Prejudices within Our Society

[dennis guy grace]

Many nobile gretings and commanudatiouns unto you mine welbiloved Ansteorra
cosyns, from yer lowly Sir Lyonel:


At 11:53 AM 11/18/96 Sir Gunthar wrote:

<snip>
>Now that I've given the "warm-fuzzies", I'll go on to some of the problems
>encountered when the communities clash.  As Lyonel commented the "wimp
>factor" is a contributor in which both sides have caused to be a problem. 
>Rapier combat is very exerting and does require athletic skill but as far as
>true love beyond pain and fear factor I do not think it compares with
>chivalric combat.  (There's another term for you, Lyonel.)

Chivalric combat--I like that.  I think Gunnora suggested the same thing.
Now if I can just wash that other term out of my brain. . . .

>Even as a rather
>established fighter, I still get nervous when I walk out in armor.  There is
>a primeval fear that drives the heavy fighter that I do not think the rapier
>fighter feels.  

You think YOU'RE nervous?  I'm 5'0", weigh 148#, and recently my most
frequent sparring partner is Phelan.

>When a rapier fighter swaggers around with a "Don't mess with
>me, I'm deadly!" attitude (yes, we've had those as well as swaggering loutish
>heavy fighters) I've had to squelch the urge to pat them on the head and go
>"I'm sure you are, dear."  Bigoted?  Yes, I'm ashamed to admit.  But all too
>common amongst us louts.

No flames, Sir G, but the urge is misplaced.  They ARE deadly; it's just a
different kind of deadly.  I agree, however, that the direct comparison of
warrior (say, 14th C. knight) with warrior (say, 17th C. cavalier) looks
somewhat comical.  Remember, however, that we're comparing a time when an
armed and armored man was a powerful independent force with a time when any
ninny with a gun was an even MORE powerful independent force.

>Another problem that has occured is the seeming lack of interest by rapier
>fighters in the other activities going on at events.  Often when an armored
>championship bout is going on (I have even seen this done at a Crown
>tournament) the light fighters are off in a corner having their own
>get-together.  There are also several occassions when the rapier fighters
>would only show up on Sunday to fight in the list and then go home.  They
>never showed interest in any other part of the event.  They missed the
>Championship tournies (if they have no interest in the armored combat that is
>understandable), the bardic fires, and many other parts of what makes the SCA
>unique.  People, not just us heavies, have often felt stung by this
>disinterest.

I understand your concern on this matter, Cousin, but it sounds like a
chicken-and-egg scenario to me.  Did the rapier duelists initially feel
welcome? I know, in Atenveldt, fencers tended to be relegated to the
margins.  Maybe they don't show interest in other parts of the events
because they feel they aren't wanted.

>The Renaissance created so many new styles of thought, art, and clothing over
>the nearly 500 years of Middle Ages that as garish and attention-grabbing as
>some of the styles of the varied MA cultures were, they did nothing compared
>to the Renaissance styles.  Us early types can blur our perceptions somewhat
>through Celtic, Byzantine, Viking, Burgundian, and all that.  But many have
>found the Cavalier styles distracting.  They can see through the viking
>wearing tennis shoes but be bothered by the perfectly authentic French
>Gallant wearing the lace and feathers.  This is a prejudice that will only be
>cured by time and acceptance.  (And maybe sometimes calming down some of the
>outfits?  Hey, we can work both ways here.)

It doesn't help that the Viking in tennis shoes is operating WITHIN corpora
while the brilliantly costumed cavalier is not.  Corpora says we're to "make
an effort" at re-creating "pre-17th century garb."  The Viking in tennis
shoes has clearly made an attempt.  The 17th century cavalier clearly has
not.  I'm not saying this is the cavalier's fault. Perhaps Corpora should be
changed in this respect.

<snip>

>Okay, folks, your turn to get those flamethrowers started.  I'm wearing my
>asbestos underwear!

Yeeee.  Doesn't that itch? :^>


Yours in Virtual Service

Sir Lyonel Oliver Grace
________________________
Dennis G. Grace
Postmodern Medievalist
Division of Rhetoric and Composition
University of Texas at Austin
amazing at mail.utexas.edu
_____________________________________________

Si hoc legere scia, nimium eruditionis habes.