Since really March, when coronavirus really began taking off and running wild across the globe, a lot of massive events have been cancelled, understandably. The 2020 Olympics postponed until next year, the NBA and MLB have suspended their seasons indefinitely and it doesn’t look like either is going to resume at all this calendar year. The city of Las Vegas pretty much shut down, as did both Disney World and Disneyland.
Basically, anything that encouraged any sort of mass gathering of human beings has been cancelled, with great justification. Major events such as SXSW and recently San Diego Comic-Con have cancelled. Hell, even non major events, but still capable of drawing people out of their homes have shuttered up, as they don’t want to have the blood of anyone dying from contracting coronavirus at their events from happening. Momo-con in Atlanta, a massive Memorial Day convention has cancelled, among all sorts of fun runs, shows and concerts.
As disappointed as I’d be, the Peachtree Road Race is probably going to be cancelled at some point soon, because it’s the world’s largest 10K run, that draws 65,000 runners to Atlanta every July 4th.
One of the biggest questions among some people in my little world was “what about Dragon*Con?” Seeing as how it falls on Labor Day every year, there stood to be some hope that it might still happen, since we were still several months away from it at that point. But at the same time, America has literally been the worst country on the planet at handling coronavirus, with idiots who not only don’t adhere to social distancing and staying home, but proudly defy the one scientifically proven way to combat the pandemic, and go outside and amass in groups to protest, being suggested of what to do.
Even if we’re still several months away from Dragon*Con, the world as a whole is even further away from any sort of vaccine or drug that can help suppress the spread or effects of coronavirus. I think it goes without saying that an event that draws nearly 75,000 people in the tightest possible quarters, should probably be cancelled.
Nope, as of right now, Dragon*Con is still a go. Four months from now, still anticipating 75,000 attendees crammed like sardines within a three-block radius in Downtown Atlanta with no known vaccine or inoculation in sight.
So much for that whole flattening of the curve thing. It only took the convention nearly a decade to successfully scrub a known pedophile off of their board, but somewhere within it is basically another Bubba Kemp who insists on keeping the convention on schedule despite the fact that nearly every known other major event and gathering of people have been cancelled or postponed.
Sure, there’s still four months for them to change their mind, come to their senses, and realize that it’s probably in the best interests of them, the city of Atlanta, the state of Georgia, as well as the homes of 75,000 attendees, that Dragon*Con doesn’t happen this year.
But the fact that the convention took the time and effort to craft a message stating their intention to go forward with the convention, now that’s what we would be calling poor optics. By declaring their intent to gather in current times, they are kind of basically saying that they care more about money than they do the safety of tens of thousands of people who would presumably be attending, if there weren’t a pandemic going on.
Even if they do renege, they’re chewing up clock in which it will make it way more difficult for people to try and negotiate their refunds or defer their reservations/admissions, and by announcing that they are a go, they’re putting pressure on people to move forward and lock in uncertain flights and other travel arrangements, not to mention, solder on closer to the cut-off dates in which the host hotels will charge full amounts for the $1,000+ room reservations that everyone is bound to nearly 11 months before the convention.
Either way, it’s a bad decision by Dragon*Con for doing this, and I think it’s very poor optics for the convention as a whole. I’m glad that I’ve kind of gotten tired of going, and last year was pretty pleasant in the fact that I didn’t have to fret about preparing for a convention that I’d done over 15 times, so I don’t feel like I’m missing out on anything, and I can sit on my pedestal and judge from afar.
The funny thing is that the book shown above, Code Zero, by Jonathan Maberry; without spoiling too much, there is a plot point in the story where Dragon*Con specifically is targeted by name, as a location where a nefarious virus was to be unleashed. The irony behind that is that this book came out quite some time ago, and as it stands right now, we’re on the cusp of such becoming a reality, just maybe without people turning into zombies, but just getting sick and dying, and spreading a disease like wildfire.
