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People seem to expect this sort of thing from me. :-) Who am I to disappoint? The recent McBotcon Announcement will go down in history as yet another of the great assaults against toy freedom. Almost 30 years ago, a great toy line, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, came forth from Hasbro, by way of Takara; a great beacon light of hope to millions of young and young at heart. But alas! We are now sadly crippled by the manacles of corporate segregation and the chains of legalised discrimination. Having most of the pie was not enough. They wanted it all. And so, the call came forth; no 3rd party product allowed! A vast ocean of material prosperity, but it's just not enough. 3rd party merchandise must now be banished to the dark corners of society. We've come here today to dramatize and ridicule this shameful condition. When the architects of our Fandom gave themselves over to Corporate Greedcon, they did us a Great Disservice. We have been sold into Corporate Slavery. It was done so willingly. The end result is hardly surprising. God forbid that a creative soul generate something the Fandom actually wants. God forbid that we don't all just accept whatever little morsels are thrown our way from the Grand High Vizier of the Hassenfeld. Corporate Sizzle? More like Corporate Fizzle. I'm sure it won't be long now before the smaller Fancons will feel the Wrath of McBotcon. We have come to this point to remind the Fans of the fierce urgency of Now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of Corporate Greedcon. Now is the time to PUSH BACK! Make real the promises of democracy! If you truly believe, then put your money where your mouth is, AND CANCEL YOUR REGISTRATION. Tell them NO MORE! ENOUGH IS ENOUGH! Or just accept it as one more 'price' of doing business. Continue to sell your soul. And wonder, at the end of your days, was it worth the price you paid? Consider- who is guilty of wrongful deeds here? McBotcon, who can make up any rules they want, as it is their show (open to the public, of which you are Free to Choose not to attend); the Corporations, who are now declared legal entities, who have the govt-purchased right to enforce their intellectual property; the 3rd Party manufacturers, who are infringing on those govt-purchased rights.... Or is it THE FANDOM's fault for wanting something that a 3rd party makes? That's right- it's The Fandom's fault. After all, if you would just stick to wanting what is officially provided to you, you would not have this problem in the first place. Shame on You, the Fans, for desiring something ouside of the box provided. But let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for justice by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever more re-pledge our allegiance to our corporate masters, and cease this struggle for freedom and dignity- and toys. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into verbal violence. We shall always march ahead- we cannot turn back. Some would ask The Corporation, "When will you be satisfied?" They can never be satisfied. Some of you have come here to bury dissent, not to praise it. That is your right. For the others- Let us not wallow in despair, my friends. We still have a dream. That one day this Fandom will rise up and throw off the shackles of corporate segregation. We have a dream that one day, the sons of Corporate Greedcon and the sons of 3rd party Products will be able to sit down together at the table of Fellowship and Fraternity. We have a dream that one day even Rhode Island, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice. Because, after all... Freedom is the Right of All Sentient Beings. |