Oops.
I actually thought it would take less time than it did.
Someone googled “Dragon*Con and Alabama Clemson” yesterday and found my post on our Adventures in Atlanta related to the Dragon*Con convention. They came back three or four times, so I’m thinking, “uh oh. They either think it’s funny or they are a Crazie (Dragon*Con-ner) and are offended.”
Sure enough, I started getting hundreds of hits on that post last night from a Dragon*Con Conversation Thread on Live Journal about the clueless things that non-Dragon*Con-ners said/say about the Dragon*Con convention. I was called clueless, “a mundane” (my personal favorite), and one person even said that I was “stupid and rude”.
However, for the record, of the hundreds of visitors I have gotten, at least two have found themselves in my pics and commented on my post (excitedly, might I add) to identify themselves. So it seems like all of the people that I actually featured on my post are happy to have found themselves on the ‘net.
Since the LiveJournal thread was started, I was also StumbleUpon ‘ed, and someone else has also referenced me in another LiveJournal feed, so I’m getting a ton of hits on that post.
I’m sure the hype will die down, but to all of the “crazie’s” that are reading my blog, if you end up reading this post, let me say:
1. Thanks! Glad you got a kick out of it, one way or the other – either making fun of me for being clueless (which is fine), or by spotting yourself in photos.
2. To the few who were offended, I was not trying to be rude, simply to document the event from a “clueless” person’s point of view and be entertaining to my readers. I called the football fans “crazies” too, and by crazie I just simply mean “extreme enthusiast”. It’s not an insult. Just a documentary.
3. I thoroughly enjoyed watching the parade / Dragon*Con people in general. It was extremely entertaining, which is why I blogged about it – so that more people could be entertained. That is, after all, what it’s all about, right?
Anyway, I’m glad you’re all enjoying my clueless interpretation of the events!
p.s. – as clueless as I have been labeled by the D*C-er’s, I bet that they indoctrinate Freddy (who is NOT a Dragon*Con-er. . . that I know of) on the spot for his ultra-long comment to the post explaining in detail all of the characters. He’ll be the next Dragon*Con King!!
HA! That is hilarious! I went and checked out their comments – very, uh, educational. Oh, and my comment was referenced by Freddy! Cool – in a geeky kind of way. :) I guess that describes me rather well – a cool geek. Anyway, congratulations on the exposure and all the hits!
I’ve always heard that there is no such thing as bad publicity! While I’m not currently a practicing “crazie” I totally was in high school. Actually one of my best friends was at the dragon con all weekend. Congrats on the traffic
Around my house we have a saying. There are all kinds of nerds. You just happen to be a football nerd. LOL. I happily watch my son’s games and have NO idea what’s going on. “Oh, he’s chasing someone who has the ball! Ooh, he got him! Wait, how come everyone stopped moving? Why are they starting all over again?”
— USAF mom
LOL – great point. Everyone is a nerd about something!! Although, considering my utter boredom by halfway through the first quarter of the football game tonight, I’m not sure that’s mine – I think I’m more like you – “What’s going on down there??”. But believe me, I have PLENTY of things that I’m nerdy about, as just a wee bit of reading of my blog would quickly prove. . . I bet all my readers would say I was QUITE nerdy, actually. Maybe even a “crazie”. ;)
Don’t worry!
I’ve gone to D*Con for years and have participated in the parade for the last three. I’m a part of several fandoms and have a working knowledge of several more, but half the time I’m clueless about the costumes people show up in too. :)
I found you through the LJ community post, and I was thoroughly amused. It was a lot of fun to read the perspective of someone who didn’t expect to see all of that.
Remember, most of us can’t identify all the costumes, even those of us who attend every year.
When in doubt, say “must be from some anime”
– the guy who drives the minivan with Darth Vader on top
You go out this minute and rent (or preferably buy) the Firefly series by Joss Whedon.
Go ahead. I’ll wait.
Ok, now watch it straight through. No arguing! Ok, after watching the series (and becoming a diehard Browncoat in the process), now go rent/buy the Serenity movie. It’s important that you watch them in that order…series first, then movie.
Join us….joooiinnn uuuussss….we can always use more Browncoats in the ‘Verse. (You’ll understand what this means after you watch it.) :-D
Take it from a non-costumed crazy who was at Dragon*Con–you were amusing and light-hearted and obviously getting a kick out of everything. I think the Carolina/Clemson fans are a bit nuts (I live in the Midlands) whenever that game comes around, so, I say turnabout is fair play. :) We all love something–and, it is great that you got a fun peek at the world that Dragon*Con pulls together.
Thanks for a fun read and a good chuckle.
Rachel,
If it helps, the geeks that are being snarky about your post are likely a bit oversensitive because a lot of us have heard a lot of negative comments over the years about our passions, so it’s easy to misinterpret a pretty innocent statement as something mean-spirited. I, myself, wasn’t sure what to think until I read your comments and I now understand the perspective you were shooting for. One of the great things about the geek communities and Dragon*Con as a whole is the friendliness of its members, and I hope you have and will experience mostly that and not much of the misplaced defensiveness.
Also, Roll Tide. :-)
I also found your blog via the LJ D*C community.
I was pleased to see that you weren’t one of the annoying football “crazies” that were in town during con. Honestly, I wish more of them were like you – open-minded enough to appreciate people enjoying their fandom (be it football or some other fantasy).
The people being snarky, etc likely had unpleasant experiences with the other football “crazies”. I think we can all do without the drunken frat-boys harassing con security and costumed attendees.
I bet the last thing the ~40,000 geeks (myself included) were expecting was a large group of their social opposites to descend on the convention. I’m pleased that things went as smoothly as they did, though. By Sunday I started noticing a lot of football “crazies” (still in their costumes) with con badges. Hopefully we’ll be able to convert the whole lot of you within a few years!
I was also amused and not offended! :) It was very interesting to see us “from the outside” as it were.
Hello! Well, guess what. You got re-linked on a couple sites for the upcoming D*Con. I ended up reading both posts. Just so you know, I did not feel like you were trying to offend anyone, since you called football fans "crazy" as well.
Stop with the word "Crazie"! Crazies are people locked away in mental institutions. Those who come to Atlanta that weekend for Dragon*con instead of some football game are not escaped mental patients.
Call Dragon*Con attendees "crazies" again and don't come cying to me when one of them posts a blog entry calling you football fans "psychos", "monkeys", or "escaped mental patients".
It would be nice if you stopped using "crazies." To me it changed a merely clueless post to an insulting one, and I don't think that was your intention. I don't like football at all but I call my football-loving friends "fans" not "crazies." Try using "geek" next time and we will love you for it.