Star Trek, Zealotry, and Conservatism

[Ritterin Sophia]

I was looking through the archives for a specific banned user and whilst reading of his religious zealotry in addition to his trektardism, I thought about Darktards neoconservative views. Then it hit me, despite the vaunted Federation being atheistic and extremely left-wing, a large number of trekkies are neoconservative thugs and religious zealots. So, now I wonder what, if anything, could explain this kind of cognitive dissonance?

[Lord of the Abyss]

So, now I wonder what, if anything, could explain this kind of cognitive dissonance?

Easy. Zealots of any kind are very good at ignoring inconvenient facts and contradictions in what they believe.

And outside of blatantly political or seriously bigoted works, I don't see much connection between what people are fans of and their political/social views. Nor, for that matter, do I see any evidence that Star Trek fans are especially right wing - a claim I've also heard made about Star Wars fans, with as little evidence.

[DaveJB]

Star Trek hit the peak of its popularity (and therefore picked up a large amount of its fans) during the presidencies of Ronald Ray Gun and Bush the First; I'm willing to bet that the fans it picked up then were young, easily influenced and thus ended up holding two dissimilar worldviews, somehow rationalising them into one.

[Ritterin Sophia]

And outside of blatantly political or seriously bigoted works, I don't see much connection between what people are fans of and their political/social views. Nor, for that matter, do I see any evidence that Star Trek fans are especially right wing - a claim I've also heard made about Star Wars fans, with as little evidence.

Either you're blind or illiterate. Please, point out where I generalized that all trekkies were right wing, or even a majority of them, were especially right wing. Here's a hint, dumbass, I didn't. I said a large number of trekkies raise the Federation up onto a pedestal, despite the fact that they themselves fight against the same ideals that they praise the UFP for. Now that can either be a majority or a minority of Trekkies, but it's sufficiently large enough that it's noticable. But of course, if anyone but an idiot were to look at my examples, Darkstar and Mith, they'd realize I'm talking about the diehard trektards.

But, please, feel free to continue strawmanning what I've said and continuing to be a dishonest asshat.

[Drooling Iguana]

The Federation is a powerful authority that, within the show, is portrayed as always being right about everything. It's also surrounded by dirty, easily stereotyped foreigners who often conveniently give reasons for the fine, upstanding, mostly white male Federation types to kill them.

[Darth Wong]

Indeed. The TNG-era Federation is exactly how most conservative Americans view themselves: a paragon of virtue in a galaxy filled with backward savages and marauding monsters. The only problem was its overt pacifism and dismissal of religion, which was eliminated in DS9. Now the conservatard Trekkies can all be happy.

[Knife]

The Federation is a powerful authority that, within the show, is portrayed as always being right about everything. It's also surrounded by dirty, easily stereotyped foreigners who often conveniently give reasons for the fine, upstanding, mostly white male Federation types to kill them.

I think that's a fair assessment. Sure, the government is socialist, but the fanatical adherence (or atleast lipservice) to 'nobel ideas' of the Federation is something the bible thumpers can relate too, as is the swarmy self righteousness they have as well.

[Rye]

Then it hit me, despite the vaunted Federation being atheistic and extremely left-wing, a large number of trekkies are neoconservative thugs and religious zealots. So, now I wonder what, if anything, could explain this kind of cognitive dissonance?

The neoconservative thing is easy to explain: the Feds are "good" and whoever they meddle with are "bad" 9 times out of 10. The conservative christians are just latching on to a bit of popular culture and don't spot the atheism because they don't realise that atheists are just normal characters and not out to attack their values of virtue and valour.

[A-Wing_Slash]

The neoconservative thing is easy to explain: the Feds are "good" and whoever they meddle with are "bad" 9 times out of 10.

I think this helps explain, from my limited experience, why many hard-core star trek fans dislike Insurrection far more than Nemesis. Both movies were shit, but because elements of the "good guys" were portrayed as evil, Insurrection draws far more of the ire.

[Zixinus]

There is also the fact that some of the stereotyped evil races have traits that neocons hate.

Klingons: rough warrior people from harsh worlds. Whom? Soviets. That is what they were intended to be.

Borg: communism and hive-mind has surprisingly allot in common.

The-genetically-engineered-to-be-incompetent-soldiers-in-DS9: genetic engineering.

[Darth Servo]

Keep in mind that the Federation may claim to lack religion in TNG, they still had many of the overtones. God-like beings, ghosts, etc.

Furthermore, in regards to the Rabid Stupid Asshole and his ilk, he simply denies the parts of Star Trek that don't fit his world view. He explicitly insists the Federation isn't communist.

[Darth Wong]

Most of the rabid Trektards prefer DS9 over TNG anyway. Less pacifism, more religion, and thanks to Quark and his black-market activities, the illusion of capitalism. All while preserving the basic conceit of the Federation being a shining paragon of virtue surrounded by barbarians, er- savages, er- darkies, er- aliens.

[Imperial Overlord]

TNG and later era Trek have strong social conformity overtones. There is the righteous and noble Starfleet way of doing things and then there are the ways of inferior civilizations. Religious zealots and conservatards love having everyone in their place and behaving in the proper way. [sarcasm] Even klingons and black people are okay if they act white enough. [/sarcasm] Inconvenient episodes with contradictory messages can be massaged or ignored ot they were only really paying attention to the explosions and the technobabble.

