The Speed Dating Panel

oh gosh you don't even understand the kind of exhaustion that wracks your body after an event like phoenix comicon. it is the kind of thing where the phrase 'oh gosh' immediately comes to mind because I have been dryly swearing and quipping about every unfortunate interaction (there are many) that happen there for four days that it started bleeding into my regular work life.

heads up: if you're coming from The Website this is where i seem strikingly condescending about the things i like if for the purpose of serving my own cynicism
the con was great - really it was. we had a blast from start to finish. we drank with dudes that ran a hentai website and talked about the shit we've seen in life. i get a sense that the webmaster is a hell of nerd who's simply found a niche that can serve other people well enough to keep him afloat.

i went to a speed dating panel and met a number of great women but unfortunately had to miss the queer /lgtbq speed dating panel afterwards but like
god there's a thing i have to talk about

The Guy who runs the speed dating panel is a massive man with a predictable chinstrap beard whow as dressed as a jedi the entire convention with a requisite plastic lightsaber. at the beginning of the speed dating panel he made a point of saying that for the sake of stirring up the atmosphere and easing some of the shy nerd boys (well, men) into being comfortable his articulate jabs would come only at the expense of the males in the room

and then anytime a woman did anything they were the person being directed at. the reason I'd go back though is because the women were routinely laughing at his jokes, while the men were angrily stewing as he took attention away from them.

he talked about finding love and happiness at a convention - a place where nerds gather and talk and buy and commiserate and drink, as being not just possible but proven. at one point after the conversations were over with our partners, i watched a young dude (probably 18) who i assume has shitty opinions about women in fandom balk and storm out as he found himself not receiving any contact info from any of the 25+ women he spoke to for the entire hour. he exclaimed "i fucking KNEW this would happen" with the shrillness of someone between adolescence and adulthood
while the orchestrator balked with a "yeah yeah, get the fuck out of here."
he stormed out

kicked the door

and all the women laughed

-sk