Thinking about freedom of expression/speech/everything: I always thought of it as a given that if you’re free to do whatever you want, with no constraints, then life will eventually become desperately boring. Mainstream, surely, is just shorthand for “that which must be rebelled against.” Without rebellion, there’s nothing but empty experimentation. Which is why Triton is ultimately, such a depressing place.

And it’s telling that the extract you chose to put up featured a man with cages on his head and hands. A telling image. If you can’t find the cage in your own life, you’ll create them for yourself.

And you’re right about Bron, David. He really is an insufferable prick.

Nadya, Mer: Well done. Thank you.

Jami: A little of the spice, perhaps, but it could be argued that it would allow a much greater degree of cultural freedom, and people would in all likelihood find a way to push off cultures whether they’re mainstream or not (as most alt cultures have pushed off their alt predecessors).

I see the appeal: dystopian societies make a great target for envisioned rebellion. Like using Nazis for movie villains, they make an erstwhile hero’s choices a whole lot cleaner and easier: nothing feels quite so sweet as a righteous fight. Classics like 1984 offer a good counterpoint, I think, and a reminder that in dealing with actual dystopias, dying in a gutter or being broken in an interrogation chamber is a lot more likely than glamorous uprising.

I’m glad you like the column. Much more to come, including plenty of dystopia wrangling. ;-)

Ben Morris: Agreed on all counts. Increased social fracturing has been taking place since the industrial revolution and the more I look at history, I think the degree of homogeneity within past cultures has been greatly exaggerated by academics looking for big trends to write books about.

alumiere: interesting points all. Closer in time one can see grandparents, etc. that went through the Depression who no doubt think our own lives are mini-utopias.

One reason I like Triton as a work, especially as a counter to utopia novels, is exactly how it clarifies that greater freedom won’t necessarily make everyone happy. I think it’s a matter of goals, as all societies are tradeoffs (some of the trades monumentally better than others). As you point out, total “happiness” is unlikely without massive intrusions or medical “correction.” Some tendencies in that direction are underway now, with increased medication to “fix” unhappy people. Now, fortunately, many are realizing that some unhappiness and dissatisfaction are necessary. Still, it does bring the possibility of a Somatopia a little closer.

R: Great, that’s what I like to hear.

Possibly, but keep in mind that a lot of alternative cultures aren’t just reactions to the mainstream, but people who just naturally want to embrace a style, outlook, lifestyle and have to do it in the teeth of massive opposition, even though it’s their own lives. I tend to believe that norms are those things everyone’s supposed to live by, but few people obey 100%.

Jerem: I don’t know if we would. While I didn’t have the time to go into it, Delany makes it clear in Triton that there are plenty of groups that embrace total homogeneity and conformity, as well as all those strapping hot individualists running around. He seems to suggest that without a mainstream, things will just keep splintering further. Of course, this could just end up in endless internecine warfare, but if a society can make it work…

Nancy: Good point. That’s a perspective I hadn’t thought of before, but it makes sense. Even if there’s no overriding mainstream culture, people still form their clusters, there’s still social cluelessness, exclusion and all the other little demons.

And yes, I want that strategy game.

January: What would subcultures be without a mainstream?

To be devil’s advocate for a second: themselves.

An interesting question, if one that’s not entirely new: is there more to alternative subcultures than opposition to the status quo?

Karenth: Agreed.

Tristan, Cappy: A good way to bring up the contrasts Triton draws between the heterotopia and its neighbors.

I define things differently, however. When we talk about cultures, we usually draw the border somewhere: alt cultures are considered alternatives to the societies they emerge or exist in. Globalized as the world is, when we say “mainstream” we don’t include every dominant culture from the US to Russia to China in one big lump, we’d speak of mainstream culture(s) within American, French, Japanese society, etc. Similarly, within Triton, there’s no mainstream.

Since you brought up the ending, it’s one of the things that I really enjoyed about the book, not just for its contrast to traditional utopias/space operas, but also for its sheer gutsiness: “Yes, our society believes in complete cultural freedom and universal human rights. Screw with us and we will butcher you by the billions.” Coming on top of the war scenes in Triton itself, it’s bracing stuff. Delany plays for keeps.
—
Again, a great comment thread. I hope the rest of the discussions for future All Tomorrows columns end up as interesting. Thank you!

SPOILER ALERT!

… the colonies end up destroying Earth. As Delany writes after the deed is done, the freedom to define one’s own reality is the most precious thing the outer colonies have. It’s worth doing anything to protect, even killing off 80% of the human species.

My take on Triton is that the colonies do have a single, though very splintered, culture based on the core principle of diversity. A similar theme shows up in Stars in my Pocket like Grains of Sand, where the two political factions in the universe again embody this tension between diversity and standardization. The latter book is even more relevant and thought-provoking in the present context of globalization.

Hypothetically though, I think that a world without any mainstream would not be as perfect as all that. without any mainstream culture, there could be no other cultures to lean against or away from it. Alienation is innevitable. Every person would be living in a constantly shifting alien world with no anchor apart from themselves. which we all know never goes well in these future cities. Doubt comes in and no one knows real from dream.