Ugly Duckling? Swan?
My Doctor Who download hasn't finished yet, so...
I found this erm.. column? It's so hard to tell what to call things these days when they're 'news' according to Google and show up on newspaper sites. They could be news articles, or columns, or letters to the editor, or something else entirely. And how can you tell?
Anyway.. Science-fiction fans a breed unto themselves by Ben Bova in the Naples Daily News
Science-fiction conventions are unlike any professional, business, scientific or political conventions that I've ever seen. They are fun. They are educational. And, more often than not, they're not terribly well organized.
I think that does conventions and the fans that run them a disservice. Very often what seems like chaos is order and what seems like order is chaos behind the scenes.
Consider that a typical convention is run by volunteers who get together in person rarely, if at all during the year. A good majority of pre-con organization is run these days online, through forums and mailing lists. The con chair or chairs probably have never been a con chair before, though they may have been vice con chair the year before.
They have to organize the volunteer staff, the gophers, the dealers, the guests, the industry reps, the press, the hotel, and sometimes outside companies such as security, medical staff, or caterers. For two or three or four or more days, there are at least half a dozen events going on simultaneously, and more likely a dozen or two dozen. Some of these events, such as video rooms, could be running around the clock.
And with WorldCons, as specifically referenced by Bova, each con is run by an entirely new organization and staff in an entirely new city or even country every year.
It's a monumental task and even the greatest organizer in the world would have a hard time running their first con. And probably even their second or third.
Why are science-fiction conventions so popular among the fans? I think it’s because science-fiction fans often find themselves regarded by the "mundane" world as oddballs, nerds, weirdos. At a convention, though, all these ugly ducklings can come together for a weekend and be swans.
This last sentence I take objection to. I am not an ugly duckling wanting to be a swan. I'd more happily claim the designation 'oddball', 'nerd', or 'weirdo' (though I prefer 'geek'). What's the 'swan' in this metaphor? A normal person? A 'mundane'?
Who wants to be that?
I found this erm.. column? It's so hard to tell what to call things these days when they're 'news' according to Google and show up on newspaper sites. They could be news articles, or columns, or letters to the editor, or something else entirely. And how can you tell?
Anyway.. Science-fiction fans a breed unto themselves by Ben Bova in the Naples Daily News
Science-fiction conventions are unlike any professional, business, scientific or political conventions that I've ever seen. They are fun. They are educational. And, more often than not, they're not terribly well organized.
I think that does conventions and the fans that run them a disservice. Very often what seems like chaos is order and what seems like order is chaos behind the scenes.
Consider that a typical convention is run by volunteers who get together in person rarely, if at all during the year. A good majority of pre-con organization is run these days online, through forums and mailing lists. The con chair or chairs probably have never been a con chair before, though they may have been vice con chair the year before.
They have to organize the volunteer staff, the gophers, the dealers, the guests, the industry reps, the press, the hotel, and sometimes outside companies such as security, medical staff, or caterers. For two or three or four or more days, there are at least half a dozen events going on simultaneously, and more likely a dozen or two dozen. Some of these events, such as video rooms, could be running around the clock.
And with WorldCons, as specifically referenced by Bova, each con is run by an entirely new organization and staff in an entirely new city or even country every year.
It's a monumental task and even the greatest organizer in the world would have a hard time running their first con. And probably even their second or third.
Why are science-fiction conventions so popular among the fans? I think it’s because science-fiction fans often find themselves regarded by the "mundane" world as oddballs, nerds, weirdos. At a convention, though, all these ugly ducklings can come together for a weekend and be swans.
This last sentence I take objection to. I am not an ugly duckling wanting to be a swan. I'd more happily claim the designation 'oddball', 'nerd', or 'weirdo' (though I prefer 'geek'). What's the 'swan' in this metaphor? A normal person? A 'mundane'?
Who wants to be that?