Octocon 2009
So, earlier this week I was trying to figure out how much of Octocon 2009 I could make, considering work interruptions. Today I found out that that committee have suddenly decided to ban slovobooks without discussion or warning, due to some alleged bad behaviour on his part two years ago and more recently towards the convention online.
Now, I will be one of the first to stand up and call slovobooks out for doing the wrong thing. He's a close friend of mine and I believe friends will do that. We've also disagreed over a bunch of stuff during the years of our friendship and I'm sure we will in the future. I didn't experience the incident in 2007, but as he was welcomed at Octocon 2008, I presumed that wasn't an issue. The online comments he made, well, he knows I think he went about it the wrong way, but it was a bit of to-ing and fro-ing on Twitter with criticisms of how the committee were handling things, nothing more. And this was a month or two ago. No real reaction from them then either.
So today, he's banned, suddenly. He's informed me that they cited past incidents and said they will brook no argument. That's it.
As others have said elsewhere, the best way to deal with criticism is to run an excellent con. This is terrible PR and an awfully short-sighted decision by the committee. It is their right to say not, you may not enter, but any such decision should be based on sound reasons. I've banned two people from conventions over the past many, many years, both times because they presented a physical danger to the committee and attendees (I'll tell you the stories over a pint some time). It was clear that if they ever tried to join the convention they would be informed of the decision. One of them was, they never tried to come again, the other has never tried.
I am extremely disappointed that when the Octocon committee were building up to what looked like a good con (and a great improvement on the past two years) that they have made this decision. I don't understand it and while it remains in force I find myself unable to attend the con. I'm going to miss seeing people and I'm going to miss some fun panels (I've no doubt), but I wish to make the point that this is not only the wrong decision but it is being handled badly. I do hope the committee will engage in some discourse about this or that they will rethink their position and if the latter happens I will gladly attend, but I fear it won't.
I also fear I will now be considered to simply agree with slovobooks in all things or stand with him unthinkingly, I assure you, nothing could be further from the truth. However I see no reason for this, I see no useful end to it and I don't particularly want to patronise a convention that would make such a decision, so I won't.
Those of you that I will miss at Octocon, I hope to see you elsewhere soon.
Now, I will be one of the first to stand up and call slovobooks out for doing the wrong thing. He's a close friend of mine and I believe friends will do that. We've also disagreed over a bunch of stuff during the years of our friendship and I'm sure we will in the future. I didn't experience the incident in 2007, but as he was welcomed at Octocon 2008, I presumed that wasn't an issue. The online comments he made, well, he knows I think he went about it the wrong way, but it was a bit of to-ing and fro-ing on Twitter with criticisms of how the committee were handling things, nothing more. And this was a month or two ago. No real reaction from them then either.
So today, he's banned, suddenly. He's informed me that they cited past incidents and said they will brook no argument. That's it.
As others have said elsewhere, the best way to deal with criticism is to run an excellent con. This is terrible PR and an awfully short-sighted decision by the committee. It is their right to say not, you may not enter, but any such decision should be based on sound reasons. I've banned two people from conventions over the past many, many years, both times because they presented a physical danger to the committee and attendees (I'll tell you the stories over a pint some time). It was clear that if they ever tried to join the convention they would be informed of the decision. One of them was, they never tried to come again, the other has never tried.
I am extremely disappointed that when the Octocon committee were building up to what looked like a good con (and a great improvement on the past two years) that they have made this decision. I don't understand it and while it remains in force I find myself unable to attend the con. I'm going to miss seeing people and I'm going to miss some fun panels (I've no doubt), but I wish to make the point that this is not only the wrong decision but it is being handled badly. I do hope the committee will engage in some discourse about this or that they will rethink their position and if the latter happens I will gladly attend, but I fear it won't.
I also fear I will now be considered to simply agree with slovobooks in all things or stand with him unthinkingly, I assure you, nothing could be further from the truth. However I see no reason for this, I see no useful end to it and I don't particularly want to patronise a convention that would make such a decision, so I won't.
Those of you that I will miss at Octocon, I hope to see you elsewhere soon.