From: Samantha Atkins (samantha@objectent.com)
Date: Sat Aug 11 2001 - 19:59:52 MDT
Mike Lorrey wrote:
>
>
> Why is it Samantha, that after explaining myself THREE times here, you
> STILL don't get what I am saying?????
>
Maybe because I, like most mortals with day jobs, don't get a
chance to follow all threads completely? Why get upset about
this?
> >
> > Russian slang could be part of his books simply because the
> > Russkis were there first and because they launched 10-100 times
> > as much stuff into space as we did over many years. Also, the
> > Russians after WWII acquired as much (or more) of the rocket
> > scientist talent than the US did and pushed harder and earlier
> > for space exploration and conquest. It would be very wierd if
> > there weren't Russian slang (at least) present in tales of near
> > earth space. Its absence would betray even more bias.
>
> If Russia had so much influence on the Moon, then why is there not a
> ComIntern office there in the novel??? KGB??? GRU??? All of these
> entities would have presences on the moon if it had that degree of
> influence.
>
> In the Heinlein universe in which MIAHM was written, the US beat the
> USSR to the moon, and it is the UN govt that administrates it.
>
> I don't deny that it would be wierd if there were no Russian slang. My
> point, which you don't seem to get, is that it is also quite wierd,
> given the population of Chinese on the moon in the novel, that there is
> absolutely no chinese slang in the novel. This is a major oversight.
Well, this is a very different point than implying that RAH was
trying to cozy up to the statist sympathies of the literati as
far back as MIAHM. Desiring literary acceptance of SF generally
and as an author in particular and making plot/story decisions
to appeal to the literati are quite different. Heinlein's sales
were quite good without the sanction of those you imply he was
playing up to. I don't see he had a lot to gain and there was
more than a little to lose if his many fans noticed such.
- samantha
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