Prejudices within Our Society

[Vicki Marsh]

Greetings, Sir Gunther,
from Zara Zina, a Byzantine married to an Welshman in Queen Elizabeth's court.

Sir Gunther wrote:

>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.

Speaking as someone who has been at many, many events over the last 18
years, while a percentage of the rapier fighters might go off at an event to
do *their thing* and sit in an almost unapproachable clique, there is also a
usual corresponding percentage of chivalric fighters who do the same thing.
I have known heavy fighters who never went to anything but fighter practice
and wars (and then complain loudly to all that will listen that they have
never been knighted!!).

At the same time, I have seen the support that many in the rapier community
have given towards both chivalric combat and the Arts and Sciences (such as
the recent Laurel's Prize Tourney). How many heralds, how many marshalls,
how many support persons (autocrats, gate guards, cooks, bards, etc.) at any
one chivalric tournament are also rapier combatants?  I didn't see very many
of the Chivalry itself at LPT or Queen's Champion (Yes, I know *you* were
there), but I sure saw a lot of Laurels and Rapier fighers at Crown
Tournament.  

As Sir Galen has pointed out in a previous post, there are many Peers of
Ansteorra that are active in the rapier community.  Currently, there are
also two Dons and two Cadets who are Territorial Barons or Baronesses.  How
many of the current territorials are Knights or Squires? I don't know of any
Knights and only one squire for sure (Master Pepin). How many Laurels and
Pelicans?

The point is that the prejudice towards the rapier community for lack of
involvement in the entire works of the SCA in Ansteorra is based on a small,
visible minority, not on the majority and the leaders of rapier community.
This particular argument could be leveled at any visibly different group
within the SCA, from the Chivalry, to the Mongols, to the Nobles, etc.

This makes it an invalid argument.

In Service (and enjoying a wonderful debate),

Zara Zina Theanos, ex-chivalric fighter from years back.