nomination Details for 2005" here:
>  http://www.interaction.worldcon.org.uk/downloads/stat-nom.pdf (I
>  can't seem to locate the L.A.con IV stats on their web page) 5th
>  place got on with 30 votes and Guy Lillian came in 6th (and therefore
>  not on the ballot) with 20 votes.  It was even closer with Fanzine
>  and Fan Artist.
>
>  The Nomination Details for Nippon should be released just after the
>  Hugo Awards.
>
>  2.  Educate the voters.  That I leave to others to figure out.
>
>  Oh, and there is of course abolishing the category.  But I don't
>  think that's likely to happen.

The problem is a simple one:  When I instituted the Fan Writer and Fan
Artist Hugos the vast majority of Worldcon attendees (and thus Hugo
voters) were active fans.  Now they are a tiny minority of the
attendees.  Most active fans no longer attend the Worldcon (least of all
in Japan) because even a membership is too expensive (hundreds of
dollars), and *can't* vote.  (Even a "supporting"/voting membership is
what?  $50?  $75?)  Most active fans now regard the Fan Hugos as tainted
and corrupted, and wouldn't pay more than maybe five bucks to vote for them.

With time (and this is obvious on Scalzi's site) even the word "fan" has
been badly corrupted, with people thinking that the defining criteria
are con-attendance, or maybe just the enjoyment of reading, or more
likely viewing, SF.  These days, to these people, "fan" is defined as
Hollywood always defined it:  members of the audience.  People who
passively absorb SF in some form.  That this was never what being a SF
fan was about, that fandom is a community of people who know and
interact with each other, has been forgotten or ignored or dismissed
contemptuously (by at least one member of this list, in fact).

Ignorance prevails.  Oh well.

--Ted White