Hi. I'm working at Wondercon. We've been briefed on what's going to happen at the T100 panel. They will shut mics off and revoke midges if things get heated, insults or remarks are made to Jason. Security is heightened. Please be safe!
To y’all that are going to Wondercon, please be careful. Drag Jason’s ass but do it in a classy way.
Ask him about things. Be passive, but aggressive–don’t shy away from interrogating the hell out of him. But don’t call him names, don’t throw things at him, and don’t threaten his life–we need to keep a good image in the public’s eye, not to mention use this con to as much advantage as we can.
If they turn the mics off during peaceful questions from the fans, that’s silencing the public, and… Well… They’ll have a fucking storm coming after a stunt like that.
Ask non-invasive and safe questions to the cast, (DO NOT, IN ANY WAY, PUT THE CAST ON THE SPOT WHERE THEIR JOB/CAREER MIGHT BE AT RISK. THAT’S FOR JASON. THEY WON’T SPEAK THEIR MINDS WITH HIM THERE, ANYWAY.)
We have the right to demand answers from JRot. But we need to stay smart in doing so.
This is a big risk for the CW/WB to go in with this plan. If the volunteers working that room get too aggressive in silencing people, the backlash will be immense and instantaneous.
Make no mistake: there are PRESS in these rooms. Ask pointed, well-worded questions. Do NOT insult Jason, but do hold him accountable. IF THEY SHUT DOWN A WELL PHRASED QUESTION, THEY LOOK BAD.
If you need to get by question screeners, which you will, this is common practice for all cons– LIE ABOUT WHAT YOUR QUESTION IS. Given that this is going on, they may not even let you ask your question if it hints at the controversy.
And on the subject of getting kicked out of the room–if enough people boo Jason when he is introduced, they won’t know who did it and they can’t suddenly kick out half the room.
I’m not saying that I endorse this. But I mean, it’s absolutely a strategy that is available to you and one that was used after SPN killed Charlie and it’s one that will set him into a combative state while not making the movement look /that/ bad beyond driving home the point that no one accepts his apology. Is it petty? HELL YES IT IS PETTY. But if you want to shake him from his over-prepped PR-focused mindset, well, that’s one way to do it…
An additional option: deafening silence. This only works if the majority of the room is part of your cause, but is incredibly impactful, particularly if there are huge cheers for the cast before/after. Utter silence as someone walks on stage is incredibly effective as well and there can be NO blame laid on anyone for not applauding/cheering.
Just some options. Be pointed, be unrelenting, but be polite and professional. Your cause is worthy, your words are being heard. Keep it up. You got this, guys.