--- Murray mjsmith@tcd.ie wrote: > Fiona,
However, I still think the balance of available
evidence does rule against
racism, or overt racism anyway. As I said to Dana,
Dayna's race is seldom
remarked on and when it is, it's not in a fashion
which singles it out at
all for denigration *or* approval; neither she nor
her father give the
slightest hint that they have suffered racial
persecution (Hal Mellanby is a
rebel, but visibly not a Black Panther); Dayna
*does* pass on Helotrix
without comment. You can then, of course, raise the
paucity of Asian/East
Asian/Afrocaribbean officers, gentlemen etc. in the
Federation, but to be
honest, that seems to be the case for the entire
galaxy, even independent or
rebel planets/outposts-- and may be more evidence
of past than of present
racism (much as the fact that there are fewer Jews
today in certain European
countries than fifty years ago gives evidence not
necessarily of modern, but
of past antisemitism). We're back to the old
negative-evidence argument, and
I suppose that depends on where you stand on
whether not seen=none or not
seen=possible (and which, incidentally, goes for
homophobia as well, since
we don't see evidence for or against).
I agree with you on this, as I have always felt that the Federation, whatever its other faults, did not discriminate on racial or sexual grounds. Indeed, it could have made a virtue of this in its propaganda, contrasting its racial and sexual equality with past states who didn't do this, despite calling themselves democracies.
I agree that there is little or no evidence for racist or sexist attitudes among the Federation. (Such attitudes as they exist in the show can be attributed fairly and squarely to the writers and producers - and by 1970s standards their attitudes were generally quite progressive). My own personal view of the Federation's motives for conquest would have been a kind of pan-human nationalism, that is the idea that all humanity should be united under one government - whether they wanted to be or not. The Federation's motives are never really explored, but I would base this on the Federation's insistence on unity (Voices) and the mild xenophobia displayed towards Cally on occasion (DotG, Shadow) and Cally's reading that sort of attitude in Avon's remarks in the Teleport Bay in Sarcophagus. I would also add that the object of the rebellion seemed to be breaking up the Empire, rather than it's replacement by a kinder, gentler version of the same thing (The Way Back, Countdown, The Keeper, Star One, Aftermath) which might indicate a fundamental disagreement about the Federation's ideas rather than just it's methods.
As far as Homophobia is concerned, the evidence is even scanter. But Egrorian seems to have gotten into trouble over his lust for power rather than his lust for golden haired striplings !
As usual - Just MHO.
Stephen.
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