SC - All Members

[Gretchen M Beck]

Excerpts from internet.listserv.sca-cooks: 5-Jun-97 RE: SC - All Members
by "Christi Redeker @mail.d 
> 
> I have felt intimidated by the list, I remember sending out a suggestion =
> that I read documentation on, but I still wondered if someone out there =
> would find something wrong with it.  I am not the type to feel =
> intimidated often, but when I am dealing with something that people can =
> only guess (most redactions) how it was made.  I mean how hot was =
> something that was cooked over an open flame.  We have no distances to =
> tell us how high from the flame it was so we guess.  Nowadays, we have a =
> definite system of measuring that was different then. =20
> 

I've seen a lot of people post this reaction, and remember having it
myself (well, not in regards to cooking--been at that too long before
joining this list, but when I started posting to the heraldry list......)

I believe this is a normal part of human psychology--when you're joining
a new peer group, you want to be accepted and viewed as competent.  My
experience is that folks in this situation tend to overreact--being
extremely thrilled when someone who is a respected part of the group
already agrees with them, and being embarrased when they don't.  There's
nothing wrong with either reaction, but we, and especially we in the
SCA, need to realize that this is what is going on and try not to
overreat on either side.

toodles, margaret