[Ansteorra] Shenanigans II: Electric Boogaloo

[Peter Schorn]

So yesterday there's a lot of talk about this thing supposedly happened in
an A&S competition: an artisan was marked down by a judge/Laurel on her
fiber arts entry 'cause she didn't use urine to finish her wool.  And some
folks were really upset about this thing.

And I asked for the name of that judge/Laurel, because if that thing really
happened I wanted to talk to 'em.  

Well, three people e-mailed me.  None of them gave me the name, but that
didn't matter because you know that thing folks were so upset about?

It didn't happen.

By now you've all read Lady Ameline DuBois' post (and thank you, milady, for
both that and your prompt e-mail), but to recap:

She got a very good score.  The judge marked her down, slightly, only for
not finishing the wool in a period manner.  The judge then listed *four
possible ways* of doing this, *only one* of which involved the use of urine.

So that's what some of you were getting so upset about. A GOOD evaluation by
a judge who was HELPFUL and shared their knowledge, like a Laurel should, by
including not one, but four possible ways of making the artisan's project
better, one of which was kind of gross but really needed to be mentioned for
completeness' sake. And what the hell, it was probably good PR ("Laurels may
not have bodily functions, but we at least know what they are.")

And it took only four steps in our little game of Post Office to go from
that kind, helpful, beneficent and admirable act, to unpunctuated screeds
denouncing various and sundry unnamed oppressors.

Do you see what's going on here, folks?  

I'm sure we all think we're good people, motivated only by sweet reason and
generosity. I'm sure I won't argue with that.   But look how quickly we
turned an act of kind goodness into an excuse for outraged ranting.  And in
only four little steps!  What do you think might've happened had it gone on
a couple more?  What do you think happens in the real world when this sort
of thing goes on unchecked?  

What do you see happening *right now,* that might be the result of just this
thing?

"...and then remember/ Not to forget/ That you do it/ And do it yet."
Rumor, rage and the madness of crowds aren't just things that happen to
other people, Baldric.

OK, sorry about my own rant there, but I figure one more angry nerdy
fatbeard won't break the Internets (I mean, if Kevin Smith couldn't do
it...). Besides, the point's important.

That's all I have to say, and thank you for listening.

--Cadfan, goin' George Clooney on ya, all "PUT. THE COFFEE. DOWN." an'
stuff...