Support:
First and foremost, thank you for taking the time to visit.
Red Flags In Fandom is a project that developed out of concerns and observations within the community. It can be interesting to talk about convention/organization/etc. upheavals and disasters - but I believe it to be far more productive to learn from these examples to help avoid needless repetition and other adverse outcomes.
Thank you for your support and hopefully carrying forward what has been shared here.
Links to resources and other interests:
Consumer Protection Ontario, enforces the Ontario Consumer Protection Act and as an example of their work regulate consumer rights for online purchases of $50.00Cdn or over.
The Sunk Cost Fallacy, by YouAreNotSoSmart: is an in-depth look at how what we perceive as our own good judgement can be skewed by emotional attachments.
Five Geek Social Fallacies, by Plausibly Deniable: is a great resource and a must read, especially if you can identify specific examples while reading the descriptions.
Various effects (or jokingly referred to as 'laws') have been demonstrated in fandom (especially in recent times) are worth mentioning:
Hanlon's Razor (wiki link) - 'Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity.'
I keep this one in mind when trying to believe the possibility someone is acting in good faith, as Gandalf said 'A fool, but an honest fool he remains'.
Dunning-Kruger Effect (wiki link) - a cognitive bias in which people with limited competence in a particular domain overestimate their abilities.
It's disheartening watching this unfold, especially when prior warnings go unheeded.
Brandolini's Law (wiki link) - The amount of energy needed to refute bullshit is an order of magnitude bigger than that needed to produce it.
This has undeniably exploded everywhere on teh intarwebs, not just blatantly corrupt politicians but also convention organizers spewing unbelievable and provably false claims.