laceblade | WisCon Panel-Generation Carnival

The Internet seems dead during holidays, but for me it's the time when I check LJ/etc. the most.

Let's come up with ideas for WisCon panels and then submit them!

Here's a link to where you submit panel ideas.

Last year I was disappointed by the proliferation of negatively-worded anti-religious panels. I mean, I can understand a couple, but the panel-wording came off to me as hostile, and unnecessarily large in number. At the very least, we should be able to put a lot of thought into the way we word our panel descriptions, right?

I would also really like to see some anime/manga panels, as in, more than one, and have them actually be on the schedule, instead of shunted off to the Spontaneous Programming Room for the third year in a row.

I think that in

sasha_feather's journal a while ago, we were talking about a "Studio Ghibli: Feminist Alternative to Disney?" panel, in which Studio Ghibli movies could be discussed, particularly as an alternative to ultra-thin and often selfish Disney heroines.
In a Ghibli panel, though I would also want to look at how larger bodies are used as a marker for corruption/evil/greed (Porco Rosso, Howl's Moving Castle).

Last year the spontaneous panel was about Monstrous Bodies in shounen manga, and the year before that we talked about the representation of bodies in shoujo manga, so we should not do those exact topics, perhaps.

And, you know, non-anime/manga related panels, too. Ideas:
--Do you need to read the source material to enjoy the fanfiction?
--Why do people insist that those with negative opinions of a fandom (ie, Glee, Dollhouse) haven't read/seen "enough" of it for their critique to have any validity?

So!

--Leave comments about what kinds of panels you'd like to see/ideas you've already submitted.
--Take it back to your journal in order to get more ideas.
--Submit them appropriately at the WisCon website.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I think that all of these panels should run, with you as moderator.

--Why do people insist that those with negative opinions of a fandom (ie, Glee, Dollhouse) haven't read/seen "enough" of it for their critique to have any validity?

[holding back snark! but a real answer means I'll have to think a bit]

OMG I don't even want to imagine me as a moderator.

IMAGINE IT. You as moderator would be AWESOME.

Teamwork: Feminism is more than just a belief that men an women should be treated equally. At its core, it requests a change in power dynamics that allows all people to be equal.
How do characters work together or separately in SF/fantasy?

Are the characters we admire most ones who are solitary warriors, or are they constantly helping/teaching/learning?

This would also be a good opportunity to talk about manga, in terms of teamwork and cooperative trainings (ie, Naruto, Fullmetal Alchemist).

when you suggest that, can it say "women and men", not the other way around?

(mj hardman made a really good point about that on a panel a few years ago. am at work so no time to sum up. :)

Yes! Is it just because the default is usually to say "men and women," always putting men first, and WTF, this is a feminist convention? [That is a very good reason, IMO!]

A post on the Aqueduct Press blog has me thinking about a panel on the disappearance of older women.

There was a panel a few years ago about awesome grannies in SF, and it was FANTASTIC. I would lovelovelove to see more discussion of where the older women are in SF.

I'm thinking of proposing something about all the seriously awful problems with Twilight. I need to figure out how to frame it :-D.

Yes! But can all of Twilight's problems be covered in just one panel??

:-D Ha!

What about something about internalized misogyny and twilight?

I think that would be really good - and perhaps the internalized misogyny of the people who not only read it, but defend it as being a great portrayal of people/girls/relationships.

I submitted the four that I was thinking of, but you should definitely submit the Studio Ghibli idea again, with a better, more knowledgable write-up, because I basically winged it.

Antarcticlust and I were talking about this the other day, and agree with you re all the religion panels from last year. There was a panel at ThinkGalactic called something like "privilege issues between atheists and theists" which sounded like a gREAT panel; of course I missed it and did not catch any write-ups. I think it would be neat to suggest that panel again for WisCon. Let's talk about theism and atheism in terms of power, privilege, and oppression, instead of generalizations assuming that people of faith are hyperconservative oppressors or whatever.

Antarcticlust also brought up the idea of gaming culture (board games, RPGs, video games) and talking about them in terms of feminism and diversity.

gaming culture (board games, RPGs, video games) and talking about them in terms of feminism and diversity.

YES. I would love to see discussion of this!! I have ranted in the past about how having Andy's gaming group in our apartment while i'm here makes me feel, and the comments i received on my LJ about that were ... interesting. I wonder if i still have that post online? [wanders off to look]

Rats, i deleted it. (I purge my journal regularly.)

My basic rant was: OMG, they keep using 'rape' and i am going BANANAAAAAAAAAS! Why are guys so aggressive when they game?!

Responses were interesting. I got some nice, supportive comments. I got some comments pointing out what gaming is often about -- especially D&D, it's basically beating up monsters and stealing/taking treasure.

I got WAY TOO MANY comments giving the guys a pass because "it seems like a lot of guys's gaming personalities get fixed at the age they start gaming, which is usually around 12-14." And MY responses were: (a) why is it okay for TEENAGERS to act this way? (b) why are we still making excuses and giving them passes AS ADULTS?!

The BEST response, however, wasn't an LJ comment. One of Andy's gaming buddies is also a friend of mine offline and on LJ. After he read the post, he sent the most awesome email to the gaming group which he then forwarded to me. He basically said: I've been thinking about this and i am really uncomfortable with the word "rape" being used frivolously at gaming. If you don't know why "rape" shouldn't be used frivolously, i hope you never have to find out. Please stop this, or i won't come to gaming anymore.

If i could clone him.... :)

It's an interesting thing to consider - I used to play Halo with a bunch of high school guy friends my senior year of high school, and I used totally filthy language that was also anti-women (so filthy I won't even repeat it here!). And looking back, I don't even know why. Trash-talking or competitiveness is one thing, but why is so much language about "winning" or "owning" synonymous with putting down women?

If all activism went so well, I think I would do it more often...! Yay for your friend for saying that.

Too many annoying people in the audience at panels last year made me think that a panel on how to be a good audience member might not be a bad idea (including topics like what's wrong w/"not a question, more of a comment"-type stuff, being more aware of the power dynamics in who's speaking, etc. etc.)

OMF, that would be amazing!

I bet that the people who need to go wouldn't go, though...but maybe it would help with community policing. You should submit this panel!

I like this idea, but I don't like the word "policing". I don't think we should be policing each other's behavior, exactly... but trying to support each other in having the most productive conversations possible. "How to get the conversation back on the rails", to counter derailing, for example. "Calling out" or "challenging". No one is the police at WisCon! :) We even call people "Safety" instead of "Security" because it sounds more friendly.

"Policing" seems like a friendly term to me, but that's probably because I have so many relatives in law enforcement. I can see why others may not view it the same way!

"How audience members create great panels."

(BTW, 'keeper, you should totally moderate.)

WisCon Panel-Generation Carnival

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