Safe space at Anime Expo

....what is that for? I've never heard of a con safe space.

Why is this a thing?

I actually like it, it's nice to have a space in the exhibit hall to sit and chill without staffers yelling at you to move along. 10/10 would be triggered again

less cringeworthy than the "THIS IS A QUEER/TRANS SAFE SPACE" booth in the entertainment hall

>>9080786
that can't be real lmao

>>9080786
aren't cons generally a 'safe space' overall?

>>9080767
I can see it being a rest zone for people with anxiety/agoraphobia/feeling overwhelmed. Just a quiet place to recharge and relax before hitting up the con monster again

It really isn't a, bad meanies hurt my feelings, type of safe space. It's more of a, where the physically or mentally disabled can retreat for a break, but also being open to others who need a break, too.

>>9080824
bit of an odd choice to call it a safe space

I'd expect them to call it a rest stop or something along those lines to give it a different impression

>>9080720
>Is an area where all the worst elements of humanity gather a safe place?

Probably not.

>>9080841
or con break room, safe space sounds way too tumblr-y

>>9080866
There's a quiet room for that. It's got shitty couches that people like to sleep on

>>9080720
Dear lord, the table even has a FEDORA

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I used it since I wanted some time to get off my feet but quickly left due to the fucking red hats.

>>9080720
Where are all the white people?

>>9080771
Because coddled millenials with glass egos.

>>9080817
That could be called a Cooling zone, heatstroke hall, medical area, pit stop or any other of a dozen names. "Safe space" has entered the common vocabulary as a coloring-books-and-plush-toys refuge for faux-PTSD types to retreat to when the world hurts their precious feefees.

>>9080941
>get triggered over a name

maybe you need to go back to ur safe space

>>9080786
I don't feel safe in any space calling me a queer

>>9080924
who let grandpa on the computer?

>>9080891
....So what's stopping disabled people from using the con break/quiet room? One would think a room with couches would be a lot more appealing than having to stand behind what appears to be a black curtain.

IS IT SAFE?

youtube.com/watch?v=PQtM1syENmQ

>>9080982
Distance maybe?

>>9080817

Animenext had a manga library for people to wind down and relax this year

>>9080923
dead hopefully

Someone go in there and take photos of the signage and everything. I want to know more about this 'safe space'. Fuck.. If you are going to go to a convention like AX that is so overly crowded and overbearing for people with anxiety, stay in your hotel.

>>9080720
From what I saw, it was like a designated "opportunity to get off your feet and sit for a bit" area

Can I have sex (with myself) in a safe space?

>>9081630
People like me are driving there for one day and would only be able to sit in a hot car for a break.

>>9081638
The place is massive and so is the surrounding area and the parking is WAY far away from the entrance to the building. Why would your excuse be to go to the car when there are so many actual quiet areas in and around the convention? Don't make the 'safe space' an excuse for you being lazy.

>>9080817
That's bullshit and you know it because no one is going to use that particular booth as a place to sit. You know where people are fine with sitting? Anywhere with a wall like a hallway or walkway. People like the walls til someone tells them they are a fire hazard and they need to move. It was like navigating a mine field with legs today.

>>9080987
Oh fuck that brought back a flood of memories of me watching that show years ago, thanks for posting that

So..... can anyone confirm if it's safe?

Sounds like a bit of a false flag on our part if it is just a place to take a breather and gather your thoughts at a convention. But with that name, it's to be expected.

There is a very real sense of adrenaline at cons. They only happens on rare occasions, and they are one of the only opportunities to meet people with niche interests similar to yours. Coupled with the loudness, the lines, and my observation that with each passing convention the crowds are seeming to become more and more mentally unstable (and willing to act out at anything), it is a very intense, very volatile environment. People react to that in all different ways, and if there is a "cool-down station," I think that's a nice little idea.

However, the term "safe space" might register to some of them (see, "mentally unstable") as a signal to go crazy with their beliefs and ideologies, thinking that their own environment supports them when in fact it does not. It's all just unpredictable, I suppose. Maybe I'm just rambling.

>>9080720
Fucking stupid name. Call it a Chill Out Zone. Safe Space gives the impression that the con is openly hostile and will scare people away.

>>9080720
Would I getspecial protection for being a minority there since I'm white?

Is it to hot to wear a beanie or will I live?

>>9081643
Sitting in a car = unreasonable resting point is kind of the point of the comparison. And if someone wants to be "lazy," then.... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

>>9081785
Triggered?

>>9081834
Nah, I just think it's a stupid name with unfortunate implications. It makes it sound like the place you're meant to run to if a stalker starts hunting you rather than a place people can go to in order to have a breather.

