ReaderCon Brouhaha
Jul. 15th, 2009 08:57 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
d_aulnoyThe Great Escape [from posting on LJ, because I , you know, suck] concluded with a ReaderCon, and the ReaderCon, apparently, has concluded with some drama. I left long before the offending "This IS Your Father's ReaderCon!" fliers were handed out (hey, if it was my father's ReaderCon, the GoH would be my mom, and there would be enough vodka to float an oil tanker), but the resulting internet discussions have led me to reach a few conclusions. To whit ....
I keep hearing the sentiment, phrased critically or approvingly, that, ReaderCon is very academic, daaaaaaaaaaarling, and that that's its beauty/flaw. This is used to explain or excuse the type of programming/paneling that goes on (for those who've never attended: generally hour-long panel discussions with little or no Q&A). But, as a long-time fan and an enthusiastic academic, I have to tell you ... this would not fly at an actual academic conference. I remain somewhat befuddled, if not outright miffed, that the falsely stodgy image of academia is used to defend an event which is primarily social, and one would hope more and not less fun for the plebes below the salt.![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
coffeeandink has a lovely and thought-provoking post on the reprecussions on the structure that is implemented at ReaderCon that I'm not going to reiterate: just go and read her thoughts, and the resulting commentary. I'd say that the kind of structure that we do see at ReaderCon is part and parcel of what a lot of fans are critiquing as part of its general culture of authority and One True Fandom, and that it is somewhat problematic ... not in terms of ReaderCon alone, but in terms of many of the internet kerfuffles that we've seen over the course of this past year, where a large segment of fandom (read: young, internet based, and feeling somewhat excluded or overshadowed) observes an issue, and the Establishment says, "Pish!" The growing pains, they are a-happening. Stick it to the man, man! Or, better yet, start your own grand new offshoot, volunteer for that concom, or put your money where your mouth is and go to the conference that best supports your preferences .
ReaderCon was a lot of fun this year, but since single-track programming isn't really my cup of tea, and given that I have no known talent for ground-up organization and no desire to pull out my old GRE scores, methinks I'll be at WisCon, where academia goes to twitch.*
*Not because of the structure, but because of the cheese-curd sushi and home-brewed cider at the room parties. Two great things that do not go great together, let me tell you ....
I keep hearing the sentiment, phrased critically or approvingly, that, ReaderCon is very academic, daaaaaaaaaaarling, and that that's its beauty/flaw. This is used to explain or excuse the type of programming/paneling that goes on (for those who've never attended: generally hour-long panel discussions with little or no Q&A). But, as a long-time fan and an enthusiastic academic, I have to tell you ... this would not fly at an actual academic conference. I remain somewhat befuddled, if not outright miffed, that the falsely stodgy image of academia is used to defend an event which is primarily social, and one would hope more and not less fun for the plebes below the salt.
coffeeandink has a lovely and thought-provoking post on the reprecussions on the structure that is implemented at ReaderCon that I'm not going to reiterate: just go and read her thoughts, and the resulting commentary. I'd say that the kind of structure that we do see at ReaderCon is part and parcel of what a lot of fans are critiquing as part of its general culture of authority and One True Fandom, and that it is somewhat problematic ... not in terms of ReaderCon alone, but in terms of many of the internet kerfuffles that we've seen over the course of this past year, where a large segment of fandom (read: young, internet based, and feeling somewhat excluded or overshadowed) observes an issue, and the Establishment says, "Pish!" The growing pains, they are a-happening. Stick it to the man, man! Or, better yet, start your own grand new offshoot, volunteer for that concom, or put your money where your mouth is and go to the conference that best supports your preferences . ReaderCon was a lot of fun this year, but since single-track programming isn't really my cup of tea, and given that I have no known talent for ground-up organization and no desire to pull out my old GRE scores, methinks I'll be at WisCon, where academia goes to twitch.*
*Not because of the structure, but because of the cheese-curd sushi and home-brewed cider at the room parties. Two great things that do not go great together, let me tell you ....