tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6512050174377678428.post5585471060271482545..comments2024-03-26T09:32:26.565-05:00Comments on Sherlock Peoria: And an afterword on this year's Irregular invitations . . . .Sherlock Peoriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09896656391037436805noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6512050174377678428.post-82515697866948832272013-11-13T10:35:34.211-06:002013-11-13T10:35:34.211-06:00I forwarded my invitations to David Dunning and Ju...I forwarded my invitations to David Dunning and Justin Kruger, since in my eyes the B.S.I. is really USI.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6512050174377678428.post-44205193602505379362013-11-10T08:36:17.795-06:002013-11-10T08:36:17.795-06:00"...I had heard a story last year of a certai..."...I had heard a story last year of a certain Irregular who has often criticized the current management and got dropped from the mailing list..."<br /><br />A friend in the BSI tells me that there are several prominent Irregulars who have been dropped from the mailing list, and have been off the mailing list for at least a few years, though he was unaware of any of them complaining about it. The irony is that Mr. Whelan's dire threat to excommunicate Irregulars who criticize the BSI would apply first to those individuals, who have already been exiled for all practical purposes. My impression is that such threats have been met with derision, especially by those who don't attend the dinner anymore anyway.<br /><br />More to your basic point, I am not sure that there is a good reason why a group that started out as a private dining club should feel any obligation to transform itself into a public society, but strikes me that the BSI may actually be caught between a desire to be exclusive and a need to expand more democratically. Consider Mr. Whelan's criterion of "non-Sherlockian exceptionality" (sic) for an invitation; the vast majority of invitees -- Irregulars and guests alike -- meet this criterion only by the most diminished standard of the exceptional, and this is either a sad reality for promoters of the elite private dining club model, or a positive sign of democratic expansion for the rest of us. Surely it's moving toward the latter, though perhaps not quickly enough for some. Still, and as you suggest, the entire BSI weekend is available to all, as are the conventions. I'm sure that an invitation to the BSI dinner creates a feeling of self-satisfaction, but it's an illusion, considering who does attend and who doesn't even get invited....Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6512050174377678428.post-79232648790583794332013-11-10T06:23:07.913-06:002013-11-10T06:23:07.913-06:00Room size is definitely a concern, as with any pop...Room size is definitely a concern, as with any popular event. But if the will ever arises, I'm sure great Sherlockian minds would find a way. The Weekend has certainly evolved in interesting ways around that one unchangeable feature of the exclusive dinner, to be as accommodating as possible and keep the ritual.Sherlock Peoriahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09896656391037436805noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6512050174377678428.post-53329639445072955662013-11-09T22:17:30.403-06:002013-11-09T22:17:30.403-06:00Glad to know you got your invitation. I was about ...Glad to know you got your invitation. I was about to offer to sneak you into the dinner in my suitcase, if necessary.<br /><br />I know we'll never share the same view of the status of the BSI's membership policy, but the great thing is that most of the action throughout the year happens at the local level, where most groups run a little differently.<br /><br />When you think about the spatial constraints of simply trying to seat members and their guests, it becomes pretty much preposterous to think that you can seat everyone who wants to attend a single dinner. Which is why I addressed the entirety of the Weekend rather than just the Dinner in my remarks. There's plenty for everyone.<br />Scott Montyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17710406470860389078noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6512050174377678428.post-64188728882509212862013-11-09T21:51:35.457-06:002013-11-09T21:51:35.457-06:00And my e-mail stack is just as messy as my snail m...And my e-mail stack is just as messy as my snail mail stack, but there it is! Thanks for pointing that out, Jacquelynn!Sherlock Peoriahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09896656391037436805noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6512050174377678428.post-52982107104135862822013-11-09T20:17:29.658-06:002013-11-09T20:17:29.658-06:00Invitations for members and second-time invitees w...Invitations for members and second-time invitees were sent via email this time.Jacquelynn Morris, ASH, BSIhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14119508492879867877noreply@blogger.com