Fandom etc

[emmzzi]

Apologies, I have been adjusting security settings on my LJ. If you are on the flocked list it is because I know you in RL and trust you to be kind with my thoughts. This is an open post.

These are not the opinions of the concom. And that is ok because I will not be concom-ing again for quite some time.

So, things I have been reflecting on this morning.

- The bully doesn't get to decide if they are bullying, as a point of general order. The victim does. Always.

- If you are going to insult me you should spell my nom de plume right.

- Actually, trying hard is a good thing. Not trying at all is a bad thing. While we wait for perfection, I will take progress.

- If you are going to criticise a thing you should understand and make clear what that thing is. The trademark? The concom? The members? The panellists? I am not sure I should have to explain "Conventions 101" for people too lazy to educate themselves, or too idle to express their thoughts clearly.

- Emily Pankhurst didn't get anywhere being a keyboard warrior or throwing popcorn from the sidelines. I don't believe Ghandi's modus operandi was moaning a lot or using other's pain to make quasi amusing remarks at the expense of others. If you don't like it, get off your arse and change it. The world is full of people in the "happy to complain" category. Talk is cheap.

Finally, I did enjoy helping to run the event. The vast majority of people were lovely, alerted us to any issues, and let us help them. I acquired a new badger. There was good conversation. I was especially hopeful about some of the plans we have for women in fandom. And although I am annoyed with a small contingent and how they express themselves (note: not the views themselves, and frankly I believe tone debates ARE worth having), I intend to follow through, because I know so many articulate, intelligent women with so much to contribute. They deserve their voice and our world will be richer for it.

Thank you to the small troop of volunteers who made the event run so well and, I believe, be the most inclusive, and most aware, to date, building on the foundations of the events before us.

Now go watch Keith's video again. We can all be amazing. And we can all be excellent to each other.

Em

Comments

[alexmc.livejournal.com]

Well said.

The specific issue I want to tackle is that "Feminism 101" is not well communicated to people and is treated by feminists as if everyone magically knows it. It is called "Feminism 101" because it is the course that everyone needs to go to first of all when they are starting to learn the subject.

One should not be surprised that people who do not consider themselves feminists don't know what is on that mythical course. It doesn't make them bad persons just to be ignorant and not have the same experience as you.

[tonyn.livejournal.com]

I don't know that there is any Feminism 101 that would help, beyond that women need to be respected & feel respected.

I have a few women friends who identify themselves as feminist, and they clearly have a diverse range of opinions about many issues.

I can hear the egg shells I'm stepping on begin to crack ... shhh!

[emmzzi.livejournal.com]

in my experience some of the men I work with are so accustomed to behaving in a certain way they are unaware it shows a lack of respect.

[tonyn.livejournal.com]

Yes, and that is a hard problem for any convention to fix.

A possibly more general problem is that panel discussions with a Q&A make up a substantial part of an Eastercon programme, but it can be very hard to run them so that panellists all leave feeling that they have had a fair chance to be heard. For example here's a very interesting panel discussion with five knowledgeable astronomy people from last year's TAM, about the near future of space flight: http://io9.com/5851956/must-watch-bill-nye-neil-degrasse-tyson-pamela-gay-and-lawrence-krauss-discuss-our-future-in-space

Whilst Neil deGrasse Tyson is a great scientist & outreach person in many ways, he keeps talking over the other panellists most especially in this case Pamela Gay. Ideally the moderator would tell him to (shut-up &) wait his turn. (No disrepect meant to Phil Plait but he clearly did not respond to the problem at the time.)

[emmzzi.livejournal.com]

a couple of options spring to mind.

one is more assertive moderation

the other is to give other panellists a symbol eg everyone puts on a cowboy hat, when one person dominates. audience laughs, situation diffused. People quickly learn not to be "hatted"