From the weekend

[vostoklake]

ME: Yeah, I'll be back over here in September next year for the World SciFi con.
AUSTRALIAN SOCIALIST: What do you do at a science fiction convention?
ME: What are we doing at this conference we're at now?
AUSTRALIAN SOCIALIST: Discussing and sharing information about socialism and meeting other socialists.
ME: Well then. Substitute "sci-fi" for "socialism" and you've got it. You also missed out "getting drunk and scoring", which is also applicable to both cases.

Comments

[mainfisch.livejournal.com]

That's hilarious and tragical at the same moment. Because it is to say that attending this type of a political conference is just like riding yet another hobbyhorse. Which probably has been the essence of it...

[laputain.livejournal.com]

I don't want to diss anyone at the conference, who were all good and sincere people, but you're right that treating politics as a social or lifestyle option is an occupational hazard of the actually-existing left. Just like you can go to church all your life and never actually know God, so you can stand on a street corner selling a badly xeroxed paper called Socialist Somethingorother all your life and never actually do anything to help change the world.

Another part of the problem is the trap of perfectionism - those people who actually do something, however flawed, to actually try to change the world (like the Venezuelan gentleman in my icon) are often sneered at because they're not doing everything right all the time. So many so-called "socialists" have the attitude of "wake me up when the revolution comes", and of course the revolution will never come with that attitude.

[trixtah.livejournal.com]

Hah-hah! Intending to go to WorldCon in Melb? I will probably attend myself. :-)

[jophan.livejournal.com]

Same here. I and jlms said yesterday, as we packed our stuff when we left the UK Eastercon, that it is time we start planning properly for travelling to Australia next year to attend AussieCon 4. So our attendance is 75% probable, if I dare to make a guess.

[laputain.livejournal.com]

Really? Well, listen up and listen tight. I have the honour to be on the comm for the 2010 NZ NatCon (http://aucontraire.randomstatic.net/), which is being held the weekend before AussieCon 4 so that all your international guests can stop over on your way to scenic Melbourne...

[jophan.livejournal.com]

A distinct possibility, of course, but I don't know anyone in NZ fandom who won't be busy running the con. We'll have to think about it.