I think we could easily live in a world in which, say, being born with brown eyes, or having acrophobia or liking cats would be considered as disability. Or at least, I could see us living in such "alternative" worlds.

And that's where you're onto the social model of disability. Which has its issues, but is also amazing. I am going to look for papers for you...

Cash, did you see my tooth fairy post? I ended up getting a wee gift rather than money as that seemed to be what Franny wanted, but had I gone with money it probably would have been a dollar. Instead it was some Hello Kitty sticker thingy.

Thanks, Burrell! I think I'm going to go with a dollar coin. Owen's starting to learn about money and I think it would be cool. I can actually teach him to start saving them up. That way he can figure out how much it takes to buy one Lego set.

Shir, what do you consider some of the best sci-fi challenges to the social order?

Can we rain check the answer to that question to times I'll feel smarter?

Ha, really? I guess I haven't seen that episode yet.

It's...um, the 2nd or 3rd episode of season 1 of Next Generation. So, being on TV, it's "canon". :/

What! Come on now.

Totally not making that part up. In fact, Ensign Rock's horta-ability to "taste metal" is part of a locked-room mystery in one of the books. It's an integral plot point.

But his name is ENSIGN ROCK. GAH.

I just finished re-watching all of Farscape, and most of the aliens are slightly-odd human stereotypes, yes. A couple of the DESIGNS are interesting - Pilot, a merchant (another puppet) from the first season, etc. - but yeah, it's that fine line again between "what would a real alien be like?" and "how much of this will the audience understand?"

That's why I like Cherryh's scifi so much. She's good at postulating alien *mindsets*, and then re-introducing humans...who then seem very WEIRD, because we-the-reader have gotten used to being in the alien headspace. Pyanfar from the "Chanur" series, or the aliens from "Cuckoo's Egg", or even Kekellen from the Genewars books.

I am going to look for papers for you...

Loving Seska

I'll log off and go to bed if you'll log off and go to bed, OK?

Can we rain check the answer to that question to times I'll feel smarter?

Heh. Sure. If you can remind me that I was too tired to discuss the social model with you. Tomorrow I will want to hit myself over the head repeatedly for missing the opportunity.

Yes, I have recs! Try "Gibbon's Decline and Fall" for an alien/gender/Eco twist; "Beauty" if you enjoy fairy tales and feminism; "The Family Tree" for eco/(redacted for spoilery.)

She gets a mite doomy and gender/Eco apocolypicty at times, but I enjoy her POV and imaginative force.

I'll log off and go to bed if you'll log off and go to bed, OK?

Just let me find this one paper I've had in mind, first... *grin*

N'night, Bitches.

Sheri Tepper's book The Family Tree is the only one of hers I've read, and (no spoilers here!!) I'll just say that about halfway through, you have to completely change your mindspace. Biggest "WTF?!?" (but in a good way) moment I ever had reading. Do NOT let yourself get spoiled about this book, because I loved that 180 turn I had to take.

I also liked an old SF romance I read back in the late '80s by Ann Maxwell (Elizabeth Lowell's SF penname) called Timeshadow Rider. I read it in one day, did not understand the climax of the book at all, reread it the next, and finally the light bulb went on over my head about 3/4 of the way through the second read. It involved a big mental shift to figure out the ending because it was so alien. Again, I loved that rethinking.

Tomorrow I will want to hit myself over the head repeatedly for missing the opportunity.

Hey hey, we're both still alive, as far as I noticed. The future is ahead of us!

And thanks, Erin. Your post was duly marked.