I should mention that this recent stupidity won't stop me from going to conventions. I'm too contrary for that. It probably will make me feel more free to dispense with physical violence, though.

My con experience was Plei's, a generation or so earlier. It's not the only reason I stopped going to cons. There was also the traditional stupid fandom uproar (The con we ran was accused of being "too professional," which as far as I could tell meant that they were upset that nothing went wrong), plus the ex who left large conflagrations of burning bridges in his wake. The main reason was that I grew up and many of my fellow fans did not.

Back in my day, at least, there was a lot less assholishness at small cons. I think there are benefits to authors to the occasional con, in that you can hang out with other authors and get your name better known. To prepare, Susan, I'd suggest Sharyn McCrumb's Zombies of the Gene Pool.

Back in my congoing days I saw plenty of socially maladjusted behavior as well, though I don't recall seeing the sort of open handsy-ness Jilli describes. (Likely because the two women I attended cons with were either (1) constantly accompanied by a husband who looked like a professional wrestler, or (2) tall and imposing enough on her own that prospective gropers could figure out their chances of drawing back a stump.) The fun, funny, smart people were about the same proportion of the whole as in the world at large—it's just that the jackholes were of the Comic Book Guy variety rather than obnoxious football fans and the like.

We were told by the hotel that there was way less groping of the waitresses at our con than there had been at the Shriners' convention a few weeks earlier. I can believe it, since I was once heavily groped merely trying to work my way through a hotel lobby full of Shriners.

What MM says may well be true, but only reinforces my dislike of large groups of any ilk.

(Edited because I have no knowledge of the behavior of Shiners.)

meara- that is dumb. Even if you were disengaged, why do adult people "tattle".

I have been wondering about the term "cougar" applying to older women. is is based on how old the boy is relative to the woman, or just women over a certain age. This comes about because I was just daydreaming about Patrick Stump, who is 23!!!

Sophia, you're a cougar. I think with a twenty three year old guy we're talking cougar, as soon as the woman passes...twenty eight? Thirty? Yeah, maybe thirty.

I think cougar also implies someone tanner and more toned than I am, but since I am unlikely to actually meet the lead singer of FOB, it is sort of moot.

Twenty-eight, really? Until that 30 Rock episode, I had only really thought of the term being used for women in their forties and fifties. Maybe because of that T-Mobile commercial with Felicia Day.

PC, I am 34, so I feel borderline.

However, I seem to look like John Travolta in Hairspray, if this pictur is any indication [link] My bosses are tiny!

I only go to the SD Comic-Con, but I've never had a problem. Probably because I'm wearing a t-shirt and jeans and there are many, many, many half-naked costumed women to gape at. Not that that makes groping okay, mind.