[Sca-cooks] OT- Input request from SCA BoD/politics

[Vongraph]

> >Every social club or group has politics.
 I have been following this thread for a while and find allot of it very
interesting. I should preface this with the fact that I joined the SCA
orginally in 1972 and I still love the game/dream/hobby and I am neither
bitter or resentful of any thing I have experienced.  Been doing this a long
time and for the first 22 years + I was not effected by politics. Not that I
didn't voice opinions and such, or even take sides in minor debates either
on BoD policy or local intrigues:)  In the last few years, maybe because I
am now retired and in one place (Trimaris) I find that the politics are more
rampart than they used to be. Maybe they are not and before I just never
noticed them.  But the politics I see now ae within the scope of people
"using" the Crown or Kindgom, or even the BoD to further their agendas. Be
it take over control of or destroy a Shire, Baroney or such or just get even
with people they dislike. What amazed me was the guilability of the Crown or
Kingdom Senschall to be taken in by these actions.  Cronyism is alive and
well in our organization and the worst part is that the BoD (which by the
way is what I consider their biggest failing) goes along with whatever pap
is fed them by the locals.  It is simply to much effort for them to do
serious investigation of claims and counter claims.  And of course if the
information given is by a crown (even when in reality the crown has only
second hand knowledge of whatever) then it must be accurate.  It takes way
to much effort for the BoD member to actually find out the truth.  Off times
the Crowns are the most political of parties, not because they start out
that way, but it is so tempting to give into the "folks" who seem to be so
dedicated to the well fare of the Crown.  That is very polite way of saying
that ass kissing in the SCA is still the best way to succeed:)  As far as
people leaving the SCA due to politics, the statement was made that the ones
who leave are the ones involved in some political scheme that fails, I have
seen that most who leave are those who are either bored or disgusted by the
games going on around them or those who expend tremendous effort to make
this a fun game for everyone  and because they do not belong to the right
cligue not only never receive any recognization or become easy targets for
the more predetory of our social climbers.  It is sometimes discouraging to
watch.  To see folks who do everything short of offering sexual favors (and
that is oft hinted at:) ) to someone who they think might be King again is
in the least embarassing. It is embarassing to see someone who is supposed
to act as our head of state allowing people to fawn on them and responding
to it in kind. That is the politics that I find bad in this game.  Not just
the usual stuff of the want-tos trying to oust or take over from the can-dos
but the simple acts of the Crown cowtowing to the suck ups.  The BoD needs
to be revamped but as to who is capible of doing so I can't offer a
solution.  This newest thing about gee maybe we should raise the fees, gee
maybe we could just send the tailwinds etc out by computer, gee maybe we
should just sit with our hands up our butts and do nothing, is so much bull.
Why can they simply take a stand and say "if you want to do this, play with
us, or enjoy this game, pay your way!".  It was awesome thing for bunchof
hippies to say we do this and its for free, those days are gone, this is the
real world if we are to survive we have to realize that no matter how much
we think of the daily SCA as a game and hobby, in reality it is a business
that MUST be viable in the business sense.

Getting down off soapbox.

Elric