ES - Re: response to role playing

[Armand Dragonetti]

First, I want to thank Her Grace for promoting this dialog. It is very
beneficial to periodically step back and try to evaluate the larger picture
from time-to-time. (#7 of Dr. Stephen Covey's Seven Habits of Highly
Effective People)

I too agree that individuals have a right to display their interest in the
SCA however they choose. However, reflecting on how my perception of the SCA
has changed over the short time I have been involved, I must agree that
*some degree* of role play should be earnestly encouraged. I highly value
the new friendships and acquaintances I've made within the Society. As those
friendships mature and grow, I'm encouraged to spend more and more time with
them on SCA activities. What may have started as something fun and
educational to do on the weekend begins to shift into a whole new lifestyle.
In the process, the magic and "dream" of the SCA (for me, from my
perspective) is put in great danger of being diminished as I begin to share
my mundane life issues with my new friends. (Note: I say in _danger_ of
being diminished, not that it absolutely _is_ diminished.) Sharing mundane
concerns and activities is natural among friends, but it increases the
challenge of keeping it from spilling over and spoiling what is at the heart
of the SCA and what made it attractive (to me) in the first place. If a
majority of us can make a conscious effort to do some amount of role
playing, I believe this danger can be minimized. Obviously we have differing
abilities to do this, some are much better at it than others. And some
rarely if ever need this reminder. (Unfortunately, I am one who needs it.)
This is one of the reasons why I believe the Lions of Ansteorra are so
important. The very nature of the Lions will probably prevent them from
being self-promoters. But I think we all need to be reminded of the example
they set for us and why we value them so highly, and then promote them more
often ourselves. A little bit of role playing can go along way to help keep
the society from diminishing into just another mundane social club.

Some people may feel a little incensed at the suggestion that they "play" a
role, feeling instead that their values and character remain the same in or
out of SCA activities. I truly respect those individuals who strive to and
do embody our 'SCA' values through all aspects of their life. (I strive to
do that myself.) But I think this attitude or feeling misses the concern
being expressed here. We can all slip into mundanity even if at our core is
an SCA persona. A little role playing is, in a sense, a form of insurance
and an easy way to keep mundanity to a minimum. It's a small, inexpensive
way to add great value to our society as a whole. Forgetting to role play is
easy and the "dream" can begin to slip away almost unnoticeably, and for
this reason I say "Vivat!" for Her Grace for giving a gentle wake-up call.
(She may not have intended it as such, but that's the way I choose to apply
it to myself.)

In your service,
Lord Armand Dragonetti
(aka Mad King Charles VI at The Battle of Three Kings)
Perhaps I'll have a chance to role-play sometime following that event.

And remember, these opinions are worth _every_ farthing you paid for them.
:-)

----- Original Message -----
From: <willowjonbardc at juno.com>
Sent: Sunday, August 06, 2000 8:28 PM
Subject: Re: ES - feed back needed does this make sense?


> I have been trying to express Jonathan's and mine opinion on role
> playing. I am not sure this hits the mark.  Please look this over and
> give feedback.
>
> Recently there has been a lot of talk implying that  role playing is not
> needed. I personally believe that everyone has a right to display their
> interest in the SCA in their own way but I would like to comment that a
> little bit of role playing is needed. Many people talk about the "good
> things" of the SCA "the dream". They talk about nobility, honor, courtesy
> and graciousness. They talked about how they are not always found in the
> "mundane" world. And they talk about our losing these things in our
> kingdoms. The ideals of the SCA come alive when we play the SCA game. Our
> titles and the courtesies we do are  perfect examples. They have no
> meaning in the regular world they only have meaning in the medieval
> construct we have created to experience the middle ages. When we become
> too real we become mundane and the values of the real world become
> paramount. If we want the ideals of the SCA to be important to the people
> in the SCA we need to do some role playing to make sure our make believe
> world seems real.

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