NR - Honor, Politics, and a Principality

[Samuel Walters]

----- Original Message -----
From: Jennifer Smith <jds-emma at operamail.com>
To: <northern at ansteorra.org>
Sent: Wednesday, September 06, 2000 4:34 PM
Subject: Re: NR - Honor, Politics, and a Principality


> On 6 Sep 00, at 16:55, Samuel Walters wrote:
<ME> I do know that almost every political
> > bickering and pissing match that I have seen involves some sort of brass
hat
> > or titled person, somebody is always besmerching another on the basis of
> > their own honor, etc.  Do any of you think that this reflects well on us
as
> > a society?
>
<EMMA> Starting with an AoA, everyone that has that and above is a titled
<person.   That's quite a lot of people.
>
> Assuming you meant "all those high-ranking folks", I don't entirely agree;
I
> think that there can be conflicts at any and all levels -- just the folks
with
> the bigger hats, so to speak, are more visible.  They're also, in general,
> inclined to stick around more, since they've been in the SCA longer than
> someone new.

Your right, I should have said the brass hats and peers not just titles.
And don't get me wrong I am not saying all of them do it but from a little
peoples perspective it can seem that way.  As for the conflicts at lower
levels I agree they can and do exist but my point is that the people who are
supposed to be our leaders and teachers are as you say the most visible and
should they really be having these conflicts in an open forum such as these
lists.

<ME > I personally don't and I tell you I know for a fact that outsiders
tend to
> > see the bad before the good when it comes in the form of personal
attacks
> > and politics on these lists.  Nobody wants to invest their hard earned
> > dollars and personal time into something that causes extra stress.
>
<EMMA> Before I joined the SCA, I didn't see the personal attacks and
>politics I  took for granted that some would exist, because in any large
>organization of  *any* kind you're going to have some.  Big deal.  The
"bad" >that I saw were  the stories of guys getting drunk and rampaging
about a >campsite.  And  yeah, we do have the occasional example of those
(more just >drunk than  drunk & rampaging, thankfully), but it's not as
rampant as stories >would  have it.
>
> We'll never get rid of politics and personal attacks, as we are all human,
> and have failures.  We can, however, hope to minimize the occurance of
> such.

The big deal as you put is that in a hobby, a game if you will, you don't
want the stress of infighting, petty bickering and politics to interfere
with your enjoyment of it.  When I said I know for a fact what outsiders
think, I was referring to friends I had encouraged to get involved in the
SCA who joined the mailing lists to see what it was about and get info.
>From posts they saw they got a negative reaction to the SCA and won't give
it a chance now.

<EMMA> Someone (Sir Barn? well, I know I'm probably misquoting) said >that
the only  real benefit they saw to a principality was that we could get more
>banners,  heraldic displays, and other pomp & circumstance (and then said
we >could  do that now).  I agree, and that's *why* I'm in favor of a
principality in
> general.
>
> Perhaps the folks in baronies don't quite realize the irony of a statement
> such as "but the Crown would visit less".  How many shires & smaller
> groups have seen the Crown at their own events in the past several years?
I
> know Mooneschadowe saw the Crown for last year's King's College only
> because we hosted it.  Yes, it's a large kingdom, and it is a great burden
on
> the Crown to have to travel to every end of it constantly; having a CP
would
> relive some of that burden (financially too!).
>
> I suspect that at a "little people" level, a Principality would mean
essentially
> visits from the CP.  There may indeed be more issues to be resolved at
> higher levels.  I am sure that somehow, eventually, any and all issues
*will*
> be resolved, if only for our own sanity as a region. :)
>
> -Emma
> Mooneschadowe
>
>
> --
> Jennifer Smith
> jds-emma at operamail.com
>

Again Respectfully,

Rhys Goch
Mka Sam Walters

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