Okay, some thoughts on this article, which is about allegations of sexual harassment at the Comic-Con International. Can we start by all agreeing on a basic truth? Touching another person where they don't wish to be touched is wrong in about nineteen different ways. It can even be wrong when there are no sexual overtones involved. How wrong it is depends on what's being touched, who's doing the touching, how unwelcome the touching is, etc.
John DiBello, who wrote the article we're discussing, is a bright guy and his heart is absolutely in the right place. But I think he's missing the larger issue when he writes, "I would like to see something [in the convention policy statements] like 'Comic-Con has zero tolerance for harassment or violence against any of our attendees or exhibitors.'" That's not necessary any more than it is for the con to post signs that say, "No murdering allowed."
Harassment and violence are wrong everywhere. They're just as unacceptable in a Ralphs Market or at an Arby's or in your home as they are at the Comic-Con. Society needs to have zero tolerance for those things anywhere…not just where some proprietor announces it like it's a unique rule they've set up.
John notes that the convention does explicitly forbid smoking, drawn weapons, personal pages and selling bootleg videos on the floor and wonders why they don't mention sexual assault. Answer: There are people there who think that if they're not told otherwise, they can smoke, they can wield swords, etc. You have to specify because there are places and situations where it's okay to smoke or where you can request that someone be paged. There is no place where it's permissible in any way to go up to a stranger and start kissing or fondling them against their wishes. Stated policy or no stated policy, that is not acceptable. People should know this…and if they don't, the con announcing it in the program book is not going to make a lick of difference to them.
Now, John says he went to inquire about what the con would do about the transgressions he believes occurred and he could not get a satisfactory answer. He may have a good point here. As well-run as Comic-Con is (and every year, I'm amazed how well-run about 95% of it is), there are lapses. Almost everyone there is a "temp," after all. Ask a worker where the nearest men's room is and there's a 50-50 chance they'll send you the wrong way.
I'd like to think that's all that happened here: Someone didn't know what to do. I'm friendly with at least a dozen folks who work on the con, not for just one week a year but as full-time Comic-Con International employees…and if John had approached any one of them, they'd have snapped into action and made sure whatever had to be done was done. They are enormously good and conscientious people, which is one reason the con goes as smoothly as it does every year.
Perhaps they need to do more to make sure that those who work the convention for the 4.5 days are not clueless in this area; that they know what to do if someone reports that a stranger grabbed some body part or even somebody's wallet. The con doesn't need to tell us it's wrong but they may need to do a bit more so that anyone who feels victimized knows what to do about it, where to report it. They also need to make sure that those who do the alleged victimizing know that it will not go unaddressed. Even if the person being harassed is dressed like Vampirella.
That's all I want to say about this right now. Knowing me, I'll probably think of more later.