>>9080720
Doesn't look "safe" :^)

I don't think Dashcon had a safe space.

AX: 1
Dashcon: 0

>>9080720
https://twitter.com/AnimeExpo/status/749336109746839552

What they really need is deodorant and febreeze stations. Some people in the exhibit hall were getting damn funky this afternoon and it wasn't even that hot today.

>>9082869
>it's not that kind of safe space
Um, it is that kind of safe space.
What other kind of safe space IS there?
Or is that a poorly communicated way to be snarky and say "yes we really are serious about this"?

>>9082945
Every con needs deodorant and febreeze stations.

Quiet Corner?

>>9081740
>There is a very real sense of adrenaline at cons. They only happens on rare occasions, and they are one of the only opportunities to meet people with niche interests similar to yours.
>meet people
>at cons

How. When you go to a panel, every one is quiet and listens to the panel discussion. In the hallways, you are all walking past each other. And walking up to random people to chat in the dealer rooms seems kind of strange.

What is this "socialization" you speak of?

>>9082951
They need to just change the name next year if they don't want this to become a joke because "safe space" carries certain connotations and if someone really is in danger they need to report it to staff and/or police, not go hide in a corner.

>>9082896
Fucking what? Where?

I've been everywhere in both the LACC and the Marriot, except Kentia hall, and haven't seen it

>>9082969
Not >>9081740, but Anime conventions in particular do have a history with enabling or being associated with questionable public behaviors in ways that I don't see in sci-fi, comic, or game cons.
In past years, there have been problems in multiple conventions with:
"Glomping" tackles damaging costumes or causing injury.
Yaoi paddles used to "playfully" hit people who weren't asking for it.
"Free Hugs" and other joke signs leading to advertising stuff for money or barter that eventually came close to soliciting prostitution and open panhandling until signs were banned or restricted in multiple cons.

There's also local trends like people yelling "buttscratcher" or "Marco Polo" at random in the halls for several years before it started being discouraged. I forget if that was Anime Boston or Otakon.

On the more private side, you have free-flowing alcohol and drugs at room parties which is contained until the guests start walking around buzzed.

I think the argument that the current convention atmosphere encourages people to act out in ways they normally would consider inappropriate is valid.

>>9083052
I think it's in the Entertainment Hall as one of the photoshoot props.

>>9081674
You're welcome.

>>9081705
It's safe. It's very safe.

I thought the whole "Safe Space" thing was supposed to be somewhere to go if a weirdo is stalking/harassing you? I've been in that position (as a guy, no less) and an easy way to ditch the dude would've been nice.

>>9080720
>tfw you want to see more of that Sorey
His cape looks great.

>>9081630
Or for the cost of a small allotment of space the con accommodates and helps those people, thus getting their money.

It depends on what kind of "safe space" they're going for, but I know a lot of women will offer their booths as safe spaces for cosplayers to get away from people harassing/following/stalking them where they can make sure people know what's going on an Le contact security. It could be that kind of a thing?
I'm absolutely all for that. There are some frolicking creeps at conventions and sometimes you really can't tell the difference between someone who's just painfully socially unaware and someone who would follow you home, so it's nice to have somewhere to go in those situations where you're guaranteed to have backup.

>>9082945
>>9082958
Every con with a sizable population of NEETs and autists.

This is a brilliant idea though, but they don't want to admit their congoers are smelly.

>>9082945
>>9082958
>>9083353
There's a creative way to solve the problem: free maid bathrooms!

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>>9080720
Found this little gem in the AX group on FB.

>>9082945
Except that the people who need them would just ignore them just like they ignore their hygiene in the first place. If you forget your basic toiletries or run out, the front desk of any decent hotel has them.

>>9081316
Sakura-Con also had a Manga Library that served as a "quiet-zone". It was pretty nice just to chill out there for a bit before going back to the hustle and bustle of the con.

>>9083711
I get overwhelmed in large crowds too. Solution: bring a friend who can stay with you when you're freaking out instead of asking for a random stranger to coo over your frail mind. Earplugs, noise-cancelling headphones, and bathrooms exist, if you don't have anyone who's willing to put up with your shit.

Also, that message is exactly the sort of thing I'd expect someone seeking attention to post. Long, rambling run-on sentences are not what you write when you're having a panic attack- it'd be something like 'please help am in x room', not 'I am Very Speshul and need to tell someone about it in person'.

>>9080982
Sounds like someone that hasn't been to anime expo. It's fucking M A S S I V E

>>9083888
Actually I know someone that has anxiety in large crowds, among a shitload of other things. I'd like to help them out, but I honestly don't know how.

I decided against letting her borrow my electronic earpro since that just amplifies voices.

