Totalitarianism, Alive and Well, or Red Shirt Rant: Comic-Con 2008 Blog Entry

Pink shuttles and red shirts - not the worst things to face off with the first day of the con, but necessary evils. (Now pondering the word 'necessary') But at least with the buses, there is the option of walking. With the redshirts waxing tyranical over their little bits of ballroom turf, threatening you with eviction at every turn and shutter click, one wonders that if the powers at Comic Con really wanted their con goodwill and Hollywood marketing heft spread to the world beyond out there on the web, that this form of small tyranies isn't off-putting and counter-productive. For some redshirts, tiny tyranies may be all they know, that and pointing to the exit that is either the furthest away, through dark tunnels and dank back passages, or blocking off perfectly acceptable exits due to "blockages." Yes, that communist-era word was actually uttered; tree fell over in the woods, I heard it.

All that said, one does understand the need for the orderly moving of the masses around the various ballrooms and meeting rooms, and one does get that the fire marshall does have the power to close down the sandbox and take our toys away due to wading hip-deep in highly flammable photogs clogging the stage-floor and all the exits. But they seem to forget that accessibility, both for those physically here and those here vicariously over the web, should work for all. and without threats and nastiness to self and property. And how stringent the martial law enforced also varies widely from room to hall and shift changes in the redshirts.

Which isn't to say that the comic con staff, red shirts included, have not been terrific and helpful and tolerant and willing to listen to the various gripes and logistical beefs. But word obviously hasn't reached some of the redshirts in the dungeon depths of the bigger halls because their neural-jack-and-megaphone might have been broken.

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