# The San Diego Comic Con has a small problem **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 15, 2023, 8:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-san-diego-comic-con-has-a-small-problem/987061 "2023-07-15T08:06:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2023, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-san-diego-comic-con-has-a-small-problem/987061/41 "2023-07-17T20:21:46Z")
I don’t really see how, “Please refrain from giving the studios free advertising while we’re fighting for our livlyhoods,” is “going against the fans.” ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2023, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-san-diego-comic-con-has-a-small-problem/987061/42 "2023-07-17T20:32:16Z")
Because you don’t alienate the fans. Right or wrong, they’re not part of the game. They’re not in show business. Actors know that, or at least they should. Plus, cosplayers invest a great deal of time, money and work in their costumes, for no pay, and you want to take that away from them? ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2023, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-san-diego-comic-con-has-a-small-problem/987061/43 "2023-07-17T20:37:40Z")
Y’know, I follow quite a few convention Facebook pages, and am really not seeing this backlash at all from the fans. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2023, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-san-diego-comic-con-has-a-small-problem/987061/44 "2023-07-17T20:40:46Z")
If that’s true, then fine. Cool. I’m just thinking about this poor hypothetical 19-year-old girl from Pittsburg who’s been working on her Ahsoka Tano costume for the past three months, and now she’s being guilted into leaving it at home because of some labor dispute on the other side of the country. If that girl doesn’t exist, then I suppose I don’t have a problem with a boycott. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2023, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-san-diego-comic-con-has-a-small-problem/987061/45 "2023-07-17T20:43:38Z")
So you are just fine with strikes…as long as nobody, _even hypothetical people_, are inconvenienced? ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2023, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-san-diego-comic-con-has-a-small-problem/987061/46 "2023-07-17T20:45:18Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > Because you don’t alienate the fans. Right or wrong, they’re not part of the game. They’re not in show business. Actors know that, or at least they should. I don’t see what would be alienating about this. I don’t do cosplay, but if I did, this sounds like it’d be a very easy way to show my support for the strike. Anyway, “cosplayers aren’t in show business,” isn’t a 100% accurate statement. A lot of them do paid work for studios - the Stormtrooper cosplay org 501st Legion does paid gigs for LucasFilm/Disney pretty often. And a lot of the really top-tier cosplayers work in Hollywood as costumers and prop-makers. Plus, there’s the whole “workers solidarity” thing. I don’t have to work in Hollywood to appreciate what it feels like to be fucked over by an employer, or to want to help some people who are fighting for a fair share of the fruits of their own labor. > [@Alessan](#): > > Plus, cosplayers invest a great deal of time, money and work in their costumes, for no pay, and you want to take that away from them? For a few months, while the strike plays out? That doesn’t sound like an unreasonable ask. And they can still work on their costumes and show them off to their friends or other private situations, just don’t wear them to the big cons for a while. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2023, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-san-diego-comic-con-has-a-small-problem/987061/47 "2023-07-17T20:51:37Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > So you are just fine with strikes…as long as nobody, _even hypothetical people_, are inconvenienced? She’ll be inconvenienced in the same way you and I will be inconvenienced - there will be an extended period of time in which we won’t have new shows and mnovies we want to see. And I accept that. What the actors and writers are fighting for is important - I mean, not _important_ important, like climate change important, or Supreme Court important, but show business important, which is important in an inessential sort of way - and I support them. I just don’t see why the people who love it the most need to be targeted to suffer. Besides, the fans are fans because of the actors at least as much as they are because of the intellectual property. Coming as their favorite characters is a way of showing support for the actors playing them. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2023, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-san-diego-comic-con-has-a-small-problem/987061/48 "2023-07-17T21:03:46Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > What the actors and writers are fighting for is important - I mean, not _important_ important, like climate change important, or Supreme Court important, but show business important, which is important in an inessential sort of way - and I support them. I just don’t see why the people who love it the most need to be targeted to suffer. They’re workers fighting for fair treatment from their employers - their strike is every bit as essential as a teamsters strike. Workers don’t have less rights just because you don’t respect the industry they work in. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2023, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-san-diego-comic-con-has-a-small-problem/987061/49 "2023-07-17T21:10:11Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > I don’t do cosplay, but if I did, this sounds like it’d be a very easy way to show my support for the strike. You can like a media property _and_ not actually give a damn about the strike. Or maybe you actually do sympathize with the strikers but don’t appreciate being told how you should behave. (This time I’ll explicitly link my Seinfeld reference instead of mention it vaguely.) [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/y4bmGekgE14/maxresdefault.jpg "Seinfeld: Ribbon (Clip) | TBS") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4bmGekgE14) ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2023, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-san-diego-comic-con-has-a-small-problem/987061/50 "2023-07-17T21:17:30Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > They’re workers fighting for fair treatment from their employers - their strike is every bit as essential as a teamsters strike. Workers don’t have less rights just because you don’t respect the industry they work in. And what have you done to support the teamsters when they strike? Look, I come from a country with a lot of strikes, and I’ve learned that as a member of the general public, I’m usually the target of the attack - the strikers hurt me so that I’ll influence their employers. And that’s fine: that’s how workers get their rights. Just don’t ask me to become emotionally involved every single time. Supporting one side means resenting that side slightly less than the other. ---
