A negative comment about a party at Arisia

[xiphias]

Far as I'm concerned, you can EITHER have an invite-only party OR you can advertise your party.

But it's FUCKING RUDE to advertise your invite-only party.

Don't mind invite-only parties. Don't even mind invite-only parties who, apparently, were going around handing out invites only to women who were dressed slutty. Heck, if someone took that to the extreme, and walked around the con handing out slips of paper which said, "You're sexy. Come to my room at 11 pm," that wouldn't bother me. And if he or she got people to show up, more power to him or her.

DO mind people who do that and also put posters up in the stairwells advertising their party. It's fucking RUDE to do that, then set up a velvet rope outside, and do the "club" thing. Dunno about you, but I go to cons to get away from that kind of dynamic.

Yes, I'm pissed off at not being pretty enough to get into that party.

Comments

[xiphias.livejournal.com]

How many years have they been doing these parties?

[chanaleh.livejournal.com]

I remember at least one previous. That's all I can really assert. :-)

Also, I forgot to add two more thoughts earlier:

(1) I noticed their flyers in the stairwell only *after* I got turned away from their door. (And I only tried their door by accident, looking for a completely different party. Surprised me, velvet rope notwithstanding.) I didn't get as far as thinking "gee, how contradictory," but now I'm with you: it does seem kinda dumb to post flyers without any room number or other actual party information.

OTOH, that very crypticness changes the dynamic. They weren't ads, they were teasers, like PR -- a side order of context for the people who *got* invitations. But it's different from flyering "Come to our party, X time, Y room" and THEN turning away people who don't fit their criteria. (You can still opine that it's rude, I'm just pointing out that it's different.) But it would have been best to add "Invitation Only" to the teaser flyers, IMHO.

(2) For the record, I see gilana's point about the hosts using a (highly subjective) door policy to control for "problem children", in addition to atmosphere. And even if it is rude, I support their right to do it.

ooh!

[happypete.livejournal.com]

I didn't get you on my post-Arisia-post...i'm correcting that now.

it was so nice to see you, even if we only got to chat briefly!!!