I'm going to have to respectfully disagree as to fantasy being better off than SF. I feel that both are turning out a lot of crap these days. Fantasy just has it's crap being vampire-fetish-sex instead of jut-jawed aryans saving the universe from space-roaches & intelligent women.

And I can't give fantasy a pass on authoritarian regimes. There is no difference between a king/queen/whatever ruling a galaxy and ruling a medieval kingdom.

I will grant that SF has subscribed more totally to the proposition that characterization means "load your characters down with neuroses." Yes, Stross, I'm looking at you. But Fantasy has it's share of the same.