I might buy her a pair of surefire earpros though

>>9081740

No you are right. It takes a lot out of a you and since a majority of congoers are introverts theirr mental reserves tapped dry by the social environment rather than gaining it like extroverts. The adrenaline is essentially a mental painkiller for these guys and when it wears off they crash hard. These safe spaces offer a chance to get the equivilant of a mental cat nap.

>>9084196
Just ask her what she wants you to do when she's anxious. Finding a quiet spot outside or near windows tends to help, since the fresh air helps to reset your brain. A drink of water or something not sugary or laden with caffeine does wonders too.
Honestly, just knowing that the person you're with is understanding is helpful. If she doesn't know what to do to calm down, just be as chill as possible about everything; it eases you back into a normal frame of mind and makes you less self conscious.
It's another reason why the ridiculous Tumblr mentality of 'anxiety=panic attack=attention forever' pisses me off. Nobody wants to be the center of attention when they're dissociating, but because of idiots who can't stop liveblogging their totes legit mental breakdown, a lot of well-meaning people think that attention is the only way to stop panic attacks.

>>9083053
>Marco Polo
>Anime Boston

If I catch you saying it I will hit you, we almost got through last AB without it thank god.

SOMEONE. PLEASE. SHOW. WHAT. THE. INSIDE. LOOKS. LIKE.

>>9082969
>When you go to a panel, every one is quiet and listens to the panel discussion
You talk to people before/after it and sometimes during it
>In the hallways, you are all walking past each other
Someone stops you for a photo and you start talking to eachother

Cons are massive social hubs, even for not-very-sociable people

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>>9080786
>less cringeworthy than the "THIS IS A QUEER/TRANS SAFE SPACE" booth in the entertainment hall
Yup it's
>>9080786
stupid

Can i smoke in there and be safe from judgement and rules

>>9085116
No.it's LACC rules

>>9084624
There's no "inside", it's just some folding chairs behind a curtain. Last time I walked by one it just looked like some normies sitting there messing with their phones.

>>9081394
that salt, hahaha

>>9083888
I don't get overwhelmed by people/crowds, but I do get stressed easily say if I can't find my money or something and need a friend to pull me off to the side when shit like that does happen

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I thought most cons would call them "Quiet Rooms/Spaces" to keep from the confusion of "Safe space" and to prevent people from going in and talking (and potentially setting off the people with sensory overload more). My understanding is some cons make them like a library with whispering only allowed.

>>9083711
>"I need attention therefore i will type this to get said attention"

Fuck out of here.

>>9080987
I'm such an old fag that I went back to Marathon Man first.

>>9084588
Basically all this. I have absolutely no generalized anxiety issues but I have a very specific few triggers for panic attacks. They're an annoying bonus prize that followed me after a long health scare years back. In any case, everyone is different with anxiety and panic. There's no definitive way to handle it. I do best to walk around and keep myself busy. Some people rather talk it out.

>>9085133
speak for yourself

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>>9083052
Entertainment hall, It's a photoshoot

>>9085181
I thought it would be something like that, but the 'safe space' thing makes it sound more like a place for people to complain about all the appropriation and fatphobia.

>>9083711
I helped a girl who was clearly overwhelmed. Invited her to stay at my hotel and walk around with us.

Turned out to be a huge slut or maybe just dumb, so me and my friends had an orgy with her. Great times, she was cute. No idea what she was doing there alone. We basically used her as an onahole for the last half of AX this year.

Also has good bonding time with my bros I've known for years.

>>9089233
why on earth would you do that to some stranger's dakimakura they left behind

The "This is a Queer Trans Safe Zone" was literally a table with 4 empty chairs

How is that supposed to protect anyone?

>>9080786
>>9080799
>>9080809
>>9080972
>>9085108
I think that was Chocolate Covered Cosplay's booth in the entertainment hall. In which case, they're not directly affiliated with the convention.

>>9089238
One mans waifu is another mans cumwrag. Someone left her there, so I used it instead.

>>9089247
Aren't some l/g/b/t people offended by the term queer

How can you call it a safe zone if that's the case

>>9080720
if youre wondering, the safe space at AX was literally just a chair behind the booth.

>>9082945
Made me burst out laughing IRL.

10/10 post.

>>9081705
No where is safe. People can still bother you but it's a good alternative for people making the day trip and needing a rest near "official" people. This alone is enough to stop most altercations but really guarantees nothing. You're better off taking some time back at your hotel and then trying again.

>>9085374
Still a better ballpit than dashcon.

>>9084196
>I decided against letting her borrow my electronic earpro since that just amplifies voices.
turn them off, doofus
they still have passive NR