Main Asimovs Three Kinds Of Science Fiction Discussion

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DaibhidC Wizzard Since: Jan, 2001

Wizzard

Apr 18th 2023 at 2:53:13 PM •••

I'm very unsure about this:

Smokey and the Bandit delves into the hypothetical social implications of citizen-band radio, a recently invented real-life technology. In the film, CB radio finds itself being used for crime, law enforcement, entrapment, and social resistance. It also gets a whole community revolving around it.

After the 1973 oil crisis, the U.S. government imposed a nationwide 55 mph speed limit, and fuel shortages and rationing were widespread. Drivers (especially commercial truckers) used CB radios to locate service stations with better supplies of fuel, to notify other drivers of speed traps, and to organize blockades and convoys in a 1974 strike protesting the new speed limit and other trucking regulations. The radios were crucial for independent truckers; many were paid by the mile, and the 55 mph speed limit lowered their productivity.

This is exactly the sort of thing the film "predicted" CB radio would do, and it happened three to four years earlier.

Edited by DaibhidC

JDCyrus Someone Since: Mar, 2010

Someone

Nov 1st 2011 at 7:25:57 AM •••

Why is there an examples lockout?

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girlyboy Since: Jan, 2001

Nov 30th 2011 at 9:25:45 AM •••

Presumably, because almost any science fiction story would fit into one of the three categories. It's an example section that could potentially include the entire sci-fi genre. I suppose a very short list of examples for illustrative purposes only — say, three or so particularly well-known and iconic works for each of the three classes — could be good, but there'd be the risk of people trying to add more and better examples, potentially leading to the example section's uncontrolled and theoretically unlimited growth.

BrokenEye Since: May, 2011

Dec 15th 2016 at 5:27:37 AM •••

Why not just have three sections (one for each type) containing links to medium-specific sub-pages with alphabetized collapsible sections, rather like the Alternate Character Interpretation page? After all, that trope can potentially include paragraph after paragraph on every work of fiction ever written (and very nearly does).

If it ain't broke, fix it 'til it is

supergod Since: Jun, 2012

Dec 15th 2016 at 5:45:32 AM •••

Alternate Character Interpretation examples need to be explained even if potentially every work can have examples of it. This is just a categorization thing. and an outdated one that's not widely used, especially since most post-Golden Age science fiction would be difficult to place into one category exclusively (and this could end up getting rather subjective as a result).

For we shall slay evil with logic...

Asterlix Since: Feb, 2022

Sep 24th 2022 at 8:35:22 AM •••

I don't think we should operate with limited examples. Definition-Only Pages are designated by consensus when a trope is proved to be an Omnipresent Trope.

As long as we don't decide that in a TRS, examples can be freely added. For now, I've added the ones that could be crosswicked.

On an unrelated note, I think we should consider renaming this trope. The name's a mouthful and not that indicative. The trope is about the role an invention (a MacGuffin more often than not) plays in the story. That can potentially describe plots in genres other than Sci-Fi. After all, Asimov gave the idea but Tropes Are Flexible.

Here there be cats.

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