As they used to say in the old west ” We don’t take to kindly to that behavior.” We’re not talking about Cross Play, where people dress up as the opposite gender to honor their favorite character. We’re not talking about people who aren’t afraid to proudly be LGBTQIA+. We’re not talking about the person quoting every line from Firefly. The behavior we can’t stand is bullying.
We are all familiar with bullies. Whether it was a school bully, a co-worker, or a family member who just thinks they are being funny. Bringing someone else down is how they feel big. Many bullies were bullied themselves and takes them years to realize they are perpetuating the problem. Some are just plain mean jerks.
Can CoreCon stop bullying? Not entirely, no. Can we make a difference? We’re sure going to try. Our security team can’t be everywhere at once but you can be assured they will be soon and they are “Anti Bullying” to the Nth degree. How do they handle a bully? Many would think that all security does is bully the bully and kick them out. Unfortunately on rare occasions this is necessary, in most cases that isn’t our process. Security first listens. They listen to all sides and try not to judge and be fair. Then they educate. Explaining why something someone did was wrong can help them. Maybe they were clueless. Maybe they didn’t realize their actions were harmful to someone with a different perspective. Maybe they grew up that way and didn’t know better. Regardless the reason, the security team wants to help them to understand and grow. We are even extremely lucky to have a licensed counselor on the security staff. So, yes, we can make a difference. The bullies that used to go to our convention either are working on being better people, or finding our convention an unwelcome place for their negative behavior and not returning. Either way this makes CoreCon a safer, inclusive, fun, and exciting event for everyone (except bullies).
Join us for CoreCon 13- Fantastic Worlds at the Fargo Holiday Inn, May 25-28, 2023.
Website and information: Fargo CoreCon
Tickets: Registration
