billroper | The Graying of Fandom

I talked with

daisy_knotwise about the status of the Worldcon over lunch. For a long time, it was the premier science-fiction event of the year. Since back in 1976 with MidAmeriCon in Kansas City, it's been big, with memberships in the multiple thousands -- at least for U.S. sites.

But you know, it's not the premier SF event any more. Either Dragoncon or the San Diego Comicon have a much better claim to that title, based simply on the number of people who gather there who are interested in science fiction. And it's a crowd that skews younger than the Worldcon crowd too, at a time when we're sitting around at our regional cons and lamenting the graying of fandom and declining attendance.

And there are moments when I'm cynically led to wonder if that's not what some folks want, especially for the Worldcon. I've long heard folks lamenting that the Worldcon was too big, that there were too many people there who didn't belong at Worldcon.

So you do things to make going to Worldcon less attractive. I remember when the Worldcon dealers room was the most wonderful bazaar in the world. But the rooms in Winnipeg and Toronto were weak and sickly things, because the U.S. dealers were effectively locked out. It didn't do much for the art show either.

Of course, with the Canadian Worldcons, there's no NASFiC, but that hardly matters any more, because the NASFiC's been a weak and sickly thing itself since it was once hijacked by Dragoncon. The last NASFiC that I went to was in L.A. in 1999 and -- as I recall -- barely a thousand fans showed up. I don't remember what NASFiC attendance figures used to be like for sure, but I remember having a fine time in Louisville, and Austin, and Phoenix.

I didn't even bother to go to the NASFiC in Collinsville this year. Sad, isn't it, when I can't muster enough enthusiasm to drive a few hundred miles for the NASFiC? (Mind you, Gretchen's surgery would have caused me to abandon any plan I had, but I never had a plan.)

So if Worldcon voting fandom is saying "screw the dealers" and "screw the artists", it can't be any great surprise if they're discovering that they can make more money elsewhere -- maybe not in places I want to go, but I'm not making my living as a dealer, so I don't have to go there.

And the Worldcon gets less attractive and the marginal fans go elsewhere too. And fandom gets a little grayer.

It's a shame too. SF's never been stronger in the mass media than it is now. But to a lot of fans, media's a dirty word. Written SF's the thing that counts.

And, you know, I love written SF. And I love good SF and fantasy films and TV. And I still love my comic books.

You know why I ended up a voracious reader of science fiction? Two words: Julie Schwartz.

I read Green Lantern. I read Adam Strange. I read the bleeding Atomic Knights.

And later, I graduated to the hard stuff.

Where are we going to find that next generation of readers?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Bill I understand what you are saying.

Before I start I should point out that I have been on WorldCon committees, I have chaired many conventions and have been active in Fandom for many years. There are several reason that WorldCon and Science fiction conventions in general are getting smaller and smaller. Here are a few reasons in no order.

We want it small - - - One of the odder reasons is because there has been and still is a movement to keep conventions small. I have heard many organizers from across the country say that they do not want the WorldCon to become too big. That right there dooms most convention from the start.

Elitism - - - Also many WorldCon’s don’t want any Media, Anime, Gamers and other groups to attend the convention. At the last LA worldcon I was talking to a big name fan about this and he flatly said: “If they do not know the difference between a Lensman and a Skylark they shouldn’t come to the convention”. No joke, the person was deadly serious.

Cost - - - WorldCon is very, very expensive. LA worldcon was $200 at the door for all five days. DragonCon was $85 for all 4 days. (And you know what you get more for your money at DragonCon)

Zero Marketing - - - Most WorldCon do nothing for marketing or advertising. The most they do is through room parties and place ads in other conventions program books. This only reaches the already hardcore fan and doesn’t do anything to reach the general public or the regular fan.

No Change --- The WorldCon is being run the same way that it was run back in the 1980. The same program panels and the same guests. When was the last time you saw something new at a WorldCon???? Trying to get a committee to try something different or new is next to impossible, trust me I’ve tried.

I could go on and on about other problems with the WorldCon, but it just makes me depressed. But the real bottom-line is that many of the SMOFs do not want things to change. They are in charge and they love to hear themselves scream about how much they are the true fan, the true guardian of fandom and they would rather run fandom/Worldcon into the ground than change.

Eric Gerds
www.filk.com
The home of Filk Radio

Then they, and WorldCon, will die off like dinosaurs. Hoarding traditions is nothing but isolationism -- and prejudice. "Futurists" are supposed to, um, embrace the future.

Bill, I was all set to write a long rant about why worldcon, and for that matter, "traditional" regionals are dying off.

But Mr. Gerds beat me to it, and i find i don't have much to add to what he has to say, except to put more emphasis on elitism and the cliqueishness of "gray" fandom.

The prior generation of fandom is NOT inclusive. They are almost arrogant in their traditions, which even folks like me who are "between" generations find difficult to understand.

For a group of people who revel in literature about how the future will be different, "gray" fandom is the most change-resistant body of people you'll ever find.

Oh, The Irony.

The Graying of Fandom

WorldCon - going down hill

Re: WorldCon - going down hill

Re: WorldCon - going down hill