Why do we do what we do?
I’m talking about the anime community; going to events, conventions, cosplay…
If any of you out there has ever been a volunteer or staff for one of these, let me ask you: why? For most of us, it’s a labor of love. For one, it’s a paycheck; but nobody seems to notice that fact because they are too razzle-dazzled by the possibility of being in a show that, frankly, was an embarrassment last year. I have been watching all of you clambering over each other to get to a photo shoot of and/or audition for someone who has terribly hurt someone close to you. The scene of people, time and again, chasing desperately after promises made by people who have no integrity breaks my heart. Thanks to you, Mr. MetroCon sits on his ass with a beefy paycheck coming in all year long. Meanwhile, the people who run JACON, AFO and pretty much every other convention out there work other jobs and bust their asses for the love of their hobbies, their craft and for YOU. As you sit there at your “Chess Match” try-outs, please take a moment to think about what consequences your choices will have; not only on your friends, but the community at large.
If any of you out there has ever been a volunteer or staff for one of these, let me ask you: why? For most of us, it’s a labor of love. For one, it’s a paycheck; but nobody seems to notice that fact because they are too razzle-dazzled by the possibility of being in a show that, frankly, was an embarrassment last year. I have been watching all of you clambering over each other to get to a photo shoot of and/or audition for someone who has terribly hurt someone close to you. The scene of people, time and again, chasing desperately after promises made by people who have no integrity breaks my heart. Thanks to you, Mr. MetroCon sits on his ass with a beefy paycheck coming in all year long. Meanwhile, the people who run JACON, AFO and pretty much every other convention out there work other jobs and bust their asses for the love of their hobbies, their craft and for YOU. As you sit there at your “Chess Match” try-outs, please take a moment to think about what consequences your choices will have; not only on your friends, but the community at large.