4 ms·

I mean, referring to humans as "meat" is quite clearly a comedic device. I'll grant that it's not going to win any awards but it's a work of creative humor, yo

I mean, referring to humans as "meat" is quite clearly a comedic device. I'll grant that it's not going to win any awards but it's a work of creative humor, you have to cut it some artistic license here. A story like this is meant to be enjoyed for what it is, not dissected for accuracy of language or scientific principles. So to indulge in that spirit, there's actually quite a bit going on but the central point is to shift the reader's perspective. It's a turn-around of the popular sci-fi trope about human space explorers coming into contact with various bizarre life forms. ("It's life, Jim, but not as we know it.")

shawnz 6y ago
> A story like this is meant to be enjoyed for what it is, not dissected for accuracy of language or scientific principles. Why not both? I am certainly enjoying both aspects of this discussion.
c22 6y ago
> I'll grant that it's not going to win any awards... For what it's worth it was one of six nominations for Best Short Story in the 1991 Nebula awards [0] and the Stephen O'Regan film adaptation [1] someone else already posted here won the 2006 Grand Prize at the SIFF Science Fiction Short Film Festival [2]. [0]: https://nebulas.sfwa.org/nominated-work/theyre-made-meat/ https://nebulas.sfwa.org/nominated-work/theyre-made-meat/ [1]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tScAyNaRdQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tScAyNaRdQ [2]: https://web.archive.org/web/20060521202739/http://www.sfhomeworld.org/make_contact/article.asp?articleID=236 https://web.archive.org/web/20060521202739/http://www.sfhome...