ANST - peerage ... let it be

[j'lynn yeates]

On 14 Oct 99, at 22:17, j'lynn yeates wrote:

> On 14 Oct 99, at 18:09, Paul Mitchell wrote:
> 
> > So, just what makes peerage important, anyway?
> 
> it's *NOT* a "merit badge" pathway ....

for those familiar with the boy scouts let me explain ... was a time when you 
had to work *hard* for rank and show mastery of subject material merit badges 
(reference: SCA) .. then it became watered down and simplified in an age of 
"gotta make everyone happy and feel good".  over time it became easier and 
easier to progress in the organization (was highly active, almost "eagle" level 
and active in the leadership and camp counselor levels before academic 
obligations pulled me away ... ) the harder "pathways" were softened and in 
some cases lost, the whole system was mutated away from it's origional purpose 
into a lowest common denominator centric organization you achieved simply by 
existance and a lower level of participation (example: Amtgaard and their 
"knighting" system that was recently explained ) ... result: *many* long 
standing supporters left in disgust, gutting the organization of the talent 
that made it work.  it also made it impossible to attract that critical 
component again.

my take, if "merit badges" are that important to your well-being, there are 
plenty of other options outside of SCA where such tokens can be easily earned.  
note that these spin-off's were created for this very reason ... people were 
dissatisfied with the SCAdian structure and voted with their feet (and many 
walk several of these pathways at once, some of these paths co-exist with and 
in some cases inside the SCA, some do not)  ... why should we make their unique 
cultures our own ???.  if there isn't somethoing out there to support your 
particular mania, then start it and see if it's got enough commonality to 
attract the critical mass needed to survive and grow.
  
while the basic structure of the SCA does have its flaws (like all 
organizations) it should be left alone to fulfill it's origional charter, and 
not modified at every turn to accept & reward every sub-grouping out there  .. 
one of the beauties of this org that makes it successful and viable is in its 
built-in tolerance for wide difference.  pushing those levels at the core (as 
in peerage restructure) might very well result in a backlash where that 
flexibility is decreased or lost.  there are plenty of existing pathways to 
recognition inside the organization already (if that's what fills your bag),

changing the core peerage structure to accomodate everyone should not be an 
option.  learn from history ... what happens when you attempt to dis-
infranchise peer groups that have extreme political power.  while "period", the 
SCA does not need yet another civil was on their hands.  and this one has the 
potential to be a really destructive one.

'wolf


... truth is the sword of us all (lords of the new church)
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