Dragon Con Harasment Policy

[next_friday]

What is Dragon*Con's stand on Scalzi's Convention Harassment Policy?

"We reserve the right to ask you to leave the convention
and refuse to refund your membership money
if you are behaving - in technical terms - like a jerk."  <- this is not reassuring.

Comments

[trybutez]

So this is going to come across as harsh. Sorry... but,

1. I expect it's probably against the Marriott rules, if not the law, to be dropping anything from a height like the tenth floor... even paper. After all, if it's okay to drop paper from the 10th, why not the 30th? or the top? Hey... if it's okay to drop paper... why not for me to fly a few paper airplanes... hey... if it's okay for paper airplanes, why not a cardboard one? Hey if it's okay....

Now, maybe none of that is actually *likely*, but mix a little bit of alcohol into the equation, and the odds dramatically go up that it is more likely. So, yeah, I have no problem with an iron clad rule that nothing should be dropped from any height. Period. Sorry if that upsets Fiver. Sorry if Fiver was scared that Fiver might be thrown out of the con. But better Fiver be scared than somebody gets hurt.

Of course, if their reason for telling you 'no' was because fake money might start a frenzy or riot... that's probably true, but also probably shouldn't be the reason you can't do it.

2. You must have you seen the elevator situation at the con? Now, maybe you're talking odd hours when there's room...in which case, yeah, sure... why not...

But if you're talking about the time of day or night when people have to wait ten, twenty, thirty minutes to get to their rooms then, yes by all means, limit the elevators to the people who actually need them. You can people watch from the 10th floor.

3. Totally agree. DC badge should be enough for a room party. But I do wonder, because I don't know, if security is obliged to enforce hotel rules, in which case, it might be the hotels have a rule against room parties involving people from other hotels? I don't know... that'd be interesting to see. But any way you cut it, it's going to be that the Law trumps the hotel rules, and the hotel rules trump the con's rules, and the con's rules trump what we may personally want or not want to do.

Again, sorry if that came across as harsh.

[trybutez]

You know, you're right. I mean, about my tone... I stand by my points, but you're right I could have been nicer, softened it, phrased it better, whatever. I was in a bad mood yesterday, and I took it out on the internets. I was impatient, and wanted to get my point out as fast as possible. So, for my tone, and brusqueness, I do sincerely apologize. And admit you're right about me being able to be nicer, more polite, and still get my tone across- which I failed to do.

That said, I totally agree with you that so long as there's no wait for elevators, if the hotel doesn't have a problem with people riding in them, then neither should DC security.

Regarding Fiver, what do I do or don't know is only what you've mentioned. You brought this person up in your post,and thus made them fair game, and the only details I have available are those you mentioned- that Fiver was upset that (she?) couldn't throw paper off the tenth floor. So, no, acting on that knowledge alone, I'm not making an ass out myself. I can only respond with the knowledge I have available to the points made. Any forthcoming details might change my opinion- but doubtful. It is simply wrong to throw things off of high places.

And for the same logic, you would have no reason to feel like an ass if details came out that I, or someone I cared about, was seriously hurt by some one throwing something off a high place. The only purpose of first denying that information, and then giving it after a person challenges it, is to make them feel bad, or manipulate the situation or, like you said, try and paint someone as an ass. I don't expect you to feel that way because you don't know every detail about my life, like who may or may not be permanently in a wheel chair because of some stunt like that. You shouldn't. You didn't know. You couldn't. And the same applies to me.

You're insinuating like crazy that Fiver is a person that needs protection and caring for... and is very loved. I get that impression from the emotion that your posts are full of, and in that respect, this Fiver is a very lucky person. I would ask you please, if you sincerely care for her, to not put her in positions, or explain to her in advance, why something like tossing paper or objects off high balconies isn't acceptable. Not doing so is your failing, and not security's. I'm sorry Fiver was upset, but ask yourself how that could have best been avoided? By DC security harshly telling you all something was wrong that I'll bet you already knew.... or you and Fiver's friends and family, who understand her best, handling the situation better from the beginning so that maybe it never even had to happen?

I don't know if this reply comes across any better than my first. Online commentary is so difficult in lacking tone and modulation. I sincerely hope it does, but I also want to get my point across, and sometimes that does mean being a little tough. I just hope that it wasn't as bad as the first one.

[mrcell]

While I don't know Fiver, I do know who she is. She appeared in the documentary "Four Days at Dragon*Con". She also is the subject of this post on the DCTV web site:
http://web.dragoncontv.com/general/1177/

I agree that the security guard was out of line in being so harsh as to make her cry.