It's happening again...I can feel it
Ironically enough, I'm writing this on a Friday afternoon before the monthly PRSFS meeting.
P returned from the Great American Desert, where Convergence is held every Independence Day weekend, and had much news, most of it amusing in a "ha-ha, funny!" way and some of it amusing in a bitter, cynical "LOOK HOW STUPID YOU ARE" way.
( LOLWUT? )
P returned from the Great American Desert, where Convergence is held every Independence Day weekend, and had much news, most of it amusing in a "ha-ha, funny!" way and some of it amusing in a bitter, cynical "LOOK HOW STUPID YOU ARE" way.
( LOLWUT? )
Repeat: Like Are You Fucking KIDDING ME? Like serious? Anime fans and especially our friends from the AD crowd are invited, encouraged, urged, and occasionally begged to attend our con. Please come! We would Definitely notice if you skipped. It's fashionable to think that CONvergence doesn't like anime fans, but reality is over here, that other shit be fantasy. And what kind of sick fucker has fantasies where they exclude people from a party we're working so hard to make happen? Not me! Not this organization as long as I'm in it!
Anime fans and the youth in general are completely welcome at our convention.
We'll make bruising adjustments to any of our staff who behave otherwise (can't fix thoughts, but can Demand Behaviors and hold folks accountable for em). Because as far as we're concerned, the next generation is completely vital. Plus, Convergence people were in attendance at AD this year, we had a great time, and we're borrowing so many ideas from them it's not even funny.
Now, for your record keeping purposes, here are some additional data:
1. Yes, they ARE calling themselves something different this year. It's Geek Partnership Society (GPS) and that's the legal, final, signed and sealed name of the organization which did used to be called the Minnesota Society for Interest in Science Fiction and Fantasy (MISFITS).
2. GPS does not run CONvergence. CONvergence is a production of Convergence Events, a different signedsealedndelivered 501c3 organization.
3. GPS is a valued partner of Convergence and vice versa. We have agreements with each other along a number of dimensions, and Convergence donates a portion of our proceeds to GPS for use in supporting their programs and in the facility we share. But the governance of each organization is different-different people on their boards, and different expressions of their missions (expressions = different stuff we do).
4. Likewise Anime Detour is a partner with GPS, donating a portion of their proceeds to GPS which are used for the shared facility. A facility now used by all three organizations.
So while you were out, so to speak, we've been busting ASS trying to relate to each other in new ways, welcoming, learning from each other, and having fun. Without having to sit around and sing kum bah yah either. So far, it's movin.
Giddyup, Olsen OUT.
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I'm very happy to hear all of this from somebody in charge. Even happier to hear that no singing of "Kumbaya" is involved. Man, I hate that song. ;) Detour owes a lot to CONvergence and the people that make it happen, and it pleases me no end to see that the two organizations are working together, synergistic improvements are happening, and Good Things in general are coming out of the relationship.
I'm not trying to start a witch-hunt for "non-inclusive" people. I'm also not trying to stoke any drama, appearances to the contrary. I'm just saying, "Hey, this is what I hear." In any group of people there's going to be some folks who aren't on board with the program, so I'm not entirely surprised that some people are saying dumb things. I do think it's worth noting, though.
(Actually, I was aware of the evolution of MISFITS into GPS and Convergence Events, but I couldn't resist the temptation of a joke involving navigation systems.)
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