Putting foot in mouth

[Galen of Bristol]

Galen of Bristol here!

Baronman at aol.com wrote:
> 
> In a message dated 97-02-25 11:11:07 EST, you write:
> 
> >  I thought that the whole point of the SCA was
> >that it is an "Educational Recreation Group".

Now, it happens that I think that saying that the SCA is _only_ an
"Educational Recreation Group" is about as limiting as saying it's
only about fighting.  But Bors said:
 
>   BINGO-
>     Somebody got it right, out there in SCA land.  Finally someone opened the
> door for my next tirade ( are you listening Galen?).  

Yes, Bors, I'm here.  Should I assume that the rest of this is intended for
me personally?  I usually try to avoid such self-centered foolishness, but
this time I wonder...

> For many people in the
> SCA within this Kingdom, the SCA is not  an  "Educational Recreation Group",
> it is a way of life.

Every club has people for whom it is a way of life.  When I was President of
the UTA campus chapter of the National Association of Business Economists
(during my recent inactivity from the SCA), _that_ was my way of life.  It
was also the way of life of my predecessor and my successor.  (Also during that
period, I was elected to the UTA Student Congress, and helped to found and
served as an officer in another club, as well as being a member of at least
three other clubs on-campus, not including the SCA, all the while getting
my BA in Economics.)

>    For many of these individuals, not all, but many, their lives are ran by
> the scheduale of the SCA.  These people eat, drink, sleep, sh*t, and live
> their whole life around the Society.

Ibid.  When I was in the UTA Student Congress, I saw many who felt that
way about Student Congress.

> These people are so wrapped up in " Living the Dream", that they have
> forgotten what the dream is.  These people firmly believe that the SCA is
> their own personal world, their playground or their private club, and that
> anybody new, or ignorant of their world, just aren't welcome.

I'm sorry.  I've just never met anyone in the SCA to whom new SCA members
were unwelcome.  Most people I know go out of their way to encourage
new people to join in their activities.

>   Not that many of the principles and ideals that we develop within the SCA
> are not relavent in the REAL world, they are, and I, myself, have become a
> better person because of many of the value and friends, I discovered within
> the SCA.  But in many instances, these people, whom the SCA has consumed,
> treat the SCA as their own private little club and no one else is welcome.
>  These are your proffesional SCA er's.

Even when this described me, I still never met anyone who considered it
"their own private little club and no one else is welcome".  New people
coming in were always welcomed in my experience.  Sometimes they have
to make it clear they're here to stay, but someone who wants to get involved
_can_ get involved.
 
>   OK- where an I going with this?  Back about a year ago my wife asked me a
> question.
> " What would you do if the SCA no longer existed?" I couldn't answer.  And
> not being able to answer this simple question, literally scared the bejebers
> out of me.  After devoting almost 2 years to get our Barony started and 2.5
> years as Baron and (pardon my phrasology Galen) " chasing" the belt for 10
> years, I realized that the SCA had so ingrained itself into my psychic that I
> almost had no where else to go, if the SCA suddenly ceased to exist.  

I'm not sure what your point is here, other than that you suffered for having
failed to practice moderation of any sort.  Indeed, 10 years of belt-chasing
will wear out anyone.  Myself, I didn't get knighted until after I'd stopped
caring whether I ever would be.  And I'm glad of that.  No one who ever got
to know me loved me more or less because of my knighthood; only those who
don't know me personally use the belt as an indicator of what I'm like --
not always the best intro, depending on a person's prior experience with
knights.

If I woke up one morning to discover that the Clinton administration had disbanded
the SCA, I'd still have the other club I'm an officer in, the two additional
clubs of which officers have called me to invite me to join, my alumni association,
the VFW, and, as someone suggested, I'd take up martial arts.

But I'd sure miss all my friends, not to mention blood-kin family members, who
are in the SCA.  On the other hand, I might use that extra time and eventually
become Governor some day (a goal no less demanding -- and far less fun, I'm sure
-- than training to win Crown).

I had
> become a proffesional SCA er.  It was then that I realized that I had missed
> the whole point of the SCA.  It is not mine or anybody elses private club to
> play in. The SCA is an "Educational Recreation Group". The key words here are
>  "Educational Group", not CLUB.

Could you contrast the meanings of the terms "group" and "club" as you use 
them here?  The only difference I can think of is that one necessarily implies
some sort of organization, while the other could just be a mob, but that doesn't
seem to be your intent.

But if you believe that the SCA does not provide a context for play, I must
simply disagree.  Some of the most enjoyable, uplifting play I can imagine.

I can't guess what you mean by the phrase "private club"; I've never seen a
branch that didn't want new members; surely the Loch under your administration
welcomed newcomers?  I'm sure you personally made them welcome, Bors; I can easily
picture that (this is _not_ sarcasm, I mean this).  The SCA has activities
that are not generally open to the public, but what group doesn't?  Too,
we do things that _are_ open to the public.  And which of those categories
includes demos at middle schools (which I love doing)?

>   I know I'm going to get flamed massively for this, but I got strong
> shoulders.

I don't do flames, unless you consider this post to be one.  I think this
is a reasoned reply.

>  Baron Bors of Lothian
>   ---------------------------------------------------------------
>   Par Deu, bel sire, cist est de ae vostre lin,
>   Et si mangue un grant braun porcin
>   Et a dous traitz beit un cester de vin.
>   Ben dure guete deit il rendre a sun veisin.

The SCA is many things to many people, and it always will be, and it
should be.

-- 
Viscount Galen of Bristol, KSCA, CSM, etc.
Paul Mitchell, pmitchel at flash.net / "noblesse oblige"
http://www.flash.net/~pmitchel/galen.htm 
Visit the Central Region at:
http://www.uta.edu/student_orgs/sca/centregn.htm