DIY History | Transcribe | Hevelin Fanzines | Spaceways, v. 4, issue 6, whole no. 29, 1942

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Spaceways, v. 4, issue 6, whole no. 29, 1942

Page 10

DO FANS SUFFER FROM DEMENTIA?
by
GERRY DE LA REE, JR.
   The fans of scientifiction are perhaps the queerest aggregation of individuals that you may ever expect to meet. They are strange, different; to an outsider, crazy. The question is, however, are these outsiders correct––could the more rabid fans not be more or less mentally ill? In other words, is it not possible that the fans have become so wrapped up in what was once a harmless hobby, that they have become sick in their mind––thus suffering from one form of dementia?
   Fans range anywhere from college students to the poorest product of the city slums, who must steal the magazines that he wishes to read. It is an acknowledged fact that 50% of the people born in slum sections suffer from some sort of mental defectiveness, most likely amentia.
   However, but a small portion of the fans could be called outcasts of society. The average fan of today was born and up to a certain age lived as average a life as anyone else. But once he had read his first science fiction magazine his thoughts began to wander. He began to dream up such thoughts of space flight, atomic power, time travel, etc., as appear in a science fiction magazine. Soon the fan began to lose interest in just reading the stories––he thought that it was his destiny to do something that might bring about the realization of these dreams. He must organize groups for this and similar purposes, band together people that dream as he does. Thus fandom was born. The fan soon became different. During his intercourse with his non-fan friends he might appear all right, perhaps just a little bored. But once he is in the company of other fans and friends of scientifiction he becomes another personality. In this world he is something greater than just an ordinary person––in his mind he no doubt feels superior and far ahead of the average individual, for in one sense of the word he is living in the future, a future created by the minds of himself and his fellow fans. If he pursues this course of study and living for too long it is altogether possible that he will become so enthralled with the possibility of the things created by the sometimes equally twisted minds of the scientifiction writer that he might slip completely into this fantastic world––mentally, of course.
   Many such cases can be found in the numerous institutions all over the country. In 1940 there were almost 500,000 people in mental hospitals in the United States suffering from some mental disorder. Probably a large percentage of these inmates were once as sane as anyone else. These half-million people were all dementia cases, not amentia cases. Amentia is the idiot, imbecile, and moron, while dementia is the mentally ill.
Naturally you wouldn't find one in a thousand of them that were scientifiction fans at one time or another, for stf is still young. But the way these people became ill was probably from similar causes, and the results would be somewhat the same. They couldn't face reality, so they just drifted off into a world of fancy that their mind created for them. Is this not similar to the science fiction fan? I would say yes, in more than a few cases. You must realize yourself in various contacts with a number of fans that they didn't all seem to have a sound mental balance. Yes, they are nice fellows as a group, but wouldn't they be a lot nicer if they were not quite so queer? I believe so.
If some fans are mentally sick it is a characteristic acquired since birth, perhaps since they first were captured by science fiction. It would be impossible for a person suffering from amentia to understand the stories or goings-on of stf. A moron is unable to go any higher in intelligence than the grade schools, and they habitually flunk out in the first year of high school, if not sooner. You will not find many fans that are such. The majority of the fans you know of are extremely bright, usually in one line. Some think they are
(concluded on page 13)

Saving...

DO FANS SUFFER FROM DEMENTIA? by GERRY DE LA REE, JR. The fans of scientifiction are perhaps the queerest aggregation of individuals that you may ever expect to meet. They are strange, different; to an outsider, crazy. The question is, however, are these outsiders correct––could the more rabid fans not be more or less mentally ill? In other words, is it not possible that the fans have become so wrapped up in what was once a harmless hobby, that they have become sick in their mind––thus suffering from one form of dementia? Fans range anywhere from college students to the poorest product of the city slums, who must steal the magazines that he wishes to read. It is an acknowledged fact that 50% of the people born in slum sections suffer from some sort of mental defectiveness, most likely amentia. However, but a small portion of the fans could be called outcasts of society. The average fan of today was born and up to a certain age lived as average a life as anyone else. But once he had read his first science fiction magazine his thoughts began to wander. He began to dream up such thoughts of space flight, atomic power, time travel, etc., as appear in a science fiction magazine. Soon the fan began to lose interest in just reading the stories––he thought that it was his destiny to do something that might bring about the realization of these dreams. He must organize groups for this and similar purposes, band together people that dream as he does. Thus fandom was born. The fan soon became different. During his intercourse with his non-fan friends he might appear all right, perhaps just a little bored. But once he is in the company of other fans and friends of scientifiction he becomes another personality. In this world he is something greater than just an ordinary person––in his mind he no doubt feels superior and far ahead of the average individual, for in one sense of the word he is living in the future, a future created by the minds of himself and his fellow fans. If he pursues this course of study and living for too long it is altogether possible that he will become so enthralled with the possibility of the things created by the sometimes equally twisted minds of the scientifiction writer that he might slip completely into this fantastic world––mentally, of course. Many such cases can be found in the numerous institutions all over the country. In 1940 there were almost 500,000 people in mental hospitals in the United States suffering from some mental disorder. Probably a large percentage of these inmates were once as sane as anyone else. These half-million people were all dementia cases, not amentia cases. Amentia is the idiot, imbecile, and moron, while dementia is the mentally ill. Naturally you wouldn't find one in a thousand of them that were scientifiction fans at one time or another, for stf is still young. But the way these people became ill was probably from similar causes, and the results would be somewhat the same. They couldn't face reality, so they just drifted off into a world of fancy that their mind created for them. Is this not similar to the science fiction fan? I would say yes, in more than a few cases. You must realize yourself in various contacts with a number of fans that they didn't all seem to have a sound mental balance. Yes, they are nice fellows as a group, but wouldn't they be a lot nicer if they were not quite so queer? I believe so. If some fans are mentally sick it is a characteristic acquired since birth, perhaps since they first were captured by science fiction. It would be impossible for a person suffering from amentia to understand the stories or goings-on of stf. A moron is unable to go any higher in intelligence than the grade schools, and they habitually flunk out in the first year of high school, if not sooner. You will not find many fans that are such. The majority of the fans you know of are extremely bright, usually in one line. Some think they are (concluded on page 13)