[Ansteorra] Traditions (was the Attack of the "Authenticity Police")

[Christie Ward]

Kat MacLochlainn said:
>I used to say that same thing alot, but in recent
>years I'm finding that quite a few of the newer
>players (and some of the old ones too) have little or
>no interest in tradition.  They have goals and agendas
>for themselves and my perception has been that they
>don't care how much of our history is erased in the
>process of reaching those goals.

As a really *not* newer player, I object.

A while back when Bjornsborg had its big anniversary party, we drug out the 
old photo albums and looked at photos of events over the long years.

In the very earliest, there are freon can helmets and bare list ropes, and 
people are sitting on the ground on little 3x5 rugs from Walmart.  Several 
visibly have plastic "steins" with logos from sports and businesses. Armor 
on the fighters - soft elbows and knees, a kidney belt, and I think cups on 
the guys, plus those helms.

Jump a year or two ahead, the pictures now have everyone sitting in 
director's chairs on their 3x5 Walmart rugs.  Most people have pewter mugs - 
obviously folks have discovered the thrift stores and garage sales here, but 
how dare they abandon old traditions?  The freon can helms are gone, there's 
occasional torso armor (though often made of carpet or old life vests), and 
knees and elbows have hard armor.  Some heinous non-traditionalist has added 
colorful pennants to the list ropes stencilled with a baronial badge.

Another year, and like mushrooms blue dining fly "pavillions" have popped up 
around the list field.  Also, due to a non-traditionalist urging (gasp!) 
change, everyone in the barony just about had gone and made a painted banner 
with their personal arms, and these are hanging from and around the dining 
flies, adding a bold splash of color and an enormous whopping dose of 
medieval atmosphere.

Skip a few years forward, and actual medieval style pavillions have 
appeared.  We start seeing medieval-style chairs,and a range of 
medieval-style drinking vessels.  More heraldry is everywhere.  I guess the 
traditionallists have been run out of town on a rail judging by the photos, 
but look, *all* the people in the pictures through the whole span of time 
all appear to be having fun and smiling.  What's up with that?  Don't they 
know valuable traditions from When Rocks Were Soft have been lost?

::GUNNVOR::