The book was a rollercoaster ride. Heinlein himself was a Navy man and I wasnt sure what to expect.
From the first chapter, rather than being heroes, the mobile infantry are committing war crimes against an intelligent race (not the bugs). We also learn that the training is brutal and there is a big scene about how unfortunate it is someone gets kicked out, because it isn’t really their fault and now they will never vote. Not to mention people die in training. Seems more left than I thought.
Then we learn the history of the world. Heinlein predicted the sino-soviet split early, cool. Oh yeah and CIVILIZATION COLLAPSED BECAUSE EVERYBODY STOPPED SPANKING THEIR KIDS. And went too soft on juvenile criminals. Psychologists and their newfangled (in 1959) ideas are to blame.
By the end of the book, in spite of everything, the moral seems to be that military grunts are the backbone of human civilization. Also evolutionary pressures make war totally inevitable.
So… All sci fi is not left wing. All Hollywood sci fi is left wing.
Heinlein books are just like that, for about a quarter to half the book it’s like “oh this is cool and weirdly left wing” and then Heinlein goes nuts. Best example is Stranger in a Strange Land where the first half or so is societal critique and then the rest is occupied by way too much psychic sex cult.
The book was a rollercoaster ride. Heinlein himself was a Navy man and I wasnt sure what to expect.
From the first chapter, rather than being heroes, the mobile infantry are committing war crimes against an intelligent race (not the bugs). We also learn that the training is brutal and there is a big scene about how unfortunate it is someone gets kicked out, because it isn’t really their fault and now they will never vote. Not to mention people die in training. Seems more left than I thought.
Then we learn the history of the world. Heinlein predicted the sino-soviet split early, cool. Oh yeah and CIVILIZATION COLLAPSED BECAUSE EVERYBODY STOPPED SPANKING THEIR KIDS. And went too soft on juvenile criminals. Psychologists and their newfangled (in 1959) ideas are to blame.
By the end of the book, in spite of everything, the moral seems to be that military grunts are the backbone of human civilization. Also evolutionary pressures make war totally inevitable.
So… All sci fi is not left wing. All Hollywood sci fi is left wing.
Heinlein books are just like that, for about a quarter to half the book it’s like “oh this is cool and weirdly left wing” and then Heinlein goes nuts. Best example is Stranger in a Strange Land where the first half or so is societal critique and then the rest is occupied by way too much psychic sex cult.