Pretty much this. Con staff, security stff, and (most of all) the attendees have to stay alert and be willing to point out when someone's behavior is going way, way over the top. As a fandom we're usually pretty lax about this, we don't like to judge others too harshly, we enjoy partying too, and who wants to be "that guy" who points the finger. On the other hand, it's really not that hard to say "Look, I think you've had enough to drink tonight" or "That guy's wandering around the main hallways in [insert inappropriate clothing]".
Way back in 1997, after ConFurence 8 (which had around 1000 people), rumors flew that some people's behaviour at the con was starting to go too far. What was surprising was that it was being said by people who were usually pretty tolerant. The good news is that the following year, CF9 didn't have anywhere near the same amount of griping, and its attendance was even bigger, around 1250 people. So it's possible for the attendees to pull themselves back a bit and still have a successful con; CF9 was ConFurence's peak.
Rules only go so far - the key is atmosphere. Expectation. I've argued that furry cons are a kind of "reality bubble" we create to let out our furry side. Within that space, there's less willingness to acknowledge the norms of behavior that we want to escape from. For a good chunk of the fandom, that's part of the fandom's appeal.
That's why I think the Dorsai's presence at Anthrocon is particularly successful. Yeah fine, there's always stories about someone power-tripping - all the security staff at furry and science-fiction cons get accused of that. What the Dorsai really do at furry cons, on a subtle level, is represent "the outside". It's an important reminder. And yet there's still lots of good partying at Anthrocon, so the balance works, and the con stays in good graces with its hosts.
I saw something similar at MidWest FurFest years ago - don't know if it's still done - the police would show up on Saturday night and just casually walk around briefly. They loved the dance, they took photos, and the fursuiters formed a conga line around them. :-)
Pretty much this. Con staff, security stff, and (most of all) the attendees have to stay alert and be willing to point out when someone's behavior is going way, way over the top. As a fandom we're usually pretty lax about this, we don't like to judge others too harshly, we enjoy partying too, and who wants to be "that guy" who points the finger. On the other hand, it's really not that hard to say "Look, I think you've had enough to drink tonight" or "That guy's wandering around the main hallways in [insert inappropriate clothing]".
Way back in 1997, after ConFurence 8 (which had around 1000 people), rumors flew that some people's behaviour at the con was starting to go too far. What was surprising was that it was being said by people who were usually pretty tolerant. The good news is that the following year, CF9 didn't have anywhere near the same amount of griping, and its attendance was even bigger, around 1250 people. So it's possible for the attendees to pull themselves back a bit and still have a successful con; CF9 was ConFurence's peak.
Rules only go so far - the key is atmosphere. Expectation. I've argued that furry cons are a kind of "reality bubble" we create to let out our furry side. Within that space, there's less willingness to acknowledge the norms of behavior that we want to escape from. For a good chunk of the fandom, that's part of the fandom's appeal.
That's why I think the Dorsai's presence at Anthrocon is particularly successful. Yeah fine, there's always stories about someone power-tripping - all the security staff at furry and science-fiction cons get accused of that. What the Dorsai really do at furry cons, on a subtle level, is represent "the outside". It's an important reminder. And yet there's still lots of good partying at Anthrocon, so the balance works, and the con stays in good graces with its hosts.
I saw something similar at MidWest FurFest years ago - don't know if it's still done - the police would show up on Saturday night and just casually walk around briefly. They loved the dance, they took photos, and the fursuiters formed a conga line around them. :-)