Good gravy that event sounds like an ongoing, slow-motion train wreck in every regard, but coming from (and rejecting) that inclusion-as-far-as-its-profitable corporate world, as well as having been an event organizer, panel moderator, and panelist, I'm not at all surprised.
I'm guessing the addition of the cishet white male panelist into a panel on intersectionality sprang from some behind the scenes pressure. There was a panel I moderated many years ago for a non-profit civil discourse organization, on the topic of the threat to reproductive, LGBTQ, and end-of-life healthcare resulting from the mass takeover of secular healthcare systems by the Catholic Church. We had a panel that included an expert on the issue, a leader of a watchdog group, and a progressive bishop who favored separation of religion and state. At the last minute, and to the horror of many, myself included, we had a new addition to the panel, a notorious local Right-Wing Evangelical communuty college professor who was outraged at what he saw as an unjust imbalance. He had bullied the board members into wedging him onto the panel, which he then proceeded to dominate and turn from a nuanced and thoughtful discussion between well-informed adults to a parody of Brimstone and Hellfire preaching, complete with spit flying. It was mortifying to moderate that, and was an insult to the esteemed original panelists and the intelligence of our audience. I have to wonder if the NiB organizers were similarly bullied into into adding so-called "balance" into this panel.
I also remember being in the audience of a panel at a con a few years ago on the topic of neurodiversity in tabletop gaming and I swear if it hadn't been such a disaster of a panel I'd have found it comical. Afterwards I left them feedback that was unsparing in criticism. They had managed to pack a couple hundred neurodivergent people into a small, very hot, extremely bright and loud overstimulating environment. I witnessed what I can only describe as a wave of fidgeting, stimming, and distress consume the bulk of the audience as the panel dragged on. Half the panelists had no business being speakers, had internalized autistiphobia, and were saying actively harmful and stereotyping things. I managed to hold out to the end, but bolted as soon as the panel was over, and I couldn't bring myself to attend any more con events for the rest of the day after that one.
Thank you for putting yourself in that situation for the cause. I hope they will take your feedback seriously and do better.
THANK YOU from someone who works at a ginormous international corporation and tries to be a wrench in the works rather than just another cog in the machine.
Good gravy that event sounds like an ongoing, slow-motion train wreck in every regard, but coming from (and rejecting) that inclusion-as-far-as-its-profitable corporate world, as well as having been an event organizer, panel moderator, and panelist, I'm not at all surprised.
I'm guessing the addition of the cishet white male panelist into a panel on intersectionality sprang from some behind the scenes pressure. There was a panel I moderated many years ago for a non-profit civil discourse organization, on the topic of the threat to reproductive, LGBTQ, and end-of-life healthcare resulting from the mass takeover of secular healthcare systems by the Catholic Church. We had a panel that included an expert on the issue, a leader of a watchdog group, and a progressive bishop who favored separation of religion and state. At the last minute, and to the horror of many, myself included, we had a new addition to the panel, a notorious local Right-Wing Evangelical communuty college professor who was outraged at what he saw as an unjust imbalance. He had bullied the board members into wedging him onto the panel, which he then proceeded to dominate and turn from a nuanced and thoughtful discussion between well-informed adults to a parody of Brimstone and Hellfire preaching, complete with spit flying. It was mortifying to moderate that, and was an insult to the esteemed original panelists and the intelligence of our audience. I have to wonder if the NiB organizers were similarly bullied into into adding so-called "balance" into this panel.
I also remember being in the audience of a panel at a con a few years ago on the topic of neurodiversity in tabletop gaming and I swear if it hadn't been such a disaster of a panel I'd have found it comical. Afterwards I left them feedback that was unsparing in criticism. They had managed to pack a couple hundred neurodivergent people into a small, very hot, extremely bright and loud overstimulating environment. I witnessed what I can only describe as a wave of fidgeting, stimming, and distress consume the bulk of the audience as the panel dragged on. Half the panelists had no business being speakers, had internalized autistiphobia, and were saying actively harmful and stereotyping things. I managed to hold out to the end, but bolted as soon as the panel was over, and I couldn't bring myself to attend any more con events for the rest of the day after that one.
Thank you for putting yourself in that situation for the cause. I hope they will take your feedback seriously and do better.
Thanks for sharing this, JD. We shall see!
I am so sorry that you had this experience. And thank you for your vulnerability in sharing it.
Thanks, Al.
THANK YOU from someone who works at a ginormous international corporation and tries to be a wrench in the works rather than just another cog in the machine.
You're welcome.
Thank you for this!
You're welcome.