My take on anti-harassment at Comic-Con

July 8, 2015 1:53 PM

My take on anti-harassment at Comic-Con
A Daily Shout for The New Yorker containing a humorous list of suggestions for improving the anti-harassment policy at SDCC.

Role: author

posted by ericbop (2 comments total)

Good piece, above average New Yorker Funny (usually known for being too damned droll). You hit many of the best not-too-obscure points (I'd have referred to Riker's "chair mounting" rather than the trombone, but that's where too-obscure begins). The Doctor Who banana reference may have been vauge (I think the Minions OWN bananas these days), but I'm very happy you avoided the too obvious "bigger on the inside".
Still, there are many other references that come to mind, such as the 'inappropriate use' of Wonder Woman's golden lasso, Ghostbuster proton packs, Steven Universe's crystal gems or Squirrel Girl's nuts.
And a rule against non-consentual contact with pointy ears, whether Elf, Vulcan, Na'vi, or Bugs Bunny (even when he's in drag).
And "Cap'n she canna take no more" also means No.

BTW, the Washington Post article your piece linked to noted "a prominent science fiction author [held] his event away from the site in protest of what he called lax anti-harassment policies." Can you say "MeFi's Own John Scalzi"? If your guidelines had been in place, things could've been different.
posted by oneswellfoop at 4:20 PM on July 8, 2015

My reaction to each numerical point on that list was one of the following:

• A polite chuckle
• An obnoxious guffaw
• An involuntary spray of saliva and cheap rye whiskey over an expensive monitor

I will be sending you an invoice shortly.
posted by figurant at 7:45 PM on July 8, 2015