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<DIV><FONT color=#000000 size=2>I was reading Spykes words shortly after getting
through the 'Pompous Ass' thread and they struck me as profound and
inspiring:</FONT></DIV>
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style="BORDER-LEFT: #000000 solid 2px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px">
<DIV><FONT color=#000000>Awards are too often seen as the proof of
"divine" knowledge, and the right to act in a manner contrary to
what they would have acted like before they received the award. In
real life, and organizations like the SCA, too often people get the
"Big Frog in the little pond" syndrome.
</FONT></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE>
<DIV><FONT color=#000000 size=2>It wasn't long ago at all that I had no rank to
speak of whatsoever in the sca and I spent some time in groups worldwide both
large and small. Odd thing that I noticed early on was that in places with
little or no growth rate, low event attendance, and little inner activity rank,
titles, and awards had the *utmost* importance to the residents while in places
where the opposite was true the award structure in the sca was understated and
something that newcomers picked up on through participation rather than in
formal discussion or in classes. Too often I've sat in on classes in
groups like those in the first group given by those who use it as a venue to
describe their own awards, achievements, and heroic deeds rather than as a venue
to disseminate information to those needing it. I think this is a serious
turn-off to newcomers who are bar-none the most important members in the
society- I doubt there's a peer, duke, prince, or king who would dispute
it. My point (and I do have one) is that we need to find a way to curb
this type of behaviour and keep those new members who might otherwise be
alienated by the award-touters who hinge their self-esteem on the charms
we give out in court. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#000000 size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>But how?</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>One way I can think of in the class example would be to at
least require a class screening of some kind when any group does an instruction
oriented event (colleges, A&S events, newcomers events, academys,
etc). We seem to have very little in the way of a written standard for
these types of things and I think that some sort of class 'authorization' for
instructors might be in order. I know as a knight, I'd rather not have
Lord Fadedjeans Can't-fight-for-beans teaching new fighters at a combat academy
to hold their swords betwixt their buttocks and their shields over their eyes
while walking backwards at the enemy simply because he's a member of the famed
and glorious Order of the Scarlet Muskrats Whisker and wants a pulpit to tell
about the time he saved the kings ex-wifes cousins friends mothers boyfriend in
Oertha in the second War of the Soggy French Toast Sticks from a falling
marshmallow bag.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>I realize that at first something like this might lower the
number of availiable instructors but anyone who has been to Lillies War can tell
you that this kind of thing can and does work. I've never had a day at any
other instructional event filled with good instructors who weren't hung up on
themselves as I did at Lillies. I know I speak for a great deal of people
when I say that memories of a class with Lord Fadedjeans at an instructional
event here is hell enough to make a duke fall on his sword. I'm tired of
these folks turning a college into a crap-shoot and running off the newbies to
boot. "... hope this instructor will be good... [dice roll here]...
Oooohohohoo, a seven! Gala Cunninghams belt class!.... here comes the next
one... AIEEEE not snakeyes! I can't take a full hour of Lady
Count-my-Grants class on what her Star of Merit means to her!"</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>Now all of that doesn't solve the big fish/little pond
problems back in the local groups... but it's what I thought of to
help.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>Any other ideas on how to curb the award-touters on the local
level? I've been stumped on that one for ages.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>Dieterich</FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>