[Sca-cooks] Out of the food topic altogether rantAuthenticitypolice

[Bronwynmgn at aol.com]

In a message dated 2/7/2005 5:26:55 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,  
jugglethis at yahoo.com writes:

<<I wish my experience was similar to yours.  In my own  experience, 
'Authenticity Police' seem to be
working from a  'holier-than-thou' mindest, which I find despicable, and 
which is why the term  has
gained a negative connotation. >>
 
And sometimes people assume that anyone who mentions authenticity in a  
positive light automatically has a "holier than thou" attitude, whether they  
actually do or not.  I have a friend who was approached by someone asking  if the 
gown she had made from a mundane pattern was period.  My friend was  very 
circumspect and said it was fine for SCA use.  The person insisted she  wanted the 
details of how it was or wasn't period, so my friend pointed out that  the 
colors were great and the overall style was close, but that zippers and  fake 
lacing made of rick-rack braid weren't period.  The person who  had asked for her 
opinion ran away in tears, and I'm sure told  everyone how mean this 
authenticity police person was, despite the fact  that she had insisted she wanted the 
information in the first place.  I  have also had people assume that I would 
tear people down by pointing them out  as examples of what not to do in a 
class on authentic headgear that I was  teaching, when the only purpose of the 
class was to demonstrate and allow people  to try period styles and I had no 
intention of even noticing what the students  were wearing unless they brought it 
up themselves.  This was from someone  who had never interacted with me, but 
who assumed that because I am an  authenticist, I would of course be holier 
than thou and tell everyone how wrong  they were.

<< What
I do NOT take well is someone standing  over me wearing a pair of sunglasses, 
and ridiculing my use
of Doc Martins on  the battlefield.  And don't try to CYA by giving me some 
clap-trap about  how you
*have* to wear them because the Tetracyclene you are taking for your  Cystic 
Acne makes you
sensitive to sunlight.  That just makes things  worse.>>
 
In my opinion, it's a valid medical reason to depart from historical  
accuracy, and bears no relationship