**Author:** ![Push\_You\_Down](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/push_you_down/32/9095_2.png) [@Push\_You\_Down](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Push_You_Down)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2023, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-san-diego-comic-con-has-a-small-problem/987061/51 "2023-07-17T21:40:40Z")
…well this thread took a very… weird turn. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2023, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-san-diego-comic-con-has-a-small-problem/987061/52 "2023-07-17T21:46:24Z")
Pretty much, yeah. Sorry about that. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2023, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-san-diego-comic-con-has-a-small-problem/987061/53 "2023-07-17T21:53:12Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > Look, I come from a country with a lot of strikes… I come from the US, where people almost never strike. Things have to get _exceptionally_ dire before American labor stands up for itself. > [@Alessan](#): > > I’m usually the target of the attack - the strikers hurt me so that I’ll influence their employers. And that’s fine: that’s how workers get their rights. Okay? Then it sounds like the actors are doing just the right thing by “targeting” cosplayers. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2023, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-san-diego-comic-con-has-a-small-problem/987061/54 "2023-07-17T21:54:53Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > Okay? Then it sounds like the actors are doing just the right thing by “targeting” cosplayers. There’s a line, and I think they crossed it. Feel free to disagree. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2023, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-san-diego-comic-con-has-a-small-problem/987061/55 "2023-07-17T23:34:16Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > I come from the US, where people almost never strike. Things have to get _exceptionally_ dire before American labor stands up for itself. Part is also that only 10% of American workers belong to unions; as rare as union or guild\* strikes are, strikes by non-union employees are, if not completely non-existent, exceptionally rare. > [@](#): > > The union membership rate–the percent of wage and salary workers who were members of > unions–was 10.1 percent in 2022, down from 10.3 percent in 2021, the U.S. Bureau of > Labor Statistics reported today. > [@](#): > > The 2022 unionization rate (10.1 percent) is the lowest on record. In 1983, the first year where comparable union data are available, the union membership rate was 20.1 percent \*- Most of the workers’ organizations in the entertainment industry are “guilds,” not unions. My understanding of the distinction is that a guild provides collective bargaining for independent contractors (actors, writers, directors, etc.), while a union does the same for actual employees. > **[Union Members Summary - 2022 A01 Results](https://www.bls.gov/news.release/union2.nr0.htm)** ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2023, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-san-diego-comic-con-has-a-small-problem/987061/56 "2023-07-18T00:03:59Z")
Here is what is being asked, and not asked, of cosplayers: [https://bleedingcool.com/tv/to-cosplay-or-not-to-cosplay-sdcc-2023-sag-aftra-wga-update/?fbclid=IwAR0f73YpBBu-7Nw\_lwjLHHARyZ-is5mMJsBTxs-\_vhQkFHQwQjIAYCFFVmY](https://bleedingcool.com/tv/to-cosplay-or-not-to-cosplay-sdcc-2023-sag-aftra-wga-update/?fbclid=IwAR0f73YpBBu-7Nw_lwjLHHARyZ-is5mMJsBTxs-_vhQkFHQwQjIAYCFFVmY) Your hypothetical 19 year old is going to be all right. ---
**Author:** ![Ponderoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponderoid/32/19221_2.png) [@Ponderoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponderoid)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2023, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-san-diego-comic-con-has-a-small-problem/987061/57 "2023-07-18T00:41:09Z")
From the linked post/article: > **How does this apply to me if I’m a non-union influencer?** Any non-member seeking future membership in SAG-AFTRA who performs covered work or services for a struck company during the strike will not be admitted into membership in SAG-AFTRA. [See Strike Notice and Order.](https://51641f9a-586d-4524-b0dd-c06469de3501.usrfiles.com/ugd/51641f_9ad45b4826c04613a190cb4a787b1142.pdf) I wonder how they’ll enforce this. Will there be people at the convention noting the names of every cosplayer portraying a struck character? Does this con enforce name badges? ---
**Author:** ![Pavelb1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/439d5e/32.png) [@Pavelb1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pavelb1)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2023, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-san-diego-comic-con-has-a-small-problem/987061/58 "2023-07-18T01:09:44Z")
Im sure this is covered somewhere, but my Q is simple so ill ask it anyway. Are they asking people not to wear Star Trek shirts at a Star Trek convention? If it wern’t for those conventioneers of yore there wouldnt BE a Star Trek aside from TOS and maybe TAS. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2023, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-san-diego-comic-con-has-a-small-problem/987061/59 "2023-07-18T01:17:35Z")
See the link right above your post. ---
**Author:** ![Pavelb1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/439d5e/32.png) [@Pavelb1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pavelb1)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2023, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-san-diego-comic-con-has-a-small-problem/987061/60 "2023-07-18T01:21:36Z")
I read it. Its kind of confusing. Wearing your old 1977 handmade POS TOS (Heh) shirt to a convention isnt anymore cosplaying then wearing a Dwight Evans jersey to a Red Sox game is. If this is true that they don’t want ANY ‘gear’ worn as opposed to a Captain Sparrow costume or a costume promoting a current product…well Im amazed i found out here and not the usual idiots on YT. But if it is draconian and people start getting guilted and called scab at conventions you can bet the usual idiots will twig onto it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-san-diego-comic-con-has-a-small-problem/987061.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-san-diego-comic-con-has-a-small-problem/987061.md?page=4)