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From: Paul S Person <psperson@old.netcom.invalid>
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.written
Subject: Re: Things presented in-story as Good Ideas that seem like really Bad Ideas
Date: Thu, 12 Sep 2024 08:42:42 -0700
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On Wed, 11 Sep 2024 20:17:34 -0400, Tony Nance <tnusenet17@gmail.com>
wrote:

>On 9/8/24 11:49 PM, Ted Nolan <tednolan> wrote:
>> Lucky Starr's "Council Of Science", the Venus Belt, the Federation's
>> "Prime Directive".  Things like that.
>>=20
>> Examples?
>>=20
>> (How about we exempt Super-Powered Vigilantes)
>
>This reminds me of an example I have mentioned here before, 1-2 years=20
>ago, but it's a rather large spoiler for the work in question (The Stars=
=20
>Asunder by Doyle & MacDonald).
>
>
>Spoiler for The Stars Asunder below,
>Tony
>
>
>Spoiler for the stupidest first-contact strategy I=92ve ever seen,
>courtesy of Doyle & MacDonald in The Stars Asunder=85
>
>
>here there be spoilers...
>
>
>
>last spoiler space for 50 miles...
>
>
>
>A ship belonging to Civilization =93A=94, which I charitably won=92t =
refer
>to as The Civilization Of Tunnel-Visioned Militaristic Idiots, has=20
>occasion to make first contact with a ship from Civilization =93B=94.
>
>They sincerely believe =97 as in, it is played straight in the book that=
=20
>these people think this will be a successful way to establish relations=20
>to the mutual benefit of both civilizations =97 it will go best if they=20
>grapple/tether the other ship, make a hole in their hull, and send an=20
>armed boarding party through.

So they're imperialists/colonialists.

Not uncommon at all.

So, what else is new?
--=20
"Here lies the Tuscan poet Aretino,
Who evil spoke of everyone but God,
Giving as his excuse, 'I never knew him.'"