![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
There Is No WSFS Inc.
Jan. 30th, 2017 05:20 pmIn light of recent political developments, I have heard some variations of "WSFS should relocate the 2018 Worldcon outside of the USA" in more than one place. I'm afraid that such sentiments make an implicit assumption that WSFS can order seated Worldcons to relocate, which I don't think they can do.
( WSFS Doesn't Run Worldcons; Worldcon Committees Do )
Beyond all of that, let's look at this "move the Worldcon out of the USA because non-Americans can't attend it" thinking more closely. Right now, assuming the unopposed bidders for the next two site selections remain unopposed and win their bids, we're actually looking at an unprecedented situation: three of the next four Worldcons will not be in the USA. (Indeed, they won't even be in North America; there's no Canadian Worldcon in that mix.) I know from my own experience working on non-US Worldcons that there are American fans who insist that they cannot possibly attend Worldcons outside of the USA. It's not just the travel; they say they can't leave the USA, even to cross into Canada. Winnipeg, Toronto, and Montreal were out of the question for them.
Worldcons move around. Some people are privileged enough to be able to attend all of them. (I have been, since 1989.) The movement means that for people with travel restrictions of any sort, be they political or financial or whatever, sometimes you might not be able to go, and sometimes it might be very convenient to attend. For the person who lives in San Francisco and has limited travel range, the 2017 Worldcon might as well be on Mars, but the 2018 Worldcon is within commuter train range, and she'll actually be able to attend.
Am I happy with what's happening in my country? No. Does it mean that "someone" has to move Worldcon? Also No.
( WSFS Doesn't Run Worldcons; Worldcon Committees Do )
Beyond all of that, let's look at this "move the Worldcon out of the USA because non-Americans can't attend it" thinking more closely. Right now, assuming the unopposed bidders for the next two site selections remain unopposed and win their bids, we're actually looking at an unprecedented situation: three of the next four Worldcons will not be in the USA. (Indeed, they won't even be in North America; there's no Canadian Worldcon in that mix.) I know from my own experience working on non-US Worldcons that there are American fans who insist that they cannot possibly attend Worldcons outside of the USA. It's not just the travel; they say they can't leave the USA, even to cross into Canada. Winnipeg, Toronto, and Montreal were out of the question for them.
Worldcons move around. Some people are privileged enough to be able to attend all of them. (I have been, since 1989.) The movement means that for people with travel restrictions of any sort, be they political or financial or whatever, sometimes you might not be able to go, and sometimes it might be very convenient to attend. For the person who lives in San Francisco and has limited travel range, the 2017 Worldcon might as well be on Mars, but the 2018 Worldcon is within commuter train range, and she'll actually be able to attend.
Am I happy with what's happening in my country? No. Does it mean that "someone" has to move Worldcon? Also No.
