If you are going to take the “moral” highground, make sure you are not over a pit
Posted By Kathleen David on August 30, 2006
After talking to a friend about something that happened at World Con and the outrage that has followed I had a moment of clarity of something that has bugged me about fandom for years. I am frankly tired of people who were not directly affected by the situation expressing their “moral” (and I use the term loosely) outrage when the parties involved are adults and it is now a matter being sorted out between them rather than fandom as a whole. Fandom gets up on its hobby-horse of outrage at the drop of a hat and usually without all the facts other than hearsay. It is sort of like that old game of Telephone where you pass a phrase (or in the case of fandom a story) around a circle and you would be amazed what comes back to you. I have seen it happen over and over again and have been involved or at the point of origin for the story that leads to the mob pulling out its pitchforks and torches to go off on a rampage over something that is really nothing in the big scheme of things.
I am thinking about pimpin’ my puppet Panel on a couple of the DragonCon boards so I might have an audience. I also found out that some good friends that I was hoping were going to make it for Dragon on managed to clear the decks so that they are definitely going to be there. I think I should convince one or both to join the puppet panel on the Costuming track considering what they do for a living. So tomorrow we are off to Atlanta. Today I finish the Doctors and fix up one doll. I don’t think the other two are going to get done by tomorrow. I am getting excited about this convention.
I am grateful that I will have so many friends at DragonCon.
Kath, is this what you’re talking about vis a vis WorldCon? If so, and bearing in mind what Mark Evanier said about taking offense on behalf of other people, it sounds like something which would still have been uncomfortable for me to witness, so I’m not sure “moral high ground” enters into it as much as a personal friendship possibly coloring your view on things?
” I am frankly tired of people who were not directly affected by the situation expressing their “moral” (and I use the term loosely) outrage when the parties involved are adults and it is now a matter being sorted out between them ”
Did you apply that same standard when Mel Gibson made his offensive remarks? Or were you willing to just let him and the cops work it out?
When public figures do awful things in public places, it’s a public issue. If he’s your friend, support him, but don’t try to mitigate his actions.