[Ansteorra] demos, teaching and service

[MoreBrianna at cs.com]

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The original question harkens back to the old philosophical mind teaser....
If a tree falls in the middle of the forest and no one's around, does it make
a sound? If a SCAdian teaches a hundred children to tat and there's not
another SCAdian around, does it count toward service?

First of all, if a demo is scheduled on a date where there are no major
conflicts (major kingdom events nearby, etc.) there's no reason why SCA
participation shouldn't be enough to offer plenty of "witnesses" for the
contributions i.e. service being done. The only "unofficial" aspect would be
if the Crown or a representative thereof were to show up and give awards,
those awards would not be "official" until read by a herald at an official
event.

Secondly, to get a demo to be an "official event" is not difficult per se.
Some individual assumes title of autocrat for the SCA activities, an official
group agrees to sponsor, two office-holding individuals should be present,
and an announcement is posted beforehand in an official SCA publication (in
Ansteorra, the Black Star.) This distinction only truly becomes necessary
when you're counting event participation for things like eligibility for
Crown Tourney, etc.

While this may seem odd, it works. In Europe, the SCA has much competition
from many role-playing organizations to professional re-enactors. Often,
beautiful castles are made available for Demos (free of charge) and while
there is much else going on around, there is a little corner of the SCA doing
what we do, replete with court and feasts.

The major selling point of the SCA, versus the competitors is that, as the
Handbook states, we are "dedicated to the principle that we learn through
doing." The focus of the SCA is participatory rather than audience-oriented.
While demos are great for recruitment purposes, there is a rather cliquish
aspect of serving, teaching, or likewise being measured in terms of benefit
to kingdom and society. (Back to the tree analogy above.) It is wonderful if
you are the best [*enter skill here*], but if you only demonstrate this and
teach this to non-scadians, then as good a person as you may be, that will
not likely get you recognition within the confines of the Society. (And as
yet, I have not seen an award given for the individual who recruits the most
paying members.)

Any event has the possibility to be demonstrative. Mundanes have wadered into
many an event asking questions about the weirdoes in the costumes, and leave
with slightly more education about the society and the middle ages. Demos
specifically offer many opportunities to serve and teach, but that is the
premise behind SCA events, too. To forsake one for the other is to limit your
own opportunities and diminish your possible audience.

Teaching is noble, and we are all nobility in the SCA. Just seems natural.
:-)

~Lady Brianna of Arundel~