Thoughts On the Latest "Taxonomy of Genre" Discussion

[snurri]

AH MAKE IT STOP IT HURTS US

Comments

[czakbar.livejournal.com]

They all began to blur together at a certain point for me, like a long night of drinking, and I've never really fully recovered from the bender that is genre classification. For the rest of my life, I'll forever walk with a limp.

[secritcrush.livejournal.com]

Pah go respond to my post on Nights at the Circus as I am sure you are the one who told me to read it.

[snurri.livejournal.com]

Now I have the image of us all gathered around a table at a hotel bar at some convention thirty years in the future, with our canes and walkers and prosthetics denoting our injuries from the classification wars.

What baffles me to no end is how even when it starts out with someone railing against it, the conversation quickly morphs into a "what is" argument.

[despotliz.livejournal.com]

There's a reason we call it the Genre Debate of Doom, you know.

[snurri.livejournal.com]

Because it is a spiraling abyss that swallows all sense and reason?

[despotliz.livejournal.com]

Mostly because we like saying DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM a lot, actually.

[scarypudding.livejournal.com]

WHY DO YOU THINK I BROUGHT UP FLIPPING OUT AND KILLING PEOPLE IN THE FIRST PLACE

[snurri.livejournal.com]

I know. And yet the irony is that, as I said to Chris above, the discussion you started morphed right back into what it was railing against.

"A strange game. The only winning move is not to play."

[blueeverglades.livejournal.com]

that's what she said.

[snurri.livejournal.com]

I am laughing, and yet I have a feeling I should be insulted.

[blueeverglades.livejournal.com]

she said that, too.

(insulted? what?!? would I ever insult you?)

[snurri.livejournal.com]

Only in a teasing way, I am sure. Or am I?!?

[blueeverglades.livejournal.com]

that's what he said. hee. ;)

[haddayr.livejournal.com]

I missed it! YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY

[haddayr.livejournal.com]

(See? Being utterly oblivious has its merits.)

[snurri.livejournal.com]

Lucky.

[justinhowe.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I'm with Haddayr. Being oblivious has its merits. Try and enjoy the rest of your Sunday.

[czakbar.livejournal.com]

Where *was* this latest taxonomy discussion anyway? I promise not to go look. It just really got by me. I'm buried in edits. And apparently that is a *good* thing. :)

[snurri.livejournal.com]

It started over at Moles' place, even though David was trying to say "Let's not start in on this again." And now I'm seeing polls like "Is X SF? What does SF mean?" pop up, and it makes me want to eat my own head.

[secritcrush.livejournal.com]

But I am curious if As I Lay Dying is SF! The internets must tell me!

[snurri.livejournal.com]

YOU ARE PART OF THE PROBLEM.

[secritcrush.livejournal.com]

Well, duh - but I do like to read people's inconsistent views on what is SF. And it's sunday and I was supposed to be working on my British Museum project and I hate working on a weekend, so I NEED DISTRACTIONS.

[snurri.livejournal.com]

I do like to read people's inconsistent views on what is SF.

I find this statement incomprehensible.

[secritcrush.livejournal.com]

Would it be more comprehensible if I'd said "self-inconsistent"? (because that is what I wrote originally but then I thought people can only be inconsistent with themselves so it was redundant and deleted it, or are you complaining about something else?)

[snurri.livejournal.com]

I wasn't saying the statement didn't make sense as written; only that I find the sentiment rather alien :-) These kinds of discussions just make my head hurt.

[secritcrush.livejournal.com]

Ah - I try to only be amused by our little community these days because it keeps my head from exploding.

[nihilistic-kid.livejournal.com]

url?

[snurri.livejournal.com]

Sigh. It started over here, despite the fact that Moles was trying to say "Let's not start in on this again."

[ninebelow.livejournal.com]

Poking someone in the eye is not the greatest way to avoid getting into a slapfight with someone.

[snurri.livejournal.com]

Oh, I'm not surprised that an argument started as a result. I'm just amazed at how quickly it turned into an "X is Y" discussion.

[ninebelow.livejournal.com]

Why? "X is Y" is built into the title of Moles's post!