[EVA] Re: Otakon

Tue Dec 1 23:44:42 EST 2009

While my panels tend to be more analytically academic, obviously it's a
lecture based on my own interpretation. I read through the (vague? poor?)
criticism on the forum thread, and my argument and points were basically
misunderstood and/or misrepresented. Nothing more I can say to that though.
I had a lot of non-Eva-fans approach me after the panel at Otakon saying
that the lecture was interesting, well explained, and provided a solid,
generalized analysis of how the series works (rather than what the series
is, which I assume is what the Eva Fan Panel aims for, or at least attempts
to, beyond just an IRL meetup for the Eva forums).

If anyone actually attended the Otakon panel and would like to give me
constructive (re: drama-less) feedback (since I have already re-presented
the panel this past year and will be re-presenting it next year at other
conventions), just reply in the thread, or send me a direct email.

Alex

---

Alexander Leavitt
Research Specialist, Convergence Culture Consortium
Comparative Media Studies, MIT
http://doalchemy.org
Twitter: @alexleavitt

On Tue, Dec 1, 2009 at 11:32 PM, V V <frumious99 at yahoo.com> wrote:

> Sorry to play coy, Alex:  did you get those charts I mailed you before
> Otakon in time to use them?
>
> You kind of got blacklisted based on the word of a cosplayer, Alex.
>
> Because you weren't doing the old-school style of panel:  lets sit around
> making some Sean McCoy-esque babbling about Eva and Kabbalah, then run some
> gif images of female cast members boobs giggling"
>
> You wanted an academic-style panel based on "facts" and "evidence"
>
> What Gwern and Aaron are arguing for is an "appeal to emotion" or rather,
> in a very Colbert-way, "it can be interpreted multiple ways and no one is
> right!"...because if we actually relied on Evidence, they'd be laughed out.
>
> What I'm fighting for is, just as Tolkien fandom shook off the hippie-fans
> and started basing itself on facts and evidence, we need a "recourse to
> authority"
>
> Eva isn't a surrealist existentialist masterpiece.
>
> It's a deconstruction of a genre, and has more to do with "Watchmen" (many
> direct parallels) than with religious/existentialist fluff.
>
> Blacklisting panels at the Otakon staff meetings because they didn't
> contain enough "fun" porn but tried to be academic lectures?!
>
> And they wonder why we need a ReVolution....
>
> I'm pleased to meet you Alex, and I hope you guessed my name, but what's
> puzzling you, is the nature of my game.
>
> --- On Wed, 12/2/09, Alex Leavitt <alexleavitt at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> From: Alex Leavitt <alexleavitt at gmail.com>
> Subject: Re: [EVA] Re: Otakon
> To: "The english-language evangelion mailing list." <
> evangelion at eva.onegeek.org>
> Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2009, 4:24 AM
>
> *raises hand* My panel at Otakon 2009.
>
> Alex
>
> ---
>
> Alexander Leavitt
> Research Specialist, Convergence Culture Consortium
> Comparative Media Studies, MIT
> http://doalchemy.org
> Twitter: @alexleavitt
>
>
> On Tue, Dec 1, 2009 at 11:21 PM, V V <frumious99 at yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> > "V also once criticised the lack of an Evangelion panel at Otakon,
> stating
> > we were "too lazy" to do it, when we simply wanted to give it a break for
> > a year.
> > --Aaron
> > EvaMonkey.com"
> >
> > Actually Aaron, I criticized that Rachel Clark apparently simply didn't
> > bother to submit an application form for an Evangelion panel at Otakon
> > 2008.  A criticism you yourself shared:
> >
> > http://forum.evageeks.org/viewtopic.php?p=181538#181538
> >
> > "I'm sorry to disappoint you, but it looks like
> > you have no real reason to go. There is no Eva panel scheduled this
> > year. Don't feel bad, had you put in a request, it would have done you
> > no good. I already had the Eva panel on the docket, and barring being
> > completely fucking inept, the first submission on a subject gets the
> > slot. But as I had already submitted a panel for machinima, and single
> > individuals can't do multiple panels, the Evangelion panel got wait
> > listed. There were a lot of submissions this year, not just overall,
> > but also in terms of different people. In the interest of diversity, a
> > lot of staples were wait listed. Long story short, the Otakon schedule
> > was posted to staff recently, and barring any last minute changes,
> > there will be no Eva panel. It's no big deal in my opinion. After six
> > consecutive years, I think it's time we had a break. At the very least,
> > we can still do a meet up, I'd like to see some familiar faces."
> >
> > So as you presented it, Rachel Clark was indeed simply too lazy to submit
> a
> > panel at a national convention which she was sure to get if she had
> bothered
> > to volunteer.
> >
> > Meanwhile, you presented the situation as that you were faced with a
> choice
> > between running a Halo panel or an Evangelion panel....despite the fact
> that
> > the first new Eva material in four years, Rebuild of Eva, had just come
> > out....
> >
> > Saying that "I was taking a break" is just what you say to try to save
> > face.  Who takes a break from running national-level convention panels?
> > That's an amazing privilege and duty, not annoying busywork.
> >
> > Regarding Otakon 2009:
> >
> > According to reports, you devoted much of your panel to sexy fanart
> photos
> > of Mari Makinami, followed by internet parody videos, with surprisingly
> > little in terms of "educating fans about Evangelion"
> >
> > Apparently there was another panel on Sunday devoted to Evangelion, run
> by
> > someone else:  you couldn't go due to having to go to Otakon programming
> > meetings, fair enough.
> >
> > Apparently this "Impact of Evangelion" panel was trying to analyze Eva's
> > influence on other anime, compare the opening credits structurally to
> thsoe
> > of other shows, etc.:  actually trying to provide "information".    Did
> you
> > help this other panelist at all?
> >
> > Because what I found *deuced* odd, was this:
> > http://forum.evageeks.org/viewtopic.php?p=263248#263248
> >
> > Otakon 08 Ikari is a guy who showed up to the convention wearing Shinji
> > cosplay, who you let sit around for your panel, who said "The one
> Saturday
> > [Impact of Evangelion] SUCKED..He did not know what he was talking
> > about!......... I got up at 7 and got everybody up to come help
> > you cause I thought you were running another Eva panel but what I got
> > was some guy talking shit on the show for an hour and a half."
> >
> > Your response:
> >
> > "Could you guys elaborate in a more descriptive
> > manner? I couldn't make the panel as I was scheduled to run Panel Ops
> > that morning. We like to get as much feedback regarding the quality of
> > our panel programming, and so far all I have been able to say is "some
> > of my Eva peeps said it sucked".
> >
> > If the panelist really did a horrible
> > job, I could use some specific criticisms which would help keep said
> > panelist from running another horrible panel on the subject."
> >
> > Let me get this straight, Aaron......you decided that the "Impact of
> > Evangelion" panel, which you were unable to attend yourself, was
> > "horrible"......and then used your influence as a programming lieutenant
> in
> > the Otakon staff to *keep that panelist from running an Evangelion panel
> at
> > Otakon again next year"......based on the brief hearsay of someone who
> > showed up to your own panel in a Shinji costume?
> >
> > I actually don't define that as "lazy", Aaron.  That's "irresponsible".
> >
> > Nonetheless, I'm pleased to meet you Aaron, and I hope you guessed my
> name,
> > but what's puzzling you, is the nature of my game.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > --
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> >
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