It's that time of year again where the outside of the city I
live in looks more like the inside of my workplaces. Nerds from all four
corners of Pangaea walking around in tight formation, lanyards slung,
bags in tow, stopping the flow of traffic on fifth street crosswalks to play
live action Pokemon snap. The convention center playing kiosk Mecca , the crowd walking
concentric circles around it like that onyx square to the
east.
Tradition is like that, and fantasy world people
love their comfort food. It didn't dawn on me until recently that
the con is an event people elsewhere save for and dream about all year long. It's always just, been there. Or that it's a thing that has the the potential to persist even past the time we are all gone, unless someone in
city planning decides it doesn't need to be, or decides it can't afford to be. That's California life though, all part of our
grand tradition of taking bounty for granted.
Sports teams, Conventions, all a matter of pragmatic fiscal feasibility I guess. Kind of like the Disneyland
effect. As a kid you go there and Goofy is Goofy, the Matterhorn
is a giant ice mountain you can ride through, and the magic costs
nothing.
As an adult Goofy is some kid dancing around in a heavy suit
in the summer heat, and you wonder if he/she is staying hydrated. The Matterhorn is a rickety physics aberration, and the
magic costs approximately a dollar a step. When the blinders are gone and you truly grasp just how much it costs to cast an illusion, you say, "Got-daam! A hundo for this!? Ten bucks just for that!?" Etc.. The only workaround for
the Disney effect is going with someone who still believes in magic.
Watching them run up and hug Mickey, squeal on the
teacups, or eating one of those oversize lollipops make money worthless. Best part about the Con is that once a year everyone runs around acting like kids at Disneyland , and that's awesome. But c'mon, pick up after yourselves people, and learn to ride the trolley, clogging up the exit doors in a Gundam suit. Really?
