arisia | Arisia needs an attitude adjustment.

I am sure this will offend many people, and if it does I apologize, but I feel it has to be said.

I am disgusted and appalled at the rudeness and sense of entitlement I encountered from many of this year's staff members. And I am not the only person who noticed this.

An example...
I got up early on Sunday and went down to the staff den, I was there about 15 minutes before it was supposed to open, but the lovely staff den ladies let me in anyway. I told them I needed food so I could take some meds, but I could see they weren't quite ready yet and asked what I could do to help them get stuff put out. They gave me a couple things to do (and a danish so I could take my meds) and I went off to help. At 8:02AM a person walked in, I was just plugging in the kettle to heat water, sie wanted tea so I told hir it would be a few minutes while the water heated that I had just plugged it in. Hir response was very snobbishly "What do you mean the water is not hot yet?" I looked at hir and said well, you weren't here 10 minutes ago to plug it in. You want it faster, then feel free to come in early and help. These ladies were up just as late as the rest of us, they are doing their best." and I walked away.
Sure sie hadn't had hir morning caffiene yet, but that was no excuse to jump all over me because the kettle isn't hot. Sie had a coffee maker in hir room, there was nothing preventing hir from using it. This is just one instance I personally encountered in the den, I witnessed many more acts of rudeness directed at the ladies running the den and other staff members in the den, during my visits there. (I was not den staff, I was just helping out while waiting for the food to be ready.)

In general many staff members were surly, rude, and just basically snappish, many came across with the "I'm staff, I'm better than you" or the I'm staff therefore I'm entitled to [...] ahead of you" attitude.

In my opinion, If you want to be involved in Arisia, and deal with hundreds of fans and random people all weekend and can't keep a pleasant attitude, no matter how stressed you get, or how tired or overworked you are, perhaps you shouldn't be doing that job. It's like any job that involves dealing with the customer, you have to keep it all to yourself so as to not take it out on the unsuspecting and not offend. I was personally offended by many of the attitudes I encountered during the weekend by staff members I did not know and who didn't know me. There are places to let it all out, you shouldn't be snapping and rude to the attendees or they will stop coming and we cant have an Arisia without them.

I have a whole essay/rant about Arisia and it's changing dynamic as of late, How I feel it's strayed from it's original mission to be all inclusive and such, how it's more of a fannish lifestyle and polyamory based con now instead of Science Fiction and Fantasy based as originally intended, and how it really needs to be able to encompass all things equally*, but I will likely not subject people to it.

Personally with the next Arisia being the 20th, I would love to see the theme be "Back to Basics" or "Back to our Roots." But since I am just a lowly staff member, costumer and artist (who BTW has worked at every Arisia in some capacity to the point of never having to purchase a membership to Arisia yet) and really do not want any other responsibility right now, who am I to say what should happen?

*Of the panels offered pre-con, 47 "fannish lifestyle" panels this year and only 12 art, 12 filk, and 8 costume panels is not treating all things equally.

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I have to admit that some of the intense attitude directed both to me and near me was a little rough. When I was elevator hosting, for example, I tried to share the humor of the situation and empathise with people stuck on the wrong side of the elevator door. You have only seconds to do this as you load and unload.

In several cases I saw people yelling at fans--admittedly sometimes ill-behaved fans who were jumping in front of people on crutches or in wheelchairs to try to get on an elevator. That just leaves a bad taste all-around.

Sorry I think I missed you this con...I wasn't out party-hopping and socializing like I would have preferred to be.

I did have an extremely (kids related) stressed out time last year when I got very angry with someone that I perceived was holding the number of people in the elevator for the benefit of his friends. When I found out half-way down that he was doing it as an Arisia staffer, I apologized and told him what I had thought was going on. He was very nice and forgave me. There really are many kind people on Arisia staff, but there are some serious jerks too.

Now I'll have to ask you to forgive me for not pointing out who I was while we were doing origami together. :)

Party-hopping and socializing...phht. So not me! I was with the kids for 98% of the Con.

SNEAKY DEVIL!!!!

Well, now you know that I'm hopelessly incompetent at Origami. My secret shame, revealed.

Thanks for saving the day!

persis somehow trusts that she can throw me at any panel, and I'll rise above--and she's usually so organized with materials and activity ideas that it really is "Panel In A Box," but this one just stumped me.

Well, it was nice to have met you!

Edited 2008-01-21 21:25 (UTC)

I think we managed to keep quite a few children happy despite our lack of origami skills.

I'm sure

persis's faith in you is justified.

I got to see some random con-goers berate one of the second-floor volunteers for asking them to go to the first floor on Sunday morning. Poor thing. I'd rather have changed the diapers of all the toddlers there right after the bran muffin tasting party rather than be her at that moment.

That's when security comes in and suggests those folks be polite or leave,

I believe we need to pick our volunteers for these "high-pressure" jobs very carefully, and set the expectation with them that Not All Fen Are Nice And Courteous, Thou Must Be Prepared to Deal, and also that it is not okay to "return fire." So long as you remain the "paragon of virtue," you have other weapons at your disposal including con and hotel security and convention leadership.

As the parent of a small child, I would like to sincerely thank you for that glorious turn of phrase.

Arisia needs an attitude adjustment.

Heh...I'm an off-scale "P."

Re: Heh...I'm an off-scale "P."

you..you...you...

Re: you..you...you...

Re: Heh...I'm an off-scale "P."

Re: Heh...I'm an off-scale "P."

yes...it's a no-win situation...

Re: Heh...I'm an off-scale "P."