Wiscon '08: The Year We Were Bitchy

[vito_excalibur]

Let me say at the outset that I love Wiscon, I always love Wiscon, and this year was no different. I am bitchier than usual about it this year for a number of reasons, including that four panels turns out to be just too many for me to be on, and that I didn't get organized enough to write my notes before I left, so I missed a lot of stuff I wanted

Comments

[tacky_tramp]

But I just don't find it offensive at all when people say their dads don't see race at all. :(

[vito_excalibur]

Well, the important thing is that we're talking about it.

[elusis]

[dies]

[sparkymonster]

If you would stop being so angry then maybe people could learn more about this.

[kethlenda]

Love this post.

[kethlenda]

Oh, and I would like to add the following:

People should stop criticizing the Bush administration so much...

I created this genre!

[vito_excalibur]

You know, I'll disagree with you on this one. Well, if it's relevant to the panel. :) The Bush administration one, not so good on a Terry Pratchett panel, good on a modern politics panel. Because these are things you can argue about! You can give reasons for and against! You'd better be able to back it up though.

[kethlenda]

Well, it depends on what the panel was about. I don't remember what this one was supposed to be about, but one of the panelists randomly started scolding about how people criticized the admin too much for the way they'd dealt with Katrina and how we should all be proud instead. It wasn't relevant to the topic and the antagonistic tone was sort of out of the blue, since no one had actually said a darn thing about Katrina or Bush during the discussion. It was kind of out of left field.

But yeah, I could see a discussion where it would fit in, you're right. :)

Now, as for people claiming they invented a genre...

[imnotandrei]

One of my favorite WisCon memories is of sitting in the lobby with China Mieville, when he admitted that he wanted to make very sure he could get to Ursula's book signing, but he was nervous about it...and he demonstrated how he'd expect it to go: saying something like "Hello, Ursula, I'm China." and carefully extending his books with his shoulders hunched and arms pulled into the side in classic very nervous pose. ;)

[sparkymonster]

Heee!

[vito_excalibur]

It is, but on the whole, we win, because RL was also full of awesome in ways that the internets cannot quite duplicate as of yet. Need to get around to talking about watching The Golden Compass w/ Heidi, which was one of my favorite things about the whole con. And so on!

[wiredferret]

It was very cool. I love Wiscon, because it gives me connections to people I would otherwise never meet.

[kcatalyst]

I am thoroughly befuddled by the "my dad" comment. Wha? And more than one person said it? Why would anyone care what someone's dad's theory of race was, unless their dad was, like, Edward Said or Claude Steele or someone?

[vito_excalibur]

I believe the reason is to give "proof" that it is possible for people to be truly color-blind, by giving an example that people won't attack or question on account of it's their dad.

[brown_betty]

And it was truly an odd example, because if one's dad truly is colour-blind, how did she hear about this instance of his colour-blindness? Did he tell stories about that time he didn't notice race?

[vito_excalibur]

He totally did, remember?