Rambling of a knitting sci-fi geek.

Thinking about Stratt--who has such a unique blend of optimism and cynicism, willing to place Earth's hopes in an interstellar mission but approaching making it happen in such a ruthlessly pragmatic way--growing up as a kid in East Germany and living through die Wende and the collapse of the Eastern Bloc is just really politically fascinating. Partly because Stratt herself is so politically fascinating, but there's also something else there, something that speaks to growing up watching protests and upheaval on one side of the Iron Curtain, only to end up working for the extremely international European Space Agency as an adult (and then transition into leading the even more international Petrova Taskforce). In that context, movie!Stratt has seen both human conflict and human cooperation in spades, and I could see it hugely informing her perspective on the Hail Mary mission.

It's because Weir is interested in politics, he just doesn't realize it because his framework for what counts as "political" is really bad and narrow.

Weir's books (or at least The Martian and Project Hail Mary, I can't speak for Artemis which I haven't read) are incredibly interested in themes of international cooperation. Which is, of course, the definition of political. In The Martian, a number of countries' space agencies work together to help get Mark Watney home; in Project Hail Mary the eponymous project is the work of the entire international community and the mission is meant to be an multinational one, even if only Ryland Grace actually survives. That's incredibly political and not on accident. International cooperation -- which is one of the things that contributes to Stratt being such a fascinating character -- is clearly a theme Weir cares about and returns to frequently in his writing.

However, Andy Weir (being a cishet white American man) thinks politics are for other people. I can almost guarantee you that a large part of his personal definition of the political revolves around identity politics, which he thinks he's exempt from as a "normal" person who exists outside of those othering categories (heavy on the sarcasm, of course). Politics are things like racial equality and pronouns, something that, in his mind, exist independently from the scientific cooperation he's fascinated by and keeps returning to in his work. Which is deeply incorrect, but a view that a lot of people nonetheless hold.

They tried to kill us, but they did not succeed. And we owe so much thanks to the other oppressed peoples, in particular the Choctaw Nation and the Masai, who sent money and grain to us.

Let me repeat that. The Choctaw Nation who had just gone through the Trail of Tears sent us money to try save Irish lives. It’s led to an understanding between Irish people and Native American tribes, most recently when we donated to the Navajo and Hopi fundraisers for COVID-19 relief, because while it may be a different tribe, Irish people will never forget those who helped us and we’ll help back.

The entire population of the island is less than seven million people. We’re still a million less on this island than pre famine. And it’s not that long ago. My grandmother’s grandparents lived through it. We’ve told the stories, it literally changed the DNA of the country. We have a national fear of renting, because so many people were evicted. People joke about Irish people always offering loads of food, but it’s because there’s that cultural memory of not being able to.

German politics decided to massively fuck over every German who needs therapy now or in the future (as a means to lessen the financial burden on the public health insurance, completely ignoring human dignity, and actual input of people working in this field)

If this thing goes through we basically loose any hope to ever receive mental healthcare.

The "Psychotherapieverbund" started a petition

That can be signed until midnight of the 9. Of July. Please reblog if you have German followers and send it to all Germans you know, so we can help our dear clusterfuck of a government to make the right decision.