Conventioneering

I'm sitting here at the Freedom Fest 2008 Convention, as I have been for the last 7-8 hours, and it has struck me as an interesting phenomenon: the convention. This particular gathering is about celebrating freedom and liberty. Naturally it's most heavily populated by libertarian attendees and exhibitors (the Institute for Justice included). But I simply did not expect so many financial and investment advice organizations. I'm surrounded by them--literally, nine of twelve booths in my row have something to do with financial or investment advice.

The other thing I wasn't prepared for: the Conventioneers. Not just regular attendees, but those deserving of a capitol "C". The folks that attend and with apparent glee corner the unsuspecting exhibitor (who must keep the friendly smile pasted on) to blather on about totally irrelevant topics like the speaker's ancestory, family history, and views on men v. women (that gentleman got about 15 minutes of my time, but he's definitely had the folks across the way cornered much longer). It's like the fun of the convention is in having row upon row of captive audiences. Maybe it's a form of therapy for some (that guy who's still talking across the way comes to mind).

In a lot of ways this is a fun and great experience--I'm getting to meet in person many of IJ's supporters, donors, and fellow comrades in arms. That's just cool.

The Conventioneers, however, are why this could never be more than an occasional thing for me!