Tuesday 10 September 2013

I joined in one of those

Twitter "conversations" last night. You know the sort of thing I mean I am sure. There was a flurry of statements, a bit like those old "snow domes" where you turn the thing upside down and then let the "snow" settle on the scene inside.
What was under discussion was, I suppose, science fiction and those who watch it.
I had to confess I had never seen Star Trek. No doubt this will alarm the Trekkies out there. I know nothing about it apart from the fact that there is an artificial language called "Klingon" involved. I have heard about Klingon simply because I am interested in artificial languages. I use an artificial language in my own work but it is nothing like Klingon. There is no way of speaking what I use. 
But keen Trekkies apparently do speak Klingon. They also watch and probably re-watch the series.
Then there are the Star Wars films. I have never seen those either. I only have the vaguest idea what they are about.
You can probably tell I am not "into" SF? The closest I have come to reading SF is a book called "The Overman Culture" which a student gave me because it was set in her home state of Tasmania.
I have also read the books for adults by Diana Wynne Jones. I enjoyed those but I suspect they are not classed in quite the same category as Star Trek or Star Wars.
It took me more than twenty years to see the film "2001: A space odyssey". They filmed it one afternoon when I was a postgrad at university. I duly paid my two dollars and went along out of curiosity. So many people had thought the film was "marvellous" at the time it first came out. As an impecunious student who wanted to see other things (live theatre and museum exhibitions not likely to be repeated) I had not seen it. Perhaps I just left it too late. By the time I saw it I couldn't understand what the fuss was about.
There are more modern films I have not seen - like Avatar. Quite apart from the cost, I can't be bothered with most of them. I don't want to view violence. I don't want to see a depressing and violent film. I get enough of that in my job.
It's the same with television. I don't want to view depressing and violent programmes. The news service is bad enough. I know I have missed some good television and that I am lacking in cultural literacy.
But, I have read a lot of books.

2 comments:

Helen Devries said...

I did read Dune....but that
is it for Sci-fi unless you include Day of the Triffids.

Old Kitty said...

Ah! You twitter and I haven't a clue! LOL!

Sometimes I wish I spoke Klingon - handy if I want to swear without offending! :-)

Take care
x