skiffytown League of Heroes

Team. . .it has come to my attention that. . .like all other activities in the real world there is a percentage of people who participate in activities that are contrary to the image we try foster. . .specifically there is a group of people who belong or participate in adult activities at conventions and events in general (think spring break X10). . .anyway. . .as in all hobbies . . .jobs. . .and pastimes. . .there will always be those who bring a negative light to what you do. . .let me spell it out. . .there was an article in Hustler back in October titled CONSLUTS or something to that effect. . .and there has been a question raised by a member on our stance on this and how there could be a guilt by association issue. . .i have been around this block a few times. . .and I will say that any group. . .any organization. . .any charity. . .and body with more than two members at some point may be associated. . .or maligned by someone else’s actions. . .the military. . .gets a bad rap if one or two percent do something stupid. . .the boy scouts. . .religious groups. . .the list goes on. . .the news. . .and people looking for issues will always find something if they look hard enough. . .and they could paint a whole picture from the actions of a few. . .to me. . .it boils down to personal actions. . .and personal choices. . .Skiffytown. . .is a group of individuals. . .each individuals actions reflect on the whole. . .i can no easier control the actions of one member as I can control the weather. . .i can control my actions. . .and take responsibility of how I choose to represent myself and Skiffytown in public. . .and in private. . .our purpose is to support charities. . .and that puts us in a different light if not more intense light than most people. . .we are asking. . .in our activities that people trust us to be a light to the kids and adults that attend our functions. . .whether it’s a con. . .or children’s hospital. . .if you face a choice in life. . .all I ask is that you be willing to accept the consequences. . .life is and can be fun. . .just make sure you are willing to pay the price for your choices. . .if someone asks you about yourself or Skiffytown. . .and activities like the one from the article. . .be honest. . .tell the truth. . .and accept the consequences. . .

dc

i am not looking to drag this conversation out. . .or to get into what we have all seen. . .this was brought to my attention. . .and i gave my word i would address it. . .thanks again for hearing me out. . .

As I don't know any of the particulars as to what brought this about, I can understand where it's coming from.

I am a formerly practicing Christian. And by that I mean I do not attend church, actively go door to door, attend outside fellowship, etc. I grew a lot in the church. I have a TON of great memories. And I still listen to much of my old fav Christian bands. But when I made the decision to just leave, the one thing I purposely told myself was that I was not going to bear a false witness to people I knew.

By that I mean I did not wear any more Christian shirts, I did not start sporting Slayer shirts or anything equally offensive to what people knew me as previously, etc. When I was attending actively I saw too many people who were one way at church and foul mouthed two faces away from church (many were still nice, but lets keep it real here).

It prompted some discussion with some of my friends as to why the change and I just explained to them that it was time for me to move on in my life. I had a lot of respect with my non-Christian friends because I didn't judge them or tell them what they were doing wrong or preach at them when I was very actively attending church. So when I left I got the same respect I originally gave to them. They didn't see me as some two faced bitter person who went from one 'extreme' to another. But they also understood

And that was one thing I worried about with this group. I hesitated a long time to even join because I wanted to make sure I would be ok with walking that sort of walk again. For me it came down to a similar approach that is seen in corporate America. If you wouldn't do it in the work place it's probably not a good idea to do it when you're trying to present very specific image.

I apologize for interjecting.
One of the things in my circle we kind of frown upon is what we call "Cape Chasing". It happens, but it's kind of lame.

I am not familiar with the article in question, but I've been doing conventions for 20 years or more. There is a lot of people behaving badly. It happens quite frequently, but it's not as bad as it sounds.

Not every person at a convention is there to act inappropiately. Personally I have never been concerned about my association with fandom and how the actions of some may reflect on me.

Those that do such things usually stick to their own, as it were. it's not like just being at a convention means you are throwing yourself to the wolves.

When confronted with comments such as you were, tipi, I respond by explaining the facts. In any large group of people, there will be things that happen within smaller groups of that population. Just because this faction acts in this manner, that does not mean everyone does exactly as they do. Then I explain the reasons that i attend.

That usually puts and end to it.