[GrandMasterTerwynn]

I was looking through the archives for a specific banned user and whilst reading of his religious zealotry in addition to his trektardism, I thought about Darktards neoconservative views. Then it hit me, despite the vaunted Federation being atheistic and extremely left-wing, a large number of trekkies are neoconservative thugs and religious zealots. So, now I wonder what, if anything, could explain this kind of cognitive dissonance?

Because the way Star Trek approaches science is the exact same way that they view science. Which is to say, it's essentially treated like magic. Mumble some hocus pocus and abracadabra and voila out comes a rabbit from the hat. They do science that way in Trek too. Mumble some quantum gravitons this and reverse polarity subspace polarons that, and voila the episode is resolved.

Not to mention, look at the way Star Trek treats evolution. It matches the comically oversimplified way most of these people see evolution, when they acknowledge that it exists at all. Plug in the word "evolution" to Mike's Star Trek canon database, and you'll see the way evolution is portrayed is how a neoconservative religious zealot would see it.

Furthermore, there's no shortage of magical beings with magical powers that are explained using magical . . . I mean technobabbled language, which further drags Star Trek away from anything resembling real scientific plausibility.

Finally, toss in the one-note alien monocultures who conveniently represent the sorts of things these people fear (and the blatant racism present in the franchise as it wore on. Think of all the episodes dealing with Worf's "Klingon heritage," constantly dominating everything that he did, even though he was raised from childhood by humans! Or that walking collection of Injun stereotypes named Chakotay. Or how the future Federation seems dominated by people who are as white and American as apple pie.)

All of this ought to make it pretty obvious why the most rabid Trekkies out there also happen to be neoconservative retards and zealots.

[Aeolus]

Has anyone else noticed how prudish trekkies tend to be? The shows present a future that is basically 60's free love but the fans always complain about how other shows like BSG are nothing but perverted sex shows.

[Ritterin Sophia]

Has anyone else noticed how prudish trekkies tend to be? The shows present a future that is basically 60's free love but the fans always complain about how other shows like BSG are nothing but perverted sex shows.

I thought conservative pretty much also covered prudishness .

[Aeolus]

Has anyone else noticed how prudish trekkies tend to be? The shows present a future that is basically 60's free love but the fans always complain about how other shows like BSG are nothing but perverted sex shows.

I thought conservative pretty much also covered prudishness .

Some conservatives have very freaky sex lives. Some liberals are prudes. But Trekkies in particular seem to me to be prudish in particular.

[Patrick Degan]

Has anyone else noticed how prudish trekkies tend to be? The shows present a future that is basically 60's free love but the fans always complain about how other shows like BSG are nothing but perverted sex shows.

I thought conservative pretty much also covered prudishness .

Some conservatives have very freaky sex lives. Some liberals are prudes. But Trekkies in particular seem to me to be prudish in particular.

I'm not sure... If anything, post-TOS Star Trek has been far more juvenile than prudish when it comes to sex. "The Naked Now" was particularly embarassing and painful to watch in this regard, but it seemed the writers were completely incompetent when it came to handling an adult relationship. The closest they ever got to such a dynamic, sadly, paralleled current-day soap opera writing in which the two would-be lovers, invariably teenagers, engage in endless handwringing and worry about evading their parents before they finally get down and fuck. Every other time, it's been a rather banal cocktease or very artificial titilation which was about as unerotic as you could get and reflective of a rather immature mind.

[Kanastrous]

Klingons: rough warrior people from harsh worlds. Whom? Soviets. That is what they were intended to be.

That's true, but at least in "Day of the Dove" the Klingons were portrayed sympathetically. Human-ly, even

[Zixinus]

That's true, but at least in "Day of the Dove" the Klingons were portrayed sympathetically. Human-ly, even

Maybe in that episode alone, but otherwise the Klingons were portrayed as primitive barberians with starships. Compare it with other series Klingons.

[Imperial Overlord]

Maybe in that episode alone, but otherwise the Klingons were portrayed as primitive barberians with starships. Compare it with other series Klingons.

Kor and Koloth were not portrayed as primitive barbarians with starships. They were quite clearly ruthless and competent officers serving an aggressive, totalitarian state.

[Kanastrous]

Klingons don't come off primitive or barbaric in "A Private Little War," either...

[Galvatron]

Or Trouble With Tribbles.

[Patrick Degan]

That's true, but at least in "Day of the Dove" the Klingons were portrayed sympathetically. Human-ly, even

Maybe in that episode alone, but otherwise the Klingons were portrayed as primitive barberians with starships. Compare it with other series Klingons.

The TOS Klingons were in no way, shape, or form, "primitive barbarians with starships". They were ruthless, cunning, devious. If a given situation required them to play politics, they did so ("A Private Little War", "Friday's Child"). They would use subversion and espionage to advance their aims ("A Private Little War", "The Trouble With Tribbles", "Elaan Of Troyus"), employed traitors and saboteurs (again "Elaan Of Troyus"), and had no qualms about ruthlessness in the treatment of conquered peoples, with no scruples about honour getting in the way of executing policy ("Errand Of Mercy"). They also knew how to take full advantage of the letter of the law to try to twist it to their own ends ("The Trouble With Tribbles"). Unable to directly make war with the Federation, they settled down to a cold war posture and sought every advantage they could take for themselves. Hardly the character of barbarians.