ArticlesWhile deciding how to introduce the zipper story, I came to learn some rather unsavoury truths about myself and my culture.
Firstly, how come I know (and I am confident that you know) the word “Venusian” means for someone for Venus, when I don’t know the word for, say, someone from Cairo.
Cairo, and its suburbs, has 16 million real, live people, and I don’t know if they are called “Cairoers”, “Cairoans” or “Cairoites”. Venus has no people, and I know that if I saw someone called them “Venusers”, I would shake my head.
Does that illustrate how the vivid imagination of science fiction writers has influenced our culture? Our does it illustrate the lack of vivid imagination of science fiction writers, who all use the same word for the same cliched concept?
Secondly, when I compare the mental associations I have with the word “Martian” to the word “Venusian”, I can see some differences.
While Martians are certainly culturally alien, they still have understandable motives. Venusians are more likely to be incomprehensibly alien. Martians are more likely to live among us, peacefully and/or undetected. I don’t know if they count their influences as the Romans, H.G. Wells or Marvin, but Martians far more likely to declare war on the Earth than Venusians.
My conclusion is that I am already stereotyping the behaviour of… not just races or even species, but entire mythical kingdoms! … and I have never even met one.
For shame, Julian! For shame!
Comment by Cassie on September 2, 2006
I’ve long suspected you to be a kingdomist, Julian. Frankly, I’m disgusted.
Perhaps a kingdominatrix is needed to sort you out.
Comment by Julian on August 19, 2009
Oops. It turns out that Venusians should be called Venerean, according to the classical Latin rules.
Comment by John Y. on August 20, 2009
I am delighted that you have effectively endorsed the practice of resurrecting years-old threads, because it makes my own late responses seem less… necromantic.
Not that there’s anything wrong with that.