[Ansteorra] RE: SCA slang

[willow taylor]

You have hit the nail on the head. People are always putting words in my
mouth. When I was in Merides I became some authenticity. monster. Long
time ago we thought everyone traveled at their own pace. We are all
seeking our own level. Joe loves painting so he does that absolutely
correct but he hates to do any kind of acting. Joe can tell you how to
make period paints but his clothes are horrid. Lady Margaret does great
costuming but she can hardly get the courtesies out. Lord Robert can spin
tales all night and knows most of the poetry Edda but can't tell you a
single thing about period siege engines. All of them have holes in their
knowledge but when they get together they share what they know and
everyone learns something, That is the basic concept behind the SCA. We
learn by trying to recreate. We learn by sharing, and doing, and
experiencing. We learn to appreciate each other.

Someone said that they stay in the SCA because of friends. During my 33
years in the SCA I have noticed a sad truth. People who are in the SCA
for the social context often get burned out and leave. People who are
also in the group to learn stay a lot longer. I also noticed if you tell
people that the purpose of the SCA is to make friends they often become
bitter when everyone in the group is not their friend. If I joined a
Bridge Club I wouldn't become upset if the people I played with didn't
become my buddies. I play the game of the SCA and while I think it
wonderful when I find friends in the club I am not upset if everyone
doesn't like me.

> Part of the problem you are seeing may have to do with the prevalent
> mythology that we inculcate our new people with when they join (i.e.
> "stay
> away from those people - they will try to make you do things their
> way,
> they'll insult you and humiliate you publicly, they're _Nazis_").
> I say
> myth because I maintain that while most of us have some example or
> other of
> it happening, I have found that I have been accused of insulting
> people's
> clothing and being a judgmental person -- simply from walking in to
> a room.
>   I don't have to say a word, and people will -assume- that (because
> I am
> interested in authenticity) I'm judging them, their clothes and
> their
> personae.  Now, for those of you who don't know me - I *really*
> don't care
> what other people do, or how they dress.  I don't discuss other
> people's
> clothes with them, unless they bring it up, and even then I'm pretty
> mellow
> about that they've chosen to wear [unless they try to tell me that X
> is a
> fact or accurate, when it isn't].  Heck, I've *complimented* people
> on their
> outfits, or some clever way of doing something, and they've gotten
> insulted.
>   I know it's not just that the fangs and claws put people off
> (although
> admittedly it doesn't help) since I've seen it happen with other
> people too.
>   Because they've been taught people who are interested in
> authenticity are
> like this.
>
> What this means that is when someone takes it upon themselves to
> "help", and
> make uninvited suggestions (and sometimes invited suggestions) to
> someone
> who obviously is new, or has made some sort of fashion decision that
> isn't
> somehow "right" to the helper -- we suddenly have a new anecdote.
> Even *I*
> have my own anecdote on this topic -- having been told by a Royal at
> my
> first event - a Namron Medfaire - that my Garb was unacceptable and
> wrong
> [basic black t- tunic].  But you know, I'm sure that this peer
> probably
> *meant well*. And for the longest time, that encounter defined my
> interpretation of people who were into authenticity.
>
> So, where is this going?  Luciano, you used two figures of speech in
> your
> message: "anyone who tries to enforce some modicum" and "we (the
> history
> crowd) can't possibly win".  I am certain that you did not mean them
> the way
> they came across, at least to me, but I would like to address the
> meanings
> as they came across to me.
>
> There is nothing to enforce, and nothing to win.  As frustrating as
> it can
> be, there are no established standards of dress or behavior -- and
> even if
> there were, we do not have the authority to enforce them.  At best,
> we can
> do (as I hope I am doing in this message) show another way.  A way
> that we
> have as much a right to as those people who aren't interested in
> history,
> research, autheticity, whatever have to how THEY want to play the
> game.
> [Personally, I resent being told, as I have been in the past, that
> there is
> a "right" way to do this, and that if I didn't play by their rules,
> I should
> go somewhere else.]
>
> Marc/Diarmaid
>
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