Eurofurence Community > General Discussion
Official Statement Regarding the Policy Debate on Twitter
timoran:
--- Quote from: Runo on 10.06.2015, 01:27:15 ---Honestly, think for yourself for a moment, check past cons' photos for with how many Americans EF staffers hang out, and the American cons' photos for how many EF staffers are there… do you really still believe something like that would be true? m(
--- End quote ---
Hmm, could you link me to any such photos which contain either of the two EF staff who expressed the anti-American sentiments on Twitter?
Otherwise, the only thing I could conclude from what you've said is that the Eurofurence organization is divided on their thoughts of America.
Akeela:
--- Quote from: timoran on 10.06.2015, 01:22:43 ---During both this incident and the incident around EF's refusal to refund a membership for a dealer in January, several members of the EF staff made comments on their (yes, personal, but very much public and identified as EF staff) Twitter accounts to leave the impression that Americans are unwelcome at Eurofurence. This includes one of the members of the EF Board of Directors.
Do the other members of the Board share this anti-American sentiment? Could this be clarified? I have seen that American visitors to EF are no insignificant number, based on the nosecount page.
--- End quote ---
To my knowledge, there is no anti-american sentiment within the EF organisation. Also, to my knowledge, the entire board of directors visits the USA and cons there on a regular basis. I can wholeheartedly say for myself that I haven't met an american fur yet I wouldn't drink a beer with, or share a good con with. Personal sympathies apply as usual, of course. Last but not least, I believe I can say with confidence that uncle Kage has been a friend of EF, and a personal friend to the board of directors for several years now.
So, no. I don't think that there is any kind of doubt that americans have always been welcome at EF, and always will be.
Runo:
--- Quote from: timoran on 10.06.2015, 01:40:48 ---
--- Quote from: Runo on 10.06.2015, 01:27:15 ---Honestly, think for yourself for a moment, check past cons' photos for with how many Americans EF staffers hang out, and the American cons' photos for how many EF staffers are there… do you really still believe something like that would be true? m(
--- End quote ---
Hmm, could you link me to any such photos which contain either of the two EF staff who expressed the anti-American sentiments on Twitter?
Otherwise, the only thing I could conclude from what you've said is that the Eurofurence organization is divided on their thoughts of America.
--- End quote ---
Sorry, but I've got better things to do w/ my free time than to sift through tons of photos just to convince you. :P You'll either have to believe me or do that work yourself. If you're just looking for a reason to justify not attending, I sure won't dump my free time into trying to win you over.
Cheetah:
--- Quote from: timoran on 10.06.2015, 01:22:43 ---During both this incident and the incident around EF's refusal to refund a membership for a dealer in January, several members of the EF staff made comments on their (yes, personal, but very much public and identified as EF staff) Twitter accounts to leave the impression that Americans are unwelcome at Eurofurence. This includes one of the members of the EF Board of Directors.
--- End quote ---
I can't remember any board members posting any anti-american tweets - maybe there is a misunderstanding who's on the board of directors? I can assure you, none of the members of the board has any anti-American sentiments :) We have many personal friends over in the USA, and most of us have been visiting US conventions regularly since the mid 90's. Beyond just being an attendee, I also frequently contribute as a DJ - for example at Anthrocon, FCN, MFF, Megaplex. And if you still have any doubt, you're invited to meet me personally at Anthrocon in just a few weeks :)
On twitter, single tweets are often taken out of context and being passed around with comments making them appear to be a huge thing that they really weren't. A lot of very wrong things have been said by various people in the heat of the moment, and that was certainly a mistake - but in many cases, these tweets look a lot less political and more like the actual personal emotional response they were in the original context of an ongoing personal argument between a few very agitated private parties.
There are a few people who are currently trolling our staff and spinning everything they say hopelessly out of control, taking less than a dozen tweets said within a period of less than 24 hours and creating an image of EF based on just that and two lines in our rules of conduct, as if the reality for the last 20 years didn't exist.
We have a staff of more than 200 volunteers, and we're frequently welcoming guests from more than 25 countries and pretty much every continent except antarctica. Really, we're not the kind of event you're volunteering for if you're a nationalistic or politically closed minded person.
You'll be safe at EF no matter where you're from, I can promise you that.
And the same goes for everybody else, including "babyfurs" - please take your eyes of those two lines in the RoC, and look at the whole thing before your make your judgement.
Ralphie Raccoon:
Of course there is a difference between the statement and the application of the rules.
From my experience at ConFuzzled, I've seen a few attendees in the past wearing sleepers and pacifiers with no problem (walking around in an exposed diaper would probably be frowned upon though). And the wording in their CoC is exactly the same.
I think that perhaps in this case, it is worth spelling out the rules more specifically in terms of fetishes, listing items of apparel and other articles that are permitted and that are banned, and a clause to ask permission for anything else.
But in the end this whole thing really isn't about the rules, it was a breakdown in standards of communication. What happened on twitter is unfortunate, but the damage has been done. I know EF and some of its staff have received a lot of bile in retaliation, and I will not say that it was deserved, but I think EF has to be the bigger person here and work to rebuild bridges with the affected community. I would also consider making an exception to the no refund policy for this year, for those affected by this incident that no longer wish to attend.
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