Bill Roper's Journal

While I certainly agree that the young are flocking to DragonCon in droves, and that the quality of some of their panels equates/exceeds that of panels I've seen anywhere else, and that the dealers and hucksters are many and varied...there's one little difference between DCon and a "more traditional" SF con. And I've been to DCon in 1991, 1992, 1993, 2000 (give or take) and 2003, and my husband to the first 2 of those and to 2005, so I don't think we're too far out of touch.

I could take my then younger sons to a "more traditional" con, and know that all the PG-13 and up material would be either after they went to bed, or behind closed panel doors.

This is manifestly *not* the case at DCon. Take your young child or pre-teen out during any of the late-afternoon and evening festivities, and you'll get to explain why those black-clad Goths are out hunting Christians, or why that woman is flogging that 3/4 naked man, or why that other woman is wearing body paint. Now, if you're up for that, more power to you. If not - well, DCon's a poor substitute for a convention in that case. That which is old is not automatically good, that which is young is not automatically better.