I’d rather you refer to Three Worlds Collide than discuss such morbid fantasies! (I’ve read Land and he makes H.L. Mencken look kind and cheerful by comparison.)
One (overly narrow) ideology-related interpretation possible is that of a Space-Liberal humanity having Space Liberalism forcefully imposed on the Babyeaters but resisting the imposition of Space Communism upon itself, despite the relative positions being identical in both cases. In which case… was the Normal Ending really so awful? :)
No, but seriously. Consider it. I mean, the Superhappies are a highly egalitarian, collectivist, expansionist, technology-focused, peace- and compromise-loving culture with universalist ideals that they want to spread everywhere.
Aside from the different biology, that sounds like the Communist sci-fi utopias I’ve read of, like Banks’ Culture and the Strugatsky brothers’ Noon Universe. All three are a proper subset of “Near-Maximum Leftism” in my opinion. And I would hardly be terrified if offered to live in either one—or even a downgraded version of one, with a little Space Bureaucracy. Frankly, I wouldn’t even mind a Space Brezhnev, as long as he behaved. I can name a dozen much worse (non-socialist) rulers than the real Brezhnev!
(Can you imagine tentacle sex being plagued by bureaucracy? “Sorry, comrade, you’ll need a stamp before I can give you an orgasm, and the stamp window doesn’t work today.”)
I’d rather you refer to Three Worlds Collide than discuss such morbid fantasies! (I’ve read Land and he makes H.L. Mencken look kind and cheerful by comparison.)
One (overly narrow) ideology-related interpretation possible is that of a Space-Liberal humanity having Space Liberalism forcefully imposed on the Babyeaters but resisting the imposition of Space Communism upon itself, despite the relative positions being identical in both cases. In which case… was the Normal Ending really so awful? :)
Space Communism is infinite sex with everything? People are right space makes everything better.
No, but seriously. Consider it. I mean, the Superhappies are a highly egalitarian, collectivist, expansionist, technology-focused, peace- and compromise-loving culture with universalist ideals that they want to spread everywhere.
Aside from the different biology, that sounds like the Communist sci-fi utopias I’ve read of, like Banks’ Culture and the Strugatsky brothers’ Noon Universe. All three are a proper subset of “Near-Maximum Leftism” in my opinion. And I would hardly be terrified if offered to live in either one—or even a downgraded version of one, with a little Space Bureaucracy. Frankly, I wouldn’t even mind a Space Brezhnev, as long as he behaved. I can name a dozen much worse (non-socialist) rulers than the real Brezhnev!
(Can you imagine tentacle sex being plagued by bureaucracy? “Sorry, comrade, you’ll need a stamp before I can give you an orgasm, and the stamp window doesn’t work today.”)