Courage of My Convictions
May. 14th, 2011 01:09 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kevin_standleeI've voted in the Hugo Awards nearly every year since 1984. I've been on the Hugo Administration Subcommittee three times (1993, 1994, 2002). Sometimes the winners seem great to me. Sometimes I say, "What were the voters thinking?" And I'm prepared to say, "I didn't like that particular winner." That doesn't mean the process is broken, and I don't think I've ever taken any specific result as an excuse to claim that the entire process is broken and should be replaced with the Kevin Standlee Awards.
What I have done is participated in an ongoing debate about individual categories, sometimes helping draft wording for specific changes -- additions, revisions, or deletions. And I've made no secret of the fact that I think we currently charge too much to gain the franchise and that a Worldcon Supporting Membership of between $20 and $30 (rather than roughly twice that, which is what it is now) would be better for WSFS and the Hugo Awards. But that's not at all the same thing as saying the entire process is broken. And because I participate in the process, I think I have a lot more moral standing to express concerns about elements of it than do those who stand off and carp about the results while huddling behind a procedural shield.
What I have done is participated in an ongoing debate about individual categories, sometimes helping draft wording for specific changes -- additions, revisions, or deletions. And I've made no secret of the fact that I think we currently charge too much to gain the franchise and that a Worldcon Supporting Membership of between $20 and $30 (rather than roughly twice that, which is what it is now) would be better for WSFS and the Hugo Awards. But that's not at all the same thing as saying the entire process is broken. And because I participate in the process, I think I have a lot more moral standing to express concerns about elements of it than do those who stand off and carp about the results while huddling behind a procedural shield.
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no subject
Date: 2011-05-14 08:15 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-05-14 10:52 pm (UTC)There is a pending amendment that would ease the technical barrier in such a way that Worldcons could probably lower their ASM/voting fee (and thus their supporting membership rate) to around $20-$30 without being forced into selling attending memberships at a loss. Should this change be ratified at Reno, it's up to the potential members like you and me to start pressuring bidding committees to keep their supporting memberships down to a cost that doesn't discourage people from joining.
no subject
Date: 2011-05-14 11:30 pm (UTC)fee fie fo fum
Date: 2011-05-15 12:52 am (UTC)Re: fee fie fo fum
Date: 2011-05-15 02:34 pm (UTC)Re: fee fie fo fum
Date: 2011-05-15 05:25 pm (UTC)Re: fee fie fo fum
Date: 2011-05-16 04:33 am (UTC)How does one get nominated for a Kevin, anyway? You didn't tell us if the voting is expensive.
Re: fee fie fo fum
Date: 2011-05-16 05:08 am (UTC)Re: fee fie fo fum
Date: 2011-05-16 05:10 am (UTC)Re: fee fie fo fum
Date: 2011-05-17 04:01 am (UTC)We'll see about the salmon. Transporting them alive is harder.