2062 in American Issues

Inspired by comments in This Post About Brave in Scans Daily.

Think of the cultural changes in the United States of America over the last 50 years. What would people back then think of our President? Of gay marriage in six states and the District of Columbia and with three more likely in the next year? A Jew on the Democratic Party ticket exciting virtually no comment in 2000? I do not say this in a spirit of self-congratulation, there are many social problems in America. My reason to point this out is to set up my projecting into the future to the year 2062.

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Return of the Slash Panel?

One of the things that was done at MileHiCon years and years ago was a late night panel about slash fiction. I seem to recall that at first it was straight[1] panel discussion of slash by readers and writers of slash, though some of us showed up in pajamas since that was its first name. The panel came back again in later years with readings, Eye of Argon style, of slash found in the wild. This meant that the printouts would be passed around and people would read aloud until they could go no further or cracked up laughing. It was very fun.

About two hours after I got all excited by the idea of bringing back the Slash Panel at Bubonicon the thought occurred to me that looked at from outside that we were being cruel. I assume that some of the slash was written at least part in jest like that slash of the Arby's Oven Mitt with the Hamburger Helper Glove[2]. But I am fairly sure that the piece about Roy Orbison in cling wrap on a spaceship was written dead earnest. The guy who found it said that it was part of a series written by someone in Germany who had a very specific kink and that they all contained Roy Orbison and cling wrap.

My first reply to myself was, "Well how would you feel if you found out, inadvertently, that your pornography were being laughed at?" I thought I would not mind that it was happening, but I would not want to be there. I do not think I would want to be the subject of a comedy roast, either. Though simultaneously I would want to know what happened, so it might make me a little crazy.[3] Other than that I do not think I would care very much, but then I am an odd person and I have the safety of having written under a pseudonym from a disposable account that I no longer have, so any embarrassment does not attach to me.

So I am still left with two questions that I do not yet have an answer to. Is this panel idea ethical? Should it be revived?


1. Heh. I was the token gay/bisexual guy put on the panel along with the fanfic writers, so it was fairly straight panel, but of course I meant in the sense of being the usual panel discussion found at all fantasy/science fiction conventions. I later wrote some fanfic, but not much.

2. I really hope that Arby's Oven Mitt actually is not someone's kink. I think vore would be more comprehensible. Not by much, but still...

3. Okay, here is the plan. I am going to go to the roast and take lots of notes on what I need to improve. Then, as I come out, you are to poison me with this very precisely calibrated deadly poison dart that will cause just enough trauma to that I forget everything that happened in there. Any questions? "Why are you doing this?" I will get back to you with and answer to that one later.