[Ansteorra] A few quick obvious points

[Jay Rudin]

1. DO NOT give a newbie any badge, belt, or other symbol and tell them that it's a newbie badge and will tell people to treat them like they're new unless *EVERY* *SINGLE* *PERSON* at the event they are going to will recognize it as such -- including visitors from out of kingdom and people coming back after a ten year break.  Otherwise, you're only setting up yet another awkward situation for them.  Oh, joy.  Since we don't all know about your new symbol, it cannot work.

2. If there are in fact people who are too pushy or scary or rude to newbies by inclination or policy, you are providing them signposts to do so.  They will spend more time looking for the badge than the helpful people will, since the helpful people are busy at the event helping.

2. Our symbols have value, but the value isn't to tell us which people to be nice to.  People in the SCA already have a tendency to sniff each other's symbols like dogs do, to determine how to treat each other.  This is the problem newbies suffer from; it isn't the solution.

3. The only solution -- the ***ONLY*** solution -- is for us to treat everyone we meet with courtesy and openness.  Newbies don't need a badge or belt.  They need a smile and polite conversation.  

And so does everyone else.

Robvin of Gilwell / Jay Rudin

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