SC - OT Creativity Changes

[david friedman]

At 1:53 PM -0400 6/26/98, Christine A Seelye-King wrote:
>Duke Cariadoc writes:
>>If you want to do something different, there are lots of period
>>recipes that haven't been done yet. And of course, in most groups,  a
>serious attempt at a period feast is something different. What bothers me
>is how often the desire to "do something different" means a gimmick
>feast, designed with no thought about, or concern for, the availability
>of  period recipes (i.e. a "Marco Polo" feast or the like).<
>
>Your Grace,
>	I don't understand what is wrong with a themed or 'gimick' feast
>(although I dislike the term).  I know that they did themed affairs in
>period, Elizabeth I was known for this sort of thing, and others,
>although I can't lay my hands on other specifics just now.  Now, whether
>or not the feast is planned with an eye to specific availabilities, that
>is something that must be addressed.  But, I think the theme events,
>feasts, contests, whatever are a good way to make the connections in
>people's minds as to what was happening in a given area, and what else
>was affected by it.

There would be nothing wrong with a period themed feast--i.e. one that
would have been done in period. But in my experience, that isn't what SCA
themed feasts are. I very much doubt that anyone in period did a Silk Road
or Marco Polo feast. For one thing, until late in period, they didn't know
enough about Asia to do it. They are events coming out of a 20th century
mindset, not a medieval or Renaissance one.

>>>Have we moved from living the Dream to attending a
>>graduate-level history class?
>>
>>No--in lots of ways.
>>
>>1. Our average is more at the kindergarten level.
>
>Oh, come now.  Perhaps the American average, but the average knowledge of
>the folks in the SCA?  Not a chance.  I once read that the average number
>of books bought and read by Americans was 2-3 a year.  I have been
>merchanting books for a long time in the SCA, and I can personally tell
>you that our average is WAY above that! :)  Even counting the newcomers
>who have little or no idea past what they have seen on television, they
>still have SOME interest in learning about our period, or they wouldn't
>be here.  Especially considering the state of public education in
>America, I think you do a great injustice to the intelligence of the SCA
>community to rank it so low.  ...

"Kindergarten" was, I concede, rhetorical exaggeration--but I was
responding to the suggestion that the SCA norm corresponded to a graduate
course. I agree that many people in the SCA are interested in learning
about our period--but I am by no means sure it is a majority. And I would
say the fraction who know as much as someone who has taken an undergraduate
course in medieval history at a good university is well below half. And the
percentage of the SCA population that confidently believes things about the
Middle Ages that aren't true may well be above that for the general
population.

How, by the way, can you tell from your own experience that the SCA average
consumption of books is way above 2-3 a year?


David/Cariadoc
http://www.best.com/~ddfr/


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