Homosexuality?

Sai Baba

Sai Baba

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Joined
Jan 30, 2008
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I must say I have read about 10 of his novels (few of those are with Silverberg). Few days ago I went on wikipedia to see an article about his "I, Robot" book and the first sentence of the article describe the book as collection of nine homosexual English language science fiction short stories. At first I thought that someone is just goofing around and now the article is changed the word 'homosexual' is edited out. But article can still be seen in history of wikipedia. (sorry I can't give you the link the forum don't allow me because I have to little posts, but you can see it on wikipedia history under date 06:07, 6 March 2008)

So I made a little searching around and find out that novel "The Robots of Dawn" are 16th on amazon list of Best Gay Books.

So what does it means? Since I have not yet read those books I'm just wandering are they gay and if they are why is it suppressed by wikipedia? They don't even mention it actually no one mentions when they talk about Asimov's robot books.
 
Sai Baba said:
So what does it means? Since I have not yet read those books I'm just wandering are they gay and if they are why is it suppressed by wikipedia? They don't even mention it actually no one mentions when they talk about Asimov's robot books.
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Perhaps because it isn't there?

Well....I suppose you could put up a case for R.Daneel and Eljah having suppressed feelings for each other, but it would be an extremely tenuous link, especially regarding R.Daneel.....it would have to be deliberately programmed into it.
I must confess, having first read Robots over thirty years ago, and several times since, it's never actually occurred to me, but I dare say people could read homoerotic meaning into the relationship between C3PO and R2D2 if they really tried.

And never believe all you read in Wikipedia...anyone can edit most entries...:rolleyes::D
 
Sounds like Wikipedia vandalism to me. It's not unusual, and their bots usually pick it up quite quickly.
 
steve12553 said:
Asimov's stories tended to be asexual if anything. (At least the Robot series). I'd have to agree, it sound's like vandalism.
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Oh, there's sexuality there, all right... between Gladia Delmarre and Lije, just as plain as you please.... But yes, you're right, steve... the feel of the stories is very much asexual. In other words: yes, it's a bit of asinine vandalism on someone's part, whether directed at Asimov or Wikipedia... who knows?
 
But it's not just wikipedia, like I said, there is also on amazon.com list of Best Gay Books (of All time) and "The Robots of Dawn" is 16th on the list.

amazon.co.uk/Best-gay-books/lm/1ZEV7B31SC8EU
 
Yeah, I agree. sexuality exists on this book, and robots and empire between Lije and Gladia, though in Robots of Dawn there WAS mention of sexuality between Gladia and... the second humaniform robot, I can't recall his name, who was identical to R. Daneel, so while yes almost all the robots were androgynous. the ones built as humaniform WERE fully functional, and nearly impossible to distinguish from humans except by behavior.

Sai, I have no idea why you are running across so much info about Asimov books being related to homosexual. though the partnership of two male police officers and the friendship they develop, might be a happiness for gay males. Asimov put sex into his novels.... I'd say rarely.

I have noticed though that you seem to have been tossing in a number of posts in this forum that to me seem like you are trying to get people to believe what you say is truth, and that what you say is the most unbelievable pap that could be regurgitated. trying for outraged response, or denial from the uneducated, whichever.
 
I can't imagine why Robots of Dawn would be rated 16th on amazon list of Best Gay Books. what little sexuality that is described in the book, and indeed the entire series, is strictly heterosexual.
The relationship between R. Daneel (a humaniform robot) and Elijah Baleey (a human male police detective) is strictly a buddy/cop relationship.

The collection of short stories in I Robot doesn't have any obvious homosexual references, or any sexual references of any time, come to think of it.
 
Sai Baba said:
But it's not just wikipedia, like I said, there is also on amazon.com list of Best Gay Books (of All time) and "The Robots of Dawn" is 16th on the list.

amazon.co.uk/Best-gay-books/lm/1ZEV7B31SC8EU
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Have you looked at the list? Notice that it is posted by a single individual... not the results of a poll or anything else reflecting even the meagerest authority. Combining that with at look at the other books on the list... the entire thing comes off as either a prank or some well-intentionted but poorly-executed promoting of personal favorites....

Given the subject of this thread, and the request concerning Asimov's The Sensuous Dirty Old Man, I cannot help but ask the obvious question: Do we have a certain agenda going on here....?
 
Asimov himself said he rarely had sex or even romantic connections in his stories because he himself felt uncomfortable around the opposite sex. Although he subsequently went on to meet the girl of his dreams, he never felt he had any prowess in the romance department
 
ghost8772 said:
Sai, I have no idea why you are running across so much info about Asimov books being related to homosexual. though the partnership of two male police officers and the friendship they develop, might be a happiness for gay males. Asimov put sex into his novels.... I'd say rarely.

I have noticed though that you seem to have been tossing in a number of posts in this forum that to me seem like you are trying to get people to believe what you say is truth, and that what you say is the most unbelievable pap that could be regurgitated. trying for outraged response, or denial from the uneducated, whichever.
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Well sorry I made some haste conclusions which were false and I opened this topic whiteout thinking. That's my problem and that's why I always have a hard time blending in in Internet forums because people seem to react on my posts and topics as they written by insane man.
But I guess everybody would make the same mistake and they are aware of it and that's why they are always cautious which explaint the somewhat lesser number of opened topics on this sub forum and others.
Let me just say that yesterday I submitted 2 posts on this subforum which were immediately removed they didn't even show up when I submitted them. I don't know even if this post will be published. Is it because of forum error or am I just being on special observation by forum administrators I don't know either. I just know that people are to serious and to cautious not just here but almost everywhere.
 
