Science Fiction Aficionados discussion

I dug out my old Doubleday bound copy of the trilogy to reread, and what first struck me was how many times smoking was mentioned. (I also just reread 1984 and noted the same thing.)

I wonder what other social "norms" are in our current novels that readers 50 years hence will shake their heads at?

I have one sci fi paperback that has a cigarette commercial in the middle of it. One wouldn't find that in today's books I guess. :-)

Lots of older SF will have cocktails being drunk after work too. Some will have people using slide rules to make calculations.

I think the one that startled me the most was rereading Freckles and noticing that everyone assumed that shooting an otter to make a fur muff for a girlfriend was a great idea.

Cocktails being drunk after work still happens, I can personally testify to that!

I think dementia is setting in my old age. Ok 1950's social morals.


As for smoking, nothing that I know of comes close to The Space Merchants.

I recall watching an old episode of I've got a Secret with my wife and she was amazed to see Garry Moore smoking while on air.