The Corruption of SciFi Conventions

Stayed away until last year. I went up for 1 day only to see the parade. And well, I ended up getting a pass to check out some panels. Later that evening, some drunk jackass threatened me for talking to a woman. Ended up calling security on him. They were very professional and took care if it.

But, DragonCon never responded to my suggestion they include a social dynamics track to help some of their atendees cope with others in a respectful and reasonable way in social situations. Immediately wanting to fight me because a woman's attention is on me rather than him is about as low on the maturity scale of "take my ball and go home". And I told DragonCon I would never attend again until they addressed this issue.

As a disabled Vet, I've coped with PTSD and depression. And that last thing I need in my life is to end up in jail for unleashing my martial arts on some drunk. (and I think that is another problem with modern cons: the rampant alcoholism has taken the wholesome geeky fun out of it for me). Also, as I often carry expensive camera equipment these days, I took the measure of obtaining a carry & conceal license. And, one of the disciplines I've maintained about Concealed Carry is I avoid alcohol. And, I also avoid places where there are a lot of drunks. I've always shown restraint. And my instructors always told me if you can get away, then do that first. Its not like everyday life is an objective to take a beach or port like in the Marine Corps. So, I have no bruised ego about backing out of a situation, even if I size it up and know I would win.

There are some serious psychological and addiction issues with some of the attendees. And that has increased over the years. The anecdotes I share are not nearly the only incidents I've encountered at DragonCon. It started getting bad around 2007 if I recall correctly. And compared to the geek love fest & free-form blending of ideas it used to be in the 90's, the allure to attend today is almost completely gone. The joy I could experience by going is outweighed by the potential danger to myself and my career.

Thanks for the invite. Let me know if you are going to do a demo near Pensacola sometime.

As you can see, I've laid out some incidences where my reasoning for not attending is based. And, I feel regardless of my love of #SciFi, the fact that something I #love has become corrupted, means it's best to walk away. This is a good #philosophy for #life in general. Better to walk your own path and pursue your own goals than to try to change others.