Sai Baba said:
Let me just say that yesterday I submitted 2 posts on this subforum which were immediately removed they didn't even show up when I submitted them. I don't know even if this post will be published. Is it because of forum error or am I just being on special observation by forum administrators I don't know either.
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Did the posts have links in them? Because until your post count reaches 15 you can't post a link. This rule is in place to protect the forum from spammers.

Or if your message contained any graphic obscenities, that would explain it, too. The software is programmed to catch certain words and immediately sends the post to a moderation queue pending approval. And sometimes the software, being software, sends something to moderation and even the moderators don't know why.
 
It was an interesting discussion Sai. I would not worry about being wrong on this occassion. I make mistakes almost everytime I speak/write. Tis human nature. I also would not discount what you have written here, as I am sure there is a seed of truth in what you have written.

I cant see a record of your posts being deleted mate, but we will look into it.
 
Sai, sorry about that reply, it was more rant against internet sites than anything you said. keep running across sites that cite other sites that cite others with statements and "facts" on them that are so far out there they are laughable. but others look and BELIEVE. rolling eyes. I've read a number of Asimov's books, and the only places where he penned in ANY sex I ran across were between Lije Bailey, and Gladia. granted I haven't read Sensuous dirty old man. but I have read all robot novels, and Foundation novels written by Asimov.

I suppose it rating like that COULD be based on the spiritual relationship. Bailey being able to accept someone he is working with who is different and reviled by the society surrounding him.
 
Sai Baba said:
Well sorry I made some haste conclusions which were false and I opened this topic whiteout thinking. That's my problem and that's why I always have a hard time blending in in Internet forums because people seem to react on my posts and topics as they written by insane man.
But I guess everybody would make the same mistake and they are aware of it and that's why they are always cautious which explaint the somewhat lesser number of opened topics on this sub forum and others.
Let me just say that yesterday I submitted 2 posts on this subforum which were immediately removed they didn't even show up when I submitted them. I don't know even if this post will be published. Is it because of forum error or am I just being on special observation by forum administrators I don't know either. I just know that people are to serious and to cautious not just here but almost everywhere.
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I'm curious as to what you mean by "too serious and too cautious"... could you explain that one a bit?

As for your posts... I've seen nothing indicating they were put in a moderated queue, let alone removed, so this may be one of those oddities of a simple glitch in the system sending a post or two off into cyberlimbo. (I've had my share of posts suffer such as well. It's annoying, but it's also simply the way the 'net sometimes works....)

As for my query above... it is just that, posting two such topics so close together got me to wondering if you had a particular agenda or idea in mind, and wanted to address that. Nothing wrong with the subject here, it's just that the juxtaposition had me wondering....

EDIT: Ah, I stand corrected. Both your posts and mine responding to you are awaiting moderation. In this case, I'll go ahead and approve them, since they're obviously not promotions, but adding to the discussion....
 
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I love the idea of Elijah and Daneel having warm feelings towards each other - why not? Of course I can see it would need to be programmed into Daneel first. If women can be affectionate towards each other, why can't men? One of the things I find most depressing is 'men's inhumanity towards (other) men'. So if the notion is that Daneel and Elijah are 'supressed homosexuals' I"m all for it!
In fact I'm all for pansexuality: men loving men, women loving women, robot loving either, vice-versa, and anything in between.
Anyway, from what I read and see on book covers, Daneel is so beautiful looking wouldn't (m)any visually-aware human of any sex go for him. I certainly have.
Life's too short to get stuffy about this.
 
MG1962 said:
Asimov himself said he rarely had sex or even romantic connections in his stories because he himself felt uncomfortable around the opposite sex. Although he subsequently went on to meet the girl of his dreams, he never felt he had any prowess in the romance department
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He did grow out of that later in life, though. Including earning a plaque at some con inscribed with LL. That stands for "lovable lecher". However, he did start writing (getting his first story published at 19), a few years before going on his first date, and by that time his writing style had set.

However, he did publish two volumes of dirty limericks, so he wasn't completely innocent in that department either. :p
 
I'm sure there was a general reference regarding homosexuality in one of the Robot books. More specifically that some humaniform robots were constructed with sexual organs and anuses primarily for the benefit of sexual intercourse with humans. And since robots don't have the same digestive system as humans (Daneel removes a plastic bag full of unedible food, from his "stomach" by clicking an area on his chest and a skincoloured "door" opens to his stomach), then the only valid point of constructing a rectum (IMHO) is for homosexual intercourse.

But having said that I don't recall ever reading or even interpreting a homosexual relationship between Daneel & Bailey in any of the Robot books
 
"I love the idea of Elijah and Daneel having warm feelings towards each other - why not? Of course I can see it would need to be programmed into Daneel first".​
I am now taking it back about 'programming [warm feelings] into Daneel first'.

From Asimov fan-fiction I've read on LiveJournal.com, a fan-fic website, I can now see that no such programming would be needed; Daneel is a sophisticated robot who is way smart enough to deduce this for himself!

Not only does he indeed feel warmly for Elijah but he is fully able (in every sense of the word) to carry out the appropriate act in order to consummate what is clearly a loving relationship between two sentient beings.

If anyone appreciates that sort of thing I would recommend the reading of these Asimov fan-fic postings on LiveJournal.com in order to get the best picture of what's going on between these two, who have had the guts to go ahead with what they believe in.
 
I thought I posted a entry / comment / whatever in this thread (Homosexuality) a few days ago, and am wondering if it got deleted / removed, as being unsuitable or annoying?
If so, I apologize for coming back, and won't post anything again until I know whether my entry did get removed or not.
 
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