20140322.2016

Following up from earlier today...

In addition to having a successful conference experience at CCCC, I had a decent time. (The two do not necessarily go together.) I noticed, however, that the conference seems a bit...sedate, something confirmed by comments from several repeat conference-goers with whom I spoke. CCCC tends to sequester itself in its hotel, which has the benefit of offering wonderful focus on the greatly enriching activities, but which conduces to perpetuation of the ivory-tower myth that does so much harm to the academic humanities. And the comparatively few conference events seem...subdued. (There is reportedly an annual occurrence affiliated with the conference that is...energetic, however. Fittingly, I missed it entirely.) Those I attended--and I made a point of attending a couple, so as to be not so much a hermit or curmudgeon as I easily become--were not heavily populated and seemed to be fun for a small set of people within that attendance. (Overpriced drinks do not help, especially at events supposedly underwritten by publishing companies that definitely have the money to spend on an open bar--or at least a reasonably priced cash bar. Honestly, the drinks at the hotel bar were better priced than those at at least one event. But I digress.)

Perhaps my own personality is something of a problem. I know that I have a tendency to rub people wrongly. Among other reasons, I remind many people of some who have been...unpleasant to them, and I know that some others associate me with figures of oppression whom I seem to embody. I am also fairly loud, as those who know me know, and not hesitant about voicing an opinion that may not always be in accord with prevailing standards of discourse. (I will point out, though, that I kept the more...earthy humor in check. I do know how to behave in public, even if I do not always act upon the knowledge as I ought.) Those who are more...aloof do not always find me...congenial.

Ultimately, it is of little moment. The conference was good; I learned much, and I look forward to looking into things more deeply.