Award timing

[I. Marc Carlson]

<litch at eden.com (R.Michael Litchfield)>
>When I started playing an AoA was a recognition that you were actually
>playing, i.e. had a persona, garb, participated in something, in short that
>you were a memeber of the society, this usually took about 6 months if that
>long (this was a while ago like 10-12 years). Now you have to impress
>someone in order to get that award.
>...
>Delaying awards does nothing but foster ill-will and resentment. The
>argument that making the awards "too easy" will devalue them is utterly
>rediculous, the awards are worth NOTHING. They are at best a form of
>recognition, at worst they are a political football.

Ah, so, if after -- what? -- say six months, you don't have an AoA, then
there's something wrong with you?  If you don't have your first "Sable Cookie"
after a year?  Talk about "political football".

I doubt it will surprise you any, but I happen to agree with the 
Good Lady Zahra Zena that if you just toss off these awards based on the
existance of a warm body, then that award is meaningless (unless you have
a "warm body award").  Personally, I've done the military thing, and I've
been in units where when you leave they gave you a commendation medal, 
an award that allegedly means *something*, but when *EVERYbody* gets one
*just for transfering out*, that means that this award is meaningless.

I realize you disagree with it, but Awards are things you *earn*, and NOT 
just by doing one neat thing, or by having been a paid member for however
long, or by sleeping with the right people, but for making a legitimate 
contribution to the Society as a whole, generally over time.

I have seen people who DESERVED an award the first time they ever appeared
at an event, and I know people, myself included, who STILL have yet to
contribute enough to receive an award.  Granted there *are* people who fall
through the cracks (One ex-Society member I know refuses to have anything to
do with the SCA since after a year and a half he got tired of the lack of 
recognition, when he had been spending quite literally ALL of his time in the
kitchen and doing everything that needed to be done behind the scenes to keep
his shire's event's going - Since no one ever saw him do anything, he never
got any recognition), and *That* needs to be examined REALLY seriously by 
those of Rank, but by and large, I would suspect that they are the minority,
and that giving awards for making contributions is, in fact, an appropriate
reinforcement for recognizing desired behavior.

"Mihi Satis Apparet Propter     Diarmuit Ui Dhuinn
  Se Ipsum Appetenda Sapientia"	University of Northkeep/Company of St. Jude
 -- St. Dunstan			Northkeepshire, Ansteorra
				(I. Marc Carlson/IMC at vax2.utulsa.edu)