The ‘Three-Body Problem’, the Imperative of Survival, and the Misogyny of Reactionary Rhetoric
Very interesting; it seems China has "gongye dang", its own alt-right, misogynistic techno-nationalistic movement, which chooses to kick back against "baizuo" and "shengmu" in an "anti-wokeism" fashion. Turns out they are big fans of Lui Cixin's "Three-Body Problem" trilogy:
It has become clear that the narrative structure of the Three-Bodies series, just like the gongye dang techno-nationalist discourse, is masculinist and misogynistic. Liu explicitly depicts human society under deterrence peace as ‘feminised’, noting the physical as well as mental feminisation of the ‘new era’ men. The qualities conventionally associated with femininity, such as love, compassion, and moral sentiments, are blamed for the extinction of human civilisation, whereas qualities associated with masculinity, such as rationality, determination, and aggression, are framed as key to civilisational survival. The reactionary rhetoric adopts a similar strategy, which is not only evidently anti-feminist, but also feminises social justice issues ‘as a prelude to devaluing and subduing them’ (Kaul 2021: 1624). By labelling anyone with any concerns about human rights or equality a shengmu, this rhetoric constructs certain ideas and political agendas as feminine as a way of delegitimating them: they are either hopelessly idealistic or dangerously undermine stability, growth, and ‘national interests’.
Tags: literature review gender scifi misogyny books culture three-body-problem liu-cixin woke china