...on this board as well as the NY board.
First Amendment and all is ok, but the more attention to a subject/issue like this and the more scrutiny, complaints, concerns, then police, infiltration, etc. Personally I hope our Mr. B does not follow suit; why ruin a perfectly great thing!
Invite the reporter who wrote this article to the party, with full knowledge of his identity and intentions beforehand. No other M&G host that I know would ever do that. The prior NYC host ran several M&G's per year that were first class events, as did his predecessors. Needless to say, the dude mentioned in the article as the host is persona non grata here, and should be hobby-wide.
This did not kill the M&G scene in NYC, but has driven it underground...
...on this board as well as the NY board.
As my friend Yoko notes, most M&G's are very discreet and the host(s) exercise extreme caution in making sure EVERY guest is properly screened, I know that is the case for DC, Boston and mine in NE. No new person gets an invite to my M&G's without providing two references and the ladies must provide website, review sites and ads and no "tag alongs" are allowed. IMHO I don't think this article damaged our hobby as thankfully no names or photo's were incorporated into the article.
I do hope new ladies and newbies will not be scared off from attending a M&G by this "one off" as they can be very successful networking events for both parties. I have met some of the finest people through these M&G's and hope everyone could have the chance to do that.
Most hosts take the responsibility of preserving our guests privacy and enabling a secure and comfortable environment very seriously so please don't judge us all because of one misguided individual. Discretion is job 1 for me at my parties so no need to worry!
Let's put this unfortunate event behind us and just move on...I'm happy to help host NYC M&G's in the future as I could not bear to see them halted in a city with so many wonderful ladies and gentlemen....Hobby safe and discreetly!
Radar
An unauthorized outsider is NOT THE NORM for New York. We pride ourselves on class, good taste, and discretion. Do not be afraid to visit us over this one incident. Other people who host do not allow anything like this to happen. Strict rules are posted about behavior in a public place. Our road is strewn with the bodies of those exhibited bad behavior.
I was incensed when I read about this on the boards when it happened and now, reading the article, am once again blown away. What was he thinking? Thank you, Bond for the hard work you do with your mixers. I'll miss this next one but will look forward to attending again.