Message-ID: <812@topaz.ARPA>
Date: Wed, 27-Feb-85 14:59:19 EST
Article-I.D.: topaz.812
Posted: Wed Feb 27 14:59:19 1985
Date-Received: Fri, 1-Mar-85 06:03:29 EST
Sender: daemon@topaz.ARPA
Organization: Rutgers Univ., New Brunswick, N.J.
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From: ELIZABETH%MIT-OZ@MIT-MC.ARPA

I was glad to see that I am not alone in feeling a bit disappointed with 
Boskones lately, especially this year.  For whatever reason, I didn't find
much interesting or stimulating about the convention, and I don't think it
will be worthwhile for me to go next year.  Maybe we're getting jaded.
However, I can't agree with many of Dan's points.  In many respects, the
problem may be one of a changing face of sf...

   From: bnl!davison@topaz (Dan Davison)
   Subject: Boskone 22: NESFA & greed (caution:flamethrower set on broil)

   "...I was so disgusted with the fall of NESFA
   that I didn't bother going to the con Sunday and Monday."

   "the limited events available were for the most part well run"

NESFA's fall from what???
It bothers me a little that you didn't stay for the whole weekend and give
the convention a chance.  How can you judge the events as limited if you 
didn't stay for a third (or more) of them?

   "They were charging $22.00 at the door for => one day admission <= , 
   the same as for the full event...the people working the registration
   desk offered the stunningly lame excuse that "with these badges we
   can't tell one day people from all-weekend people"."

$22 is steep; two of my friends didn't come because they felt one day for 
$22 isn't worth it...I paid in advance, myself ($17). As for the i.d., it's
simple; have two different types of badges, or a badge and a hand-stamp, or
a sticker system for badges, or...

   "In less than 10
   minutes in the registration area I heard *at least* 10 people express
   surprise and disgust...but they still paid."

Exactly.  They paid.  Until the convention organizers price themselves out
of the market---which, with ~3,000 people at the con, is going to take a 
while---they will pay, and pay, and pay.

   "What really stunned me was the reason NESFA was charging a uniform
   $22.00: greed.  Yep, GREED.  The *** are buying a clubhouse and are
   using fen from all over the northeast to generate money for their
   relatively private use.  ... this is a gross violation and ripoff 
   of everything fandom has stood for.

I'm sorry to disagree with you here, because I do agree with your outraged
feelings.  But NESFA has a right, I guess, to raise money and spend it as 
they please, same as the Girl Scouts or the Modern Language Association.
They are "Inc.", a business entity, not nonprofit as far as
I know (correct me; I may be wrong).  As for fandom...what was it fandom 
stood for that is being ripped off or betrayed?  SF is Big Business, meaning
Big Bucks, nowadays.  Entrepeneurial fen are taking advantage of the oppor-
tunity to make a profit.

   "I also was informed several times that the lousy film/video
   schedule was deliberate, because they didn't want riff-raff (no not
   him!) off the streets coming in "just to see the movies"."
   
   dan davison

Now that peeves me.  I'm one of those riff-raff, then, because half the
fun (more, maybe) for me is the movies, which were, let's be frank, 
stale this year.  And last year.  The panel programming, which originally
attracted me to Boskone, is getting continually weaker.  The best one
this year was on Sunday, discussing "Building a Society", and even
it contained little that was in-depth, illuminating, or really memorable and
interesting.  Many of the authors on panels just seemed to be going through
the motions...like NESFA.

Eliz.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Furthermor...

"One of Robert Heinlein's books (The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress?) had a
computer named Mycroft, who helped the young hero achieve his
rightful estate."  This sounds very different than my edition of the
book, in which a computer called Mycroft, or Mike, helps a bunch of
revolutionaries overthrow an oppressive government...but it might be a
good plot for Star Trek IV.  (I for the money! II for the money!  III
for the money!  IV for the money!)