[Ansteorra] Good idea Let us share info

[Susan Hill]

"We ignore eyeglasses and obvious modern items like nylon tents. But we can
also take baby steps along the way and inspire others to become a little
more period."

I can't ignore this one, anymore. I've heard more than once, that eyeglasses 
are not period. Yes, they are. They weren't particularly common, but they 
did exist in period.

http://www.teagleoptometry.com/history.htm

I have seen other sources in print, as well, but this one is concise and 
quick for everyone.

The following is taken directly from the www.sca.org website:

The avowed purpose of the SCA is the study and recreation of the European 
Middle Ages, its crafts, sciences, arts, traditions, literature, etc. The 
SCA "period" is defined to be Western civilization before 1600 AD, 
concentrating on the Western European High Middle Ages. Under the aegis of 
the SCA we study dance, calligraphy, martial arts, cooking, metalwork, 
stained glass, costuming, literature... well, if they did it, somebody in 
the SCA does it (Except die of the Plague!).
As you can probably guess, the thing that separates the SCA from a 
Humanities 101 class is the active participation in the learning process. To 
learn costuming, you design and build costumes. To learn SCA infantry 
fighting, you make armor, weapons, shields, etc., and put them on and go 
learn how it feels to wear them when somebody is swinging a (rattan) sword 
at you. To learn brewing, you make (and sample!) your own wines, meads and 
beers.

You will frequently hear a SCA person describe the SCA as recreating the 
Middle Ages "as they ought to have been." In some ways this is true -- we 
have few plagues, indoor plumbing, few peasants. In the dead of winter we 
have other things to eat than King's venison, salt pork and dried tubers. 
However, a better description is that we selectively recreate medieval 
culture, choosing elements of the culture that interest and attract us.



Please note that it says we "selectively recreate." Nowhere does it say that 
we are required to be period in all that we do, nor does it say in anyplace 
that I can find, that we have to be as medieval as possible. This is a 
RE-CREATION group, not a REINACTMENT group. We do NOT have to be completely 
period. We are required only to make a reasonable attempt to do so.

Now the word Reasonable can be a problem, because it means many things to 
many people, but for most of us, it means that we do the best we can with 
the time and money we have. Some of us evolve more than others in our 
abilities and resources, but according to what I read in the stuff I find at 
SCA.org, none of us are really wrong unless we really flaunt our mundanity. 
So long as we make an attempt to garb ourselves (whether the fabric is 
period or not), cover our ice chests, etc, and keep our cell phones and 
pagers on vibrate, or off, we are well within the contexts of our rights in 
the SCA.

We cannot be 100% medieval. Our organization will not allow it. Allowances 
are made for mundane safety and legal requirements. The very premise that we 
are all nobles, albeit lesser ones to begin with, forbids authenticity. We 
do not have a peasant or serving class to do our cooking, help dress us, 
make our clothing, weave our cloth, haul our luggage, set up our campsites, 
etc. For the lady who found offence with the use of a wheelchair or 
motorized cart for a person with mobility issues, I say this.....Are you 
willing to carry that person's sedan chair or litter. If not....shut your 
trap!

People like that who are so worried about things like eyeglasses, wheel 
chairs, an occasional cell phone ring, etc ruining the ambiance need to go 
join a group such as Regia Anglorum who are much more strict in their 
requirements of authenticity.

Cell phones can be a problem. I have needed to have immediate access to one 
for emergency purposes before, for both incoming and outgoing calls, in 
areas where they were not particularly welcome. Fortunately, nowadays, we 
can use settings on them where we can receive calls without being terribly 
disruptive by setting the ringers to vibrate, single beep, etc. If one must 
have theirs on for emergency reasons, I would recommend using these settings 
or just checking it often, then go talk to your caller away from the list 
field, court, etc. If you carry a phone just as a convenience and get a 
phone call from someone for just a social call...let your phone take a 
message and call later or after the event.

Technology has its place at our events. I was extremely greatful for the 
information that Caelin gave us at Warlord a year and a half ago regarding 
incoming weather. He had been able to bring up radar imagery on his phone, 
of a severe storm coming towards us and once I saw what was coming and how 
fast, we were able to make the decision to vacate the archery range in a 
quick and safe manner. We were given enough time to drop the pavilions, and 
get everyone off the field to safety before the storm hit. A few years ago, 
that would not have been possible. We would likely have waited on the field, 
continuing with the activities until the storm was clearly worse than we had 
hoped, and there would have been damage and possibly injuries. Weather 
radios, and anything that keeps us apprised of severe weather is a boon in 
my book, but it needs to be used discretely.

We cannot use horses in the same way that they might have been used in the 
times we recreate, so we use golf carts and walkie talkies to make the 
autocrat and event staff's jobs easier and safer. A bit jarring sometimes, 
and sometimes I think that they could be used more judiciously and more 
effort made to de-modernize them a bit. Families, however that use those 
walkie talkies need to get the ones that don't make so much noise (that 
godawful bleeping) or keep them away from court, etc. They are worse than 
cell phones most of the time. There are better ways to keep track of your 
kids, who shouldn't be left unattended anyway.

In our organization, we aspire to educate ourselves and others about life in 
what is commonly called the Middle-ages. We do so within the constraints of 
a modern society and within the constraints of our own organization. We are 
supposed to be an inclusive group, not an exclusive one. With encouragement 
and support, praise, gentle persuasion, and education, we can bring more 
newcomers along to be long-term members. So long as they are making an 
attempt at re-creating our time period, they are doing nothing wrong.

Being boorish, though period, (boors have existed throughout history) is not 
right in any society...modern, medieval, ancient, etc. If you can't say 
something nice, keep yer yap shut. If something offends your eyes, cover 
your eyes or look the other way. That panne velvet gown that looks 
so...so...yuck, just may be the best that the person wearing it could come 
up with. At least they aren't wearing a chain maille bikini. If a gentleman 
is wearing jeans, because he can't figure out braes and chausses or doesn't 
have someone to sew for him, gently advise him that if he must wear jeans, 
that there are other colors that are better than indigo and help him find 
someone that can make the appropriate lower body gear. If you can't provide 
a solution to the what you percieve is a problem in somebody's garb or gear, 
you probably should leave it alone.

Our organization was created to embrace the chivalric virtues. Somebody 
decided that courtliness
was cool. Courtesy is one of those virtues. Be mindful of your words and 
actions. The golden rule appliles to all of us, peer and non-peer. Do unto 
others as you would have them do unto you. If you wouldn't appreciate 
someone telling you that your attire isn't period (whether or not it could 
possibly happen)....don't say it to someone else, and pretend that every 
newcomer is a king or queen. If you wouldn't talk to the Crown that way, for 
God's sake, don't talk to a newcomer or stranger that way. It just may be 
that that stranger is a visiting Crown who wasn't intending to go to the 
event and borrowed garb from someone. Foot in mouth disease is period, but 
we don't need to recreate it.

In service to Ansteorra and the Dream,

Lady Lyneya de Grey