Oddly enough, I stopped going to mainstream SF cons years ago because I got a faceful of "we hate you because your a furry" at several cons in a row.. Or people were just snotty and unfriendly regardless of what sub-fandom you belonged to. (Loscon and worldcon in Anaheim were very unfriendly- after several loscons in a row where the attendees were just impossible to talk to, I stopped going entirely.)
Comicon I still attend- for one day in order to troop in my stormtrooper armor. But the place is so huge and packed with tons of faceless humanity that I have pretty much given up any attempt at socialising there.
I have friends I hang out with in furry fandom at FC- I've been to a couple of other cons outside of california, but for some reason I don't feel as welcome or comfortable at them.
I left civil war re-enacting years ago because of snotty attitudes and overt politics that just plain pissed me off.
FC is a blast- but the need to work a dealer's room table limits the time I can spend having any fun at the con, so I always feel a little cheated when its over. (At least, if the sales have been bad..)
This last FC was the first time in at least a couple of years where I have felt creatively recharged after it was over. Thats a good feeling, and its all too rare these days. I think a lot of it was the chance to get in some costuming time again. :) I'd forgotten how much I missed it.
As for drifting away and losing interest? Nah. I admit my expectations are not the same as they were many years ago. My sense of wonder is tarnished with experience and hard lessons- But I like to think that I have also learned to appreciate more what I have now because you can lose it without warning.
Fandom changed my life and gave me a reason to hope for things getting better. It gave me friends and opportunites that I would never have had if I'd never found fandom. I'm grateful for them. And I'll never forget that.
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Date: 2005-02-08 10:18 am (UTC)Or people were just snotty and unfriendly regardless of what sub-fandom you belonged to.
(Loscon and worldcon in Anaheim were very unfriendly- after several loscons in a row where the attendees were just impossible to talk to, I stopped going entirely.)
Comicon I still attend- for one day in order to troop in my stormtrooper armor.
But the place is so huge and packed with tons of faceless humanity that I have pretty much given up any attempt at socialising there.
I have friends I hang out with in furry fandom at FC-
I've been to a couple of other cons outside of california, but for some reason I don't feel as welcome or comfortable at them.
I left civil war re-enacting years ago because of snotty attitudes and overt politics that just plain pissed me off.
FC is a blast- but the need to work a dealer's room table limits the time I can spend having any fun at the con, so I always feel a little cheated when its over. (At least, if the sales have been bad..)
This last FC was the first time in at least a couple of years where I have felt creatively recharged after it was over.
Thats a good feeling, and its all too rare these days.
I think a lot of it was the chance to get in some costuming time again. :)
I'd forgotten how much I missed it.
As for drifting away and losing interest?
Nah.
I admit my expectations are not the same as they were many years ago.
My sense of wonder is tarnished with experience and hard lessons-
But I like to think that I have also learned to appreciate more what I have now because you can lose it without warning.
Fandom changed my life and gave me a reason to hope for things getting better.
It gave me friends and opportunites that I would never have had if I'd never found fandom.
I'm grateful for them.
And I'll never forget that.
-Badger-