ANST - Ranks and Why Shortcuts Are a Bad Idea

[Gunnora Hallakarva]

Connor MacElroy asked:
> {i}...have been curious if there is any recognition for "Real 
>World" accomplishments.  

No, and there doesn't need to be.  Our award system rewards more than
excellence in a field, it also is rewarding service to *our group*. 

To become a knight requires more than martial prowess - it also requires
that the candidate know a dance, be able to entertain in court, know the
basics of heraldry, be acquainted with the arts, be able to play a medieval
game, and has rendered service to the organization.  The other peerage
orders have similar requirements, varying only in the field of major
expertise.

Just because soemone has fifteen black belts and is an instant top-notch
tourney contender based on those skills doesn't give them the understanding
of the SCA and how the SCA works that is necessary to be a functional
contributing member of our group.

>perhaps a Kendo Black Belt should automatically be considered for
>Squiredom or a Class B fencer become a Cadet.  

Neither squire nor cadet nor apprentice nor protege are ranks.  Banish that
thought!  It means *only* that the person is in a personal relationship
with another who has consented to teach their art, service, or combat
skill.  Being a squire does not convey precedence, rank, nor does it get
you a better place in the feast line (unless said squire is serving feast,
as many do, most being honorable and helpful sorts).

However, I think that taking a master artisan and saying, OK, you do good
stuff, you are automatically *an apprentice* when the person is and has
been a master of their craft is profoundly insulting!  We just had a big
discussion of this on the SCA Laurels List.  The concensus of the Laurels
across the Known World is that when we are so lucky to get one of these
highly talented folks as a newcomer, that we should (as a Circle) mentor
the person - someone needs to take the time to explain to them what the
awards system is all about, and why they aren't going to instantly be a
peer, and furthermore the person needs to be reassured that the Peerage
Order(s) have their collective eye upon the person, and hope to see them
within the Circle when the new person has their bearings within the SCA.

>The point is that I have seen some people who have "Paid Their Dues" 
>in "Real Life" be turned away from participation because they don't 
>want to "start over". 

Then perhaps the SCA is not for them.  The point of the SCA is not the
awards in the first place.  If that's all a person wants out of the SCA,
they'd do much better to join the Scouts -- at least there the merit badges
are under one's own control, being based on how hard a person wants to
work.  Or go back to school -- a diploma is an award that one can earn for
themselves without needing to wait for the whims of their friends and the
Crown to recommend them for it.

We *have* had amazingly talented professionals join the SCA.  They don't
get to be Laurels automatically, because to be a Laurel requires that you
be willing to teach within the SCA, that you "play well with others", that
you have rendered service to the SCA -- those things take time within the
SCA.  

The other point to consider about any peerage (and I think the Laurellate
in especial) is that it is *not* exactly a rank, it is a job, and a damned
time-consuming one at that.  As peers, we are called upon to provide
prizes, act as judges, serve as teachers.  We do not get paid for these
duties, and often don't get thanked.  It is our job, and we do it.  This is
not something you want to land on a relative new-comer no matter how
talented -- they need time enough in the Society to know what they are
getting into!

One last point -- once you have become a peer, you pretty much stop getting
awards.  You have maxed out.  As an artist, I can tell you that this is
uncomfortable -- most artists eat praise up with a spoon.  So it gets much
harder to get recognition - people say, "Well, you're a Laurel, you should
be producing masterworks."  Even Laurels who develop new arts skills after
their elevation frequently do not get notice for it.

For many people, awards serve as a nice reminder that your friends within
the Society think highly enough of you that they have recommended you for
an award.  This is a good feeling -- and I think the best thing about our
awards system.  If you start out at the top, you miss the validation and
warm feelings that getting the lower level awards can bestow.  In other
words, a shortcut to rank just deprives the individual of X number of pats
on the back.


Wæs Þu Hæl (Waes Thu Hael)

::GUNNORA::

Gunnora Hallakarva
Herskerinde
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