From: "Ted White" <twhite8 at cox.net>
To: "WSFA members" <WSFAlist at WSFA.org>
Subject: [WSFA] Re: rehash of mundanes VS fans
Date: Wed, 20 Apr 2005 17:55:38 -0400
Reply-To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at WSFA.org>

----- Original Message -----
From: "Mike B." <omni at omniphile.com>
To: "WSFA members" <WSFAlist at WSFA.org>
Sent: Wednesday, April 20, 2005 1:12 PM
Subject: [WSFA] Re: rehash of mundanes VS fans

> At 09:03 AM 4/20/05 -0700, N Lynch wrote:

[...]
>
> >(4) don't have conventions covered in the media as a look
> >at the geeks and women in little clothing,
>
> The Shriners get covered pretty well, and it's a "look at the chubby old
> guys with the funny hats pretending to be college frat boys" deal.  If it
> wasn't for the charity work shifting that attitude away from "weird" and
> "pitiful" over toward "eccentric", they'd be a joke too.

They *are* a joke -- in the popular media.  Have been for decades.

[...]
>
> >As for fandom being so accepting, I sure didn't get
> >than impression this past year.  A conservative member
> >of the club even quit over it.
>
> Details?

Lee Strong, given to outspoken conservative opinions, could dish it out but
didn't like being on the receiving end.  His decision to quit was
apparently the result of feeling outnumbered by those whose opinions did
not mesh well with his.

> I've been out of "fandom" for a decade or so, but I was in for a couple
of
> decades before that, and the level of acceptance for "unusual" attitudes
> and behaviors was always very high.  If that's changed, that's sad.  It
> also makes me wonder what "standards" have been adopted to use to decide
> who's acceptable and who isn't?

Well, there's fandom, and then there's fandom.  American fandom balkanized
in the '70s, and now includes large pockets of fans who are completely
ignorant of all fandom beyond their local boundaries.  The behavior of some
of those fans may well vary from the norm; there's no way to know.

Generally, fandom is very liberal in its social attitudes and somewhat
liberal in its politics.  Thus, the "level of acceptance for 'unusual'
attitudes and behaviors" you remarked upon.

No one told Mr. Strong that he was "unacceptable;" he simply didn't care
for opposition to his opinions.   Check out the archives of this list; it's
all there.

--Ted White