The Dandelion Conspiracy

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Title: The Dandelion Conspiracy
Creator: Kathy Mar
Date(s):
Medium: Flyer, handed out at conventions
Fandom: Filk
Topic: Perceptions about Filk music and Filkers
Raising awareness of the filk community
External Links: Archived Link
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The Dandelion Conspiracy is an article, which was originally a flyer circulated by Kathy Mar at Chicon and other conventions. She also handed out dandelion stickers and buttons.

The Flyer

In an attempt to find a way to communicate our views to others more effectively, I have decided to form what I call the Dandelion Conspiracy. This is meant to serve many goals at once. In taking the dandelion as the filker's symbol, I hope to convey, as gently as the flower-power movement did, that filk is almost impossible to root out. If disturbed, it tends to proliferate. It can be beneficial at times, and it can even be beautiful in spite of its weedy reputation.

Because there is no organization of filkers to lobby for better treatment and to approach Con committees in our behalf, we are at the mercy of people who understand us very little if at all. In order to make them aware of our increasing numbers and to make sure they recognize not only the better known singers, but all those who just love to listen, I will have available dandelion stickers and dandelion buttons at this convention and any others I attend. The stickers are free and the buttons will be at cost. Anyone is welcome to copy the dandelion and distribute it on their own. With time and luck, ConComs may come to know in a gentle yet insistent fashion just how many people are in favor of this special science fiction art form in all its diversity and joy.

I hope to see a lot of dandelions at this convention and at other conventions in the future. Like the weeds we are, we will grow in numbers and colorful profusion until we are taken seriously by ConComs. From the smallest root, we will grow back. If disturbed, we proliferate. We may be weeds, but we're beautiful just the same.

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