The SF ghetto still lives.
As a fan, I'm sure you remember your teachers telling you that science fiction was not real literature, and was in fact trash. I'm sure you know that SF is still treated like literature's stepchild, one step up from its likewise maligned cousin, comic books, by lots of people, from high school grads to multiple doctorate holders.
Fans have a right to be a little touchy. As I'm sure you know. You sound like a victim of geek battle fatigue.
Re: fiction: New characters of quality in new plots with teeth come when you least expect them. You'll never know if you'll be disappointed until you look them up...