[Re: [ANST - New Peerage Proposal]]

[Keith Hood]

I'd like to add a few thoughts about the new peerage proposal.  I remember
reading some of the comments that came up the last time this proposal was
floated.  I won't say yea or nay on whether it should be done, but I wanted to
raise some points for consideration.

I think it's a perceived worth problem.  The trouble with a "grab bag" (or
perhaps I should say a "broad") peerage of the type proposed stems from its
nature being somewhat ambiguous.  It tells people nothing or very little that
is definite about the holder, and some people may be uneasy because they're
not sure how to relate to it.  I think people have a natural tendency to
arrange themselves in their thoughts by perceived rank, and it is hard to
judge the relative worth of a narrowly defined peerage against one which could
be granted for so many different things.  If a "broad" peerage is seen as too
easy to earn, that makes people feel that the other peerages would be
devalued.

Also, because the proposal covers so many different types of endeavors, I
think perhaps some people feel there may be potential for overuse.  For
considering the granting of a "broad" peerage, it could be easier to find
rationales for granting that may not be acceptable in more narrowly defined
peerages, and more difficult for people who disagree to argue against the
grant.

In a strictly operational sense, because it covers so much ground, there could
also be many problems for the person deciding whether to grant it. 
Considering someone for such a peerage would require scaling activities in
many different fields against each other.  Say that someone is a *really* good
scout--how does his ability in that field compare to a heavy fighter's winning
a particular tournament?  Is scouting important enough that it deserves to be
compared to tournament fighting in judging a person's accomplishments?  I
think if the proposed peerage came into use, for a conscientious person to
consider granting it, the deliberations would be even harder.

I'm not sure anyone would want a process that actually makes such
considerations harder, but I think that's the way it would have to be.  I
believe the only way the perceived worth problem of a "broad" peerage could be
overcome, is to make people understand that earning it is just as difficult as
for any other peerage.  That would require making the criteria even stricter
than for other types of peerages.  Since the endeavors for which it could be
given are so numerous and varied, that looseness would have to be balanced by
tightening the consideration mechanism.

Thanks for listening.  Hope this hasn't been beating a dead horse.


     Tomonaga

------

A long bow and a stong bow,
And let the sky grow dark.
The nock to the cord, the shaft to the ear,
And a foreign king for a mark!

     --  Stolen from "The Song of the Bosonian Archers" --
               By Robert E. Howard, who should be
                 the patron saint of Ansteorra

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