[Ansteorra] on leaving the SCA--

[Bree Flowers]

On Tue, Feb 5, 2013 at 2:08 PM, Hugh & Belinda Niewoehner
<BurgBorrendohl at valornet.com> wrote:
>> When people
>> are attacked for suggesting a 'slave auction' as a fund raiser or using the
>> word 'nazi' in a Seinfeld-esk "soup nazi" connotation, I just sigh.  Are we
>> truly that sensitive and ready to see evil in others?  Does political
>> correctness ever take a break?  If I disagree about the 'periodness' of a
>> certain policy change does that make me fair game for attack? When people
>> make the effort to overcome Life's problems to be a part of us, let's make
>> sure their experience is welcoming, encouraging and worth their effort. The
>> SCA has always welcomed people of all sizes, races, and creeds with no
>> judgement.

Um, when part of your complaints were about things being too mundane,
how is calling anything a "nazi" fitting in with that period ideal?
Last I checked that was a pretty 20th century term. This isn't
entirely about political correctness either, it's about being polite.
We are all trying to conduct ourselves in a noble fashion correct? If
you wouldn't call anyone a c**t or an a$$h0le or a B*tch on this list,
then why would it be acceptable to call them a nazi either? It's an
ugly term for ugly people that did ugly things. I can't conceive why
you would want to apply that to any of your friends, even in jest.

And to add to your comment that we want to welcome all people... how
welcoming do you think it is to those people who were victims of that
movement to see the word bandied about as if it's no worse of an
insult than being called a "perfectionist"? (and that's where I most
often see if being applied)

In a conversation with a small group of people that you know very
well, it might be acceptable to use it "humorously", but on a public
list it's just not cool.

As to the enchanted campground idea... might I suggest that you are
setting the bar a bit high by asking for persona stories? And by "you"
I mean "y'all", like anyone who is thinking of trying out this
experiment. The enchanted grounds at Pennsic and at Estrella don't
require that everyone who enters their boundaries have an extensive
back-story, just that they leave the modern behind. You don't need to
tell the story of your character's life, you don't even have to know
where or when your character is from, you just have to turn off your
cell phone, hide your coke can and not talk about your mundane job.
Even that challenge is harder than it sounds at first blush, which is
why they cordon off the area and let you step outside if you need to
go back to the mundane for any reason. Talk about the weather, talk
about the fighting that day, talk about the crafts you are doing, sing
songs, tell stories. It's really relaxing. Don't feel like you need to
do a lot of research and immerse yourself in a character :)

~Astridr