I would like to note that Orange Mike is a member of the Cherokee Nation, so, when he says "our tribal pow-pow" he is, in fact, complimenting the rest of us. He's also been coming to WisCon since very early days, and I don't think you could ask for a more genuinely feminist man. It's a feminist SF con, and he identifies as feminist, which anyone who really knows him would agree with. He's also very genial, loves to talk, and speaks well on camera, so I wouldn't expect him to not talk to someone. After all, it's s reasonable expectation that the reporter would have talked to other people as well. What message SHOULD Mike have "internalized the messages communicated by his fellow attendees"? That men should STFU? I've been here for every WisCon, and that is not the message.
The one thing you can rely on mundane press to do is screw it up. Years ago, when we still had masquerades, if there was a picture in the local paper it was always of the most grotesque costume, together with the "Sci-Fi Freaks Invade City" leader.
I could also go on about the time, at WisCon Five, that I spent two hours showing a reporter and camera operator from Channel 3 around the con and explaining it in great detail, only to have the segment cut to a meaningless thirty seconds that ran literally the last thing on the 10:30 news, AFTER the sports.
Your issue is with the perennially ignorant shallow press, and probably chiefly with the reporter's producer, who would have been the one who actually edited the segment. Even with the best of intentions, reporters rarely get final say about what goes on the air.
Yes, it's frustrating. We have to keep hoping that one of these days we'll get a news crew that actually gets it. It's the same job of consciousness raising that needs to be ongoing in every field.
You are right to be angry, but a genuinely nurturing male ally is not a proper target for your anger.
no subject
The one thing you can rely on mundane press to do is screw it up. Years ago, when we still had masquerades, if there was a picture in the local paper it was always of the most grotesque costume, together with the "Sci-Fi Freaks Invade City" leader.
I could also go on about the time, at WisCon Five, that I spent two hours showing a reporter and camera operator from Channel 3 around the con and explaining it in great detail, only to have the segment cut to a meaningless thirty seconds that ran literally the last thing on the 10:30 news, AFTER the sports.
Your issue is with the perennially ignorant shallow press, and probably chiefly with the reporter's producer, who would have been the one who actually edited the segment. Even with the best of intentions, reporters rarely get final say about what goes on the air.
Yes, it's frustrating. We have to keep hoping that one of these days we'll get a news crew that actually gets it. It's the same job of consciousness raising that needs to be ongoing in every field.
You are right to be angry, but a genuinely nurturing male ally is not a proper target for your anger.