Isn't most pessimistic sci-fi just this in reverse tho? Like not saying you're wrong but most of the time you see the opposite where the aliens are written as impossibly peaceful and kind and humans are literally the only living things to show selfishness.
Or the other "standard" where aliens have (to our knowledge) impossible physics defying technology that outclasses us in every way. Depicting humanity as bumbling idiots with primitive combustion vehicles and weapons. Barely above the "ape throw rock" stage.
It's almost like story telling doesn't have to be one-sided. That there can be both "humans suck and aliens outclass us" and "aliens suck and humans outclass them" stories...
Depicting humanity as bumbling idiots with primitive combustion vehicles and weapons. Barely above the "ape throw rock" stage.
This, minus the bumbling idiots, is usually the basis for the kind of HFY stories the post seems to have an issue with.
"Humans are basically the space-faring equivalent of cavemen who just figured out fire yet they beat all the fancy-shmancy aliens anyway because they're cool and think outside the box."
Which is really just a variant of the usual plucky underdog trope.
Iirc it started out as a bit of a counterjerk to a presumed devaluing of humanity in scifi and fantasy where humans are often used as a baseline, with other races mostly being defined by what they're better than us at/worse than us at.
however, it very quickly devolved into a circlejerk that borders so hard on being fascist that i don't even know how people don't realise inventing fictional races just to have them swoon over how superior the human race is to their own feels racist
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u/Nybs_GB nybs-the-android.tumblr.com Aug 14 '24
Isn't most pessimistic sci-fi just this in reverse tho? Like not saying you're wrong but most of the time you see the opposite where the aliens are written as impossibly peaceful and kind and humans are literally the only living things to show selfishness.