On the importance of Worldcon

[xiphias]

I realized that the main reason I've gone to Worldcons is because they're such an important part of the shared history of fandom.

Then I realized that "being a part of history" isn't really a selling point for a science fiction convention.

Comments

[browngirl.livejournal.com]

History of science (fiction)?

[snippy]

"Being part of" something is important to most of us tribal monkeys, though. People try to find something that is important to them so they can join that tribe, pass the tests, and exclude non-tribal members. I tried fandom and it's not my tribe. I tried Judaism and while I'm still a Jew (convert), being in a congregation is not my tribe. Usenet was my tribe for a long time and then it mostly went away.

I'm starting to think I'm part of only one tribe: the tribe of me. I'm trying to be okay with that; I'm pretty cool and I like myself better than anybody else. I like my blog writings better than anybody else I read-even stuff from 10 years ago, still makes me think and laugh and feel things. I mean, I like other people-I'm social, I play in 2 different gaming groups, I even have friends that neither game nor read SF/F. But I like my tribe an awful lot and the test is REALLY HARD and so far, I'm it.

[thnidu.livejournal.com]

Part of the ongoing shared history of fandom.