this post was submitted on 04 Nov 2025
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Idk Pug. Obviously agree all, as normal, but as a sci-fi fan, I gotta question the "satire." Heinlein was quite pro-fascism. You don't see that book as more of his ideal than his comedic hot take on a future scenario?
I read the Views > Politics section on Wikipedia and it sounds like he's a "Don't tread on me" Libertarian type.
The movie is satire, while the book, as I said, "is either pseudofascist drivel or an interesting exploration of what a hypermilitarized sci-fi democracy might look like."
I tend to take a middle ground of the two positions - I don't think Heinlein is outlining any sort of ideal society by his own measurements, only a society. At the same time, that he portrays the society as basically functional rather than fucked reveals a bit about his own prejudices and both conscious and subconscious ideas about human nature and politics.
The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress is probably closer to his ideal society (though that comes with some problems of its own).
I love communicating with you. Great feedback and Moon is on my reading list. Currently really enjoying the two newish Suzanne Collins additions to the hunger games universe. S&S was great and I'm on the latest, Haymitch origin story, now. Worth a read imo.
Heinlein is a fantastic writer, if sometimes bizarre in a way that is not intended. Very, uh, eclectic mix of ideas in the man's mind.
Always happy to talk with you, you're one of my favorite dogs on the internet 🙏
I thought he was a leftwing anarchist.
He was an 'old-style' libertarian, he had a very eclectic mixture of views, but was not left-wing as we would recognize it. More of a "free-market, free-association, free-love, pro-environmentalism" type that you rarely see anymore.