I was aware of The Gathering of the Gargoyles as a company/corporate entity in the sense that I knew there was some overall management going on but wasn't paying it an extreme amount of attention (kinda like how you know your car's engine is working because you hear it running, but you don't constantly pay attention to the sound). I figured the location bids were basically for licensing the name and getting some overall support from the parent company (though I may be wrong about that - I'm on the outside here). After all, anyone who paid in advance via Paypal or whatnot made a payment to The Gathering of the Gargoyles Inc. (or was it LLC? - my history doesn't reference that part), not to mention all the copyright notices and symbols at the bottom of the various Gathering webpages. Case in point, the first one I attended (2008) has at the bottom of its main page "The Gathering of the Gargoyles is a non-profit corporation, founded and run by the show's fans." Just because it's a corporate body doesn't mean it's not by the fans, for the fans.
Overall, I think we may be getting hung up on a difference of terminology here. The Gathering of the Gargoyles was/is its own thing. NARRCC is definitely a gathering as any convention is. I think a few people are thinking convention primarily about gargoyles = Gathering, much like some people call all soda as coke or tissues as Kleenex. Most companies try to avoid trademarks becoming generic amongst the public like that (and it's hard to escape once it's begun).
As to the "equal" and "free speech" comments, I have two things to say. To quote Madeline L'Engle's A Wrinkle In Time, "like and equal are two entirely different things." Equality doesn't mean everyone should think in the exact same fashion - heaven knows my own brain works in very odd ways compared to most. Second, the thing about free speech is it works both ways - you get the right to say what you want but you also have to deal with other people responding to what you say, even if it's harsh criticism, pointing out holes in your assertions, or just flat-out disagreeing with you. Not agreeing with your point of view is not flaming.
Admittedly though, I may be over-analyzing all of this - I tend to do that. Kinda ties back to the point about like and equal, doesn't it? Heh, and to my brain being weird as well. Yeesh, that's a big block of text to start off the New Year with; I'll try to have a bit more brevity after the wipe.
Brainiac - [OSUBrainiac at gmail dot com]
There is balance in all things. Live in symmetry with the world around you. If you must blow things up and steal from those around you, THAT'S WHAT RPGS ARE FOR!
posted @ Sun, Jan 1, 2012 10:52:59 pm EST from 174.101.230.22
