Sad Puppies and Good Old Boys in the Land of Yahoos

The other day I noticed a large number of views on my post "Sad Puppies and Good Old Boys: On Diversity in Science Fiction and Philosophy."  That post currently has over 300 views, which is far more than my previously most viewed post on The Dress and philosophical skepticism (with 160).

Where were these views coming from?

After poking around on the internet for awhile, I discovered that the post had been the subject of a question on Yahoo! Answers: "What do you think about this article about resistance to diversity in sci-fi, and in philosophy classes?"

Yahoos pulling a Houyhnhnm in Gulliver's Travels

Once I became a stranger in the strange land of Yahoo! Answers, I noted an answer from a person called "Minister of Truth."  The self-appointed Minister had declared my post to be "an amateurish grab-bag of clichés."  I found this highly amusing, but thought I ought to respond with a counter-answer of my own to make sure that my "amateurish grab-bag of clichés" did not go undefended. 

Also, I should note that the person who posted the question, going by the name "ChemFlunky," seems like a nice and thoughtful person who asks lots of interesting questions, often on gender issues.  I am thankful that ChemFlunky saw fit to ask a question about my humble blog.

In poking around Yahoo! Answers, it occurred to me that the world of internet forums like Yahoo! Answers is a lot like the land of Yahoos in Gulliver's Travels (which may be a type of proto-science fiction - see this entry from the Encyclopedia of Science Fiction).  

And now, having lived for a time among the Yahoos, I feel like a full citizen of the internet.