[Ansteorra] What has happened?

[Bethany Burke]

I must tell this story
 
Two years ago at Gulf War I was at the heraldry submission table.  I took out my wallet for some reason and proceeded to leave it on the table.  4 hours later I noticed it was missing.  I had in it over $50 and was frantically searching for it.  I went back to the herald's table hoping someone would be there because they were supposed to be closed, they were there cleaning up and I found my wallet which was put aside for me.  My hopes of finding my wallet were only that I still have my Driver's License and Social Security card still there, but the true show of chivalry was that all of it's contents were accounted for.  At an event the size of Gulf War and the amount of people that were at this heraldry table, is proof that there is still much morality and respect with in the SCA as a whole.
 
Now I have been to dry site events that had the same alcohol displayed by the end of the night.  I will also admit to my part in this as I was drinking.  I started out doing this because I was told by one of the people in charge that it was ok as long as it wasn't obvious.  For my part I believe that I did only drink out of a period container and that my bottle remained hidden in my tent, but I was very drunk myself and it was possible that it was left out.  The next morning I awoke and began cleaning up the alcohol remnants immediately because it didn't need to be seen by site owners.  I believe I left my camp site cleaner than I found it. 
 
I am also a smoker, and I collect cigarette buts from sites often.  One way that I have found to keep from having the amounts of butts scattered around is to make sure there are places to put them in all over.  Coffee cans half filled with kitty litter around the main event areas work great.  I have an elephant statue with a bowl like thing on the top that I keep at my camp site to use as an ash tray.  I then clean it out 1-2 times per day so that strong winds wont blow them out and scatter the site.  This has also been used at indoor events so that the smokers know where the smoking area is outside and where to put there butts.  
 
The biggest change I have seen in this society is not the disrespect of sites or site owners it is people walking past someone who is obviously over burdened with stuff, many times going in the same direction carrying nothing themselves.  When I first started playing I didn't put up my own tent and I wasn't allowed to carry even my basket without someone running to snatch it from me.  Today I put up my tent and pavilion, carry my ice chest a chair and a basket to the list field while people walk past me carrying nothing.  Yes I can do it myself, but I remember when... and I am disappointed.
 
Elizabeth

Michael Smith <morganbuchanan at hotmail.com> wrote:
Plato and Aristotle said the same of the youths of their day.

50 years ago, you might find someone who would ask around as to who dropped
a dollar. It was worth more. And before you jump me for suggesting that
morality is relative, ask yourself: If you found a quarter on the ground
today, would you do anything but pick it up and think "half way to a soda
out of the cheap machines at work" or some such?

But frankly, I don't buy your degeneration examples.

Maybe it also depends on where you are. I bet money I could drop a dollar
on the ground at our fighter practice and the children there would find it
and ask every adult if they'd dropped it. A TWENTY? If it was gone, it
wasn't someone in the SCA from my local group who got it.

As to the lack of site-respect: The world goes by pretty fast, and people
tend to forget stuff. Human beings, being what they are, need the
occasional kick in the pants to let them know they're straying. If every
one of us just makes the decision to go out and do better personally and
teach those lessons by word and deed, we'll get back to where we belong.

Respectfully submitted,
Morgan



		
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