Arisia 2008 Stair Club Reminder

[chainkill.livejournal.com]

disclaimer: I am not one of the organizers. Nothing in this post, nor in any of the threads contained herein is official, unless otherwise noted by someone who IS an oganizer. Everything I say here is merely a suggestion in order to reduce congestion in the elevators, and make the world a better place for people for whom the stairs are not a viable option.

Shortly after the end of the con last year, there was discussion of a "StairMaster Club" being organized by able-bodied individuals to allow those for whom the stairs are not an option to take the elevators with greater ease. StairMaster is a copyrighted word, so I will only be using the term "Stair Club".

The original announcement requested that people get in shape over the course of the year, so that for this upcoming Arisia, only those who are inconsiderate and those who are unable to take the stairs will be using the elevators. If you missed the previous announcement, there is still time! Get in shape now, so that everyone can enjoy the con as much as possible!



Once again, as we were reminded when this was originally posted, do NOT make discouraging remarks, comments, looks, or jokes to people who are taking the elevator, even if they appear to be able-bodied. First of all, the number of invisible things that can keep a person from taking a flight of stairs is astronomical, so do not assume. Secondly, the goal of this group is to make the con MORE fun for everyone, not less.

Comments

[sethb.livejournal.com]

I don't see elevator priority ribbons being given out to enough people to prevent others from taking the elevators at all.

Right, they'll just have to wait longer.

People who have movement disabilities WILL be slowed down enough over the course of the con that the priority ribbon will not make their journeys faster than a perfectly able-bodied person's.

So do you think the Handicapper General should require athletic people to carry weights around to slow them to the average speed?

The only times that able-bodied people would be turned away is if so many people with ribbons showed up that they filled the elevator. I frankly don't see that happening particularly often.

Every single time that a ribbon gets somebody on an elevator earlier than he would otherwise have gotten on, that means that one other person did not get on that elevator, and was delayed. So are you claiming that ribbons will make no difference?

[chainkill.livejournal.com]

No, I don't think we need a handicapper general. I was as horrified as everyone else at Harrison Bergeron's dystopia. I just think that it is acceptable to help people who aren't as lucky as we are. I'm not the diehard libertarian I was in high school: I've matured a bit since then.

I am not claiming that the ribbons make no difference. I am claiming that they make a very small difference for the people waiting, and an enormous difference for the person with the ribbon. I would call it a net gain.

[dda.livejournal.com]

I fear you totally underestimate the number of people who will end up wanting such ribbons. There are people with obvious disabilities. There are people with "invisible" disabilities. There are people with conditions that aren't universally recognised by medical science. There are people with kids; when shepherding kids around, time spent waiting in line can be difficult, etc.

When you make a privilege available, especially for something as desirable as elevator priority, you'd be surprised how many people try to take advantage of it.

[sethb.livejournal.com]

Either way, one person gets on the next elevator, and one person gets on the following one. The difference the ribbon makes is which of them has to wait the two minutes. It's the same two minute wait for the next elevator no matter who is waiting.

Or do you consider two minutes of one person's time to be much more important than two minutes of someone else's time?

[chainkill.livejournal.com]

No, everyone's time is equally valuable. That being said, think about the time it took to get to the elevator, and the time it will take to get from the elevator to the destination. The time that the person with a movement disability takes is greater than the time that a person who can move effectively will take, all else being equal. By giving the people with disabilities an edge in line, they will still take longer to get where they are going (most likely), but the total time that it takes each person will be closer to the same.

Do you understand why I am calling it equalizing treatment, in this perspective? I'm not just looking at the elevator, I'm looking at the whole journey.

[sethb.livejournal.com]

The time it took to get to the elevator depends on lots of factors. There are people on crutches who "walk" faster than most fans. People in electric wheelchairs often move faster than most fans walk.

Would you also propose that people going to their rooms on the 14th floor should have priority over people going to their rooms on the 7th floor because it will take them longer to get there? Likewise, people whose rooms are near the elevators go last?

Journey time is not treatment. You propose equalizing journey time by providing preferential treatment.

[chainkill.livejournal.com]

Without a crowd, you are correct that people in wheel chairs and people on crutches can move as fast or faster than people without such aids. In crowds such as those at Arisia, however, someone who takes up less space by being vertically bipedal can move significantly faster. Crowds are a part of the way that a con treats people.

Do you believe in universal healthcare? Do you agree with the idea that your tax dollars be spent on the health insurance of people who can't afford it, even if you already have better health insurance? Because from your arguments, I think this would be a better metaphor than the affirmative action I used towards another commenter.