ANST - Cloved Fruit and Etiquette, Redux

[Gunnora Hallakarva]

Stefan li Rous said of the development Bjornsborg Grenade Technique used
with cloved fruit by Raimond Selenarctos:
>IMHO, it is just another example that being a Peer does not automatically
bestow
>peerage qualities in every situation and that Peers can have human failings.

First, Raimond is not a peer.  He should be in my opinion, but he's not one
at this point in time. 

However, many of us who use the "grenade" method of dealing with cloved
fruits are in fact peers and I for one will treat any cloved fruit I am
given in the same time honored manner.  Nor do I think it in any way
reflects "lack of peerage qualities" as Stefan suggests.

The problem here is not lack of courtesy or peerage qualities on the part
of the person hurling the cloved fruit.  Rather, it is the unspeakable
stupidity and lack of grace and politeness on the part of the person who
bestowed the fruit on the hurler in the first place.  Those of us who will
hurl the damned things do try to refuse the fruit politely first.

The "hurling" technique came in response to pushy, obnoxious, drunken
Lothario-wannabes who don't know when NO means NO.  The cloved fruit game
all too often deteriorated into plain sexual predation by the end of its
life as a viable custom.  There were plenty of times when people tried to
turn down a cloved fruit and simply had the kiss forced upon them anyway --
even if it were only by verbal bullying under the guise of "don't be a
spoilsport," which can be devastating for someone young, or shy, or
insecure.  There are even more times when people indicated a kiss on the
hand and were glommed onto and had open-mouthed kissing forced upon them.
And even more commonly that that the obnoxious cloved fruit predator would
use the kissing as an opportunity to grope. 

Now, I don't know what response YOU would like to see a peer (or anyone
else, for that matter) make to sexual predation and abuse of one's personal
space, but the next person who does invade my personal space and force
kissing or other sexual attentions on me under the pretext of a cloved
fruit is going to be wearing about as many contusions and lacerations as
there were cloves in the fruit -- IF I am am feeling charitable and nice
about the whole thing.

I have found that the people who like the cloved fruit kissing game the
most, and who clamor loudest for its reinstatement, tend to be the most
repulsive, hideously unattractive, unwashed losers that American society
has to offer.  Why this is, I don't know -- their cousins who know what a
toothbrush and deodorant are for and who don't cause mirrors to shatter and
clocks to stop when they walk by don't need a cloved fruit to get kissed,
perhaps?  This is not always true -- some very nice people like the idea of
the game as well. I guess. 

As I have mentioned before, kissing games should be played ONLY with one's
intimates -- that means your friends, your household members, people who
you know will welcome the game.  If you just absolutely MUST force your
attentions on a stranger, it is your responsibility to be as gallant and
courtly as possible, and to accept NO as NO and leave it at that.

Nuke the Cloved Fruits and Let It Go At That!


Wæs Þu Hæl (Waes Thu Hael)

::GUNNORA::

Gunnora Hallakarva
Herskerinde
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
Ek eigi visa þik hversu oðlask Lofstirrlauf-Kruna heldr hversu na Hersis-Aðal
(Ek eigi thik hversu odhlask Lofstirrlauf-Kruna heldr hversu na Hersis-Adhal)

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