MSCA vs Knighthood

[Phillip Stallcup]

> If you've sorted through all my ramblings, good news! You've 
> finally made it to my "bottom line", so to speak.  It is this: Any 
> peer is a peer of the Society. They are all equal and no peerage 
> or title is "better" than any other.  If one peerage seems to receive 
> more respect, it is probably a result of how their members interact 
> with the general populace.  How they treat people, how they wear 
> their regalia, their bearing, manners, garb etc., those kinds of 
> things gain long-term respect.  

I would consider this true from a peerage standpoint. However, what about being
King? With the crown going to the winner of a heavy weapons tournament, doesn't
that place a higher priority within the society on heavy weapons fighters? 


> At the risk of starting WWIII, I'd like to submit that, IMO, people 
> respect peers for their titles for only a short time. They respect 
> expertise, service or combat ability for only slightly longer than 
> that.  Eventually, they look past the titles to see what kind of 
> person is really there.  There's a big difference in respecting an 
> entire order (as most newer folks do), and in respecting individual 
> members of the order.  
> 
> 
> - Baroness Katrionna MacLochlainn 
>   Barony of Wiesenfeuer
> 

I agree completely. I'm still fairly new in the SCA, officially 1 year, and
when I started I had the basic order view, anyone belonging to these orders
were highly respected and very honorable. However, that really is a fantasy
view of reality to which no one could stand up favorably. I have since adopted
the realistic approach of respecting people for who they are, not what they
are, which is how I see people in the non-SCA world anyhow. Let's face it, new
members usually are in the same boat that I am, I don't know many people, so
the opinions of the people around them towards the different people in the SCA
tend to be their opinions as well, until they find out otherwise. A persons
reputation definitely proceeds them. 

Llygoden Llwyd		- Without an award or title to my name :)
Barony of Weisenfeuer
mka Phillip Stallcup
stalpl at integris-health.com