[Northkeep] another opinion
Hugh & Belinda Niewoehner
burgborrendohl at valornet.com
Wed Jun 6 06:15:02 PDT 2007
Another personal opinion:
I don't think anyone is trying to rain on someone's parade. Marc nailed
it with the proper word "courtesy". Some suggestions:
Think of court as a movie theater. Of course, people make a quick
comment, whisper, etc. during a movie. But if their child is screaming,
they don't like the movie, or their phone rings, they leave the
theater. If court is boring (which I agree many are) don't stay--after
all you didn't have to pay to get in. I like the current royal policy
of keeping it to an hour. Even most children (and those of us raised in
the TV generation who have short attention spans) can handle being
bored/sitting for an hour. If not, I wouldn't come. The idea of
threatening people who make disturbances worries me. I've heard of
serious fights resulting in movie theaters under such circumstances.
Partying is a part of the SCA. No one wants to forbid it. However,
common courtesy would suggest that if you know you want to make a lot of
noise, don't camp next to the people who have children who need to sleep
at a reasonable hour. I always admired Their Excellencies Thorgrim and
Sigen for camping 'way out there' so that they could party as loudly as
they wanted without disturbing others. Is it an inconvenience to walk
that far? Yes. But no one ever complained about them and they were
willing to make that sacrifice for the interest of peace. Kindness
would not make the people with small children (and us old folks) seek
the far reaches of the campsite to get a little sleep at a reasonable
hour. And no matter how much you like to party, there are limits.
Nothing illegal should be taking place at an SCA event.
Agreed,we all have our own ideas of what we want out of the Society.
Does it meet my expectations? No way near it. But there are a few
people I've met who try to play the game the way I hoped it would be.
Unfortunately, I don't see them often and don't know them well. But I
still enjoy associating with those who don't share my views. I,
personally, like the way populace meeting is currently run. It brings
the atmosphere of the Middle Ages at least partially into the
picture. Many people have expressed that they want that and the pros
and cons were discussed prior to the elevation of the current Coronet.
Of course, we can't recreate the middle ages perfectly and wouldn't want
to. But the flavor, the mood, whatever, can be attempted. I have not
seen any authenticity police in Northkeep. We only last year bought a
period tent and we've been playing here over twenty years. My clothing
is not entirely appropriate to my persona (No one knows what tenth
century Andalusian women wore--if you do, please let me know) but I make
a close guess or wear something I like that fits the weather and no one
has given me any trouble.
At this last event two things occurred which reflect _my_ opinion of
chivalry. I was walking with a heavy item and a gentle quickly
approached me and offered to carry it. "At least some of us believe in
the old ways," he told me as he did so. On Sunday morning, however, as
one of our ladies (not me) struggled to lift a large trash can to empty
it, two healthy young men sat and watched her. Should she have asked
them to help? Maybe. But wouldn't it have been more to their credit if
they had offered? I'm not suggesting that men must throw their cloaks
across mud puddles, etc. It just seems to me over the years that there
are less of the type of gentles in the first category. I think this is
a reflection of our world in general and not just the SCA. And not
considering other people's desire to hear court or sleep fall into the
same category of selfishness in my opinion.
Although I probably have offended someone, it was not my intention. As,
Lord Angus Gunn said, these are generalizations. I can think of no one
in Northkeep that I wish to hurt or offend and if I have done so, please
accept my apologies.
Ismet FunForemost Sevdah
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