phi

And since I've gotten feedback that this is still obscure and enigmatic: I credited last year's Worldcon site (London) with attracting record numbers of (mostly European) younger, less chauvinist members, and likewise record numbers of Hugo nominations and votes and a generally diverse slate of nominees and winners. The Sad Puppies are a backlash: a bunch of people who thought this was some kind of secret cabal conspiracy and decided to organize their own, notionally to nominate people of "more diverse political thought" but mostly to advance a Libertarian agenda and make sure no "Social Justice Warriors" were nominated. The upcoming Worldcon in Spokane, like most US Worldcons, was already looking like it was going to be full enough of this kind of people that I wasn't interested in going. It looks like there'll be a counter-backlash, though. I do have a supporting membership (having voted in the site selection) and expect I'll be voting on the Hugos, once I sort out which of the Sad Puppy slate are crap intended to squeeze out some superior work by a progressive voice and which are works of actual quality in categories where the Sad Puppies either didn't feel there was a progressive voice to squeeze out or where the works they wanted to exclude weren't the best option anyway.