Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] merchants as Laurels

[Lorenz Wieland]

Morgana Abbey wrote:

>Refusing to recognize someone's art because they sell it is very much a
>modern affectation.  I have a lovely book of 15th century Italian
>artists' contracts.  Those artists *SOLD* their work.  No sell, no eat,
>no live.  I really wish the people harping on that would do some research
>rather than pull a modern prejudice.
>  
>

I think this may be more an "SCA thing" than a "modern thing."  While 
there may indeed be a vocal modern minority who dismisses any artist who 
is so debased as to sell their work for filthy lucre rather than 
starving the Way The Gods Intended, I don't really see this as a primary 
motivation of those who think SCA merchants shouldn't be Laurels.

Rather, the idea that we're an all-volunteer organization sometimes gets 
perverted into the idea that we should be a free lunch organization.  To 
bring this back somewhat on-topic, I think the same mind set leads to 
one of the frequent lamentations I hear (and, sometimes, say) that some 
people still complain that their multi-course feast with over a dozen 
dishes cost slightly more than a Happy Meal.  There's always a lurking 
suspicion that someone, somewhere is making out like a bandit off the 
feast fee.

The other factor may be the inability to distinguish differences between 
different types of merchants.  We tend to remember the ones selling 
mass-produced, overpriced tourist shlock, but often don't notice the one 
next door who has hand-crafted everything with perfect period tools and 
techniques and is just hoping to make enough money off it to pay for 
their materials, and if they're lucky, the wear and tear on their tools 
or their merchanting fees so they can do more of the same.  Even armor 
and bladesmiths, the artists who do seem to get Laurels despite being 
merchants, aren't immune from this lack of discrimination.  I've lost 
track of the number of whines I've heard these guys endure about 
beautiful hand-forged blades costing more than a piece of stamped 
railroad track from some catalog.

-Lorenz