Event Ideals (fighting)

[Robert G. Ferrell]

>> When a person enters the list, most times he/she is
>>entering to win the list.  Thats what it is all about.
>
>ARGHHH!
>
>This is the attitude which has turned me off of fighting in the SCA more
>than anything else (well maybe the White Belt force field & free knee shot
>bullshit).
>Believe it or not there are a lot of fighters who are not in it "just to win"
>that attitude tends to make for rhino-hiding, questionable blows, and the
>whole host of unchivalric behaivior that occurs too often in the society.
>
>The society I joined had ppl that fought for honor, glory, and to do
>curtosy to the people who's favor they held. Now, I guess winning is all
>that counts.
>
>> It gets right down to
>>you aren't entering the list so whether or not you are bored by it is not an
>>issue.
>
>Tripe. Egregious tripe. This is not the Society of bashing people with
>rattan, it is about a hell of a lot more than just whether some stupid
>stick jock bubba wants to win.
>
>>Mara O.L.
>
>-mcihael
>
>
Well, it isn't the Society for Being Rude and Pedantic on the Internet,
either, but that doesn't seem to slow the practice significantly.  If you
like to fight, go fight.  If you don't like to fight, don't fight.  If you
like to watch, watch.  If you don't like to watch, don't watch.  I don't
know how to put it any simpler than that.  I've been a member of both camps,
and never saw any conflict.  

     I don't like the concept that winning is all that counts, either.
However, at the risk of splitting hairs, what constitutes winning is not
necessarily as clear cut as it may appear.  I generally consider myself to
have won if I feel good about the way I fought, regardless of the observable
outcome of the bout.  I think a lot of fighters feel this way.  To the
victor go the spoils, but each victory brings a different form of reward.
To go (voluntarily) into a bout without the hope of some form of victory is
not only discouraging, it is a waste of time and effort.  I might even go so
far as to suggest that it demonstrates a marked dysfunction of the higher
reasoning faculties, if you catch my drift.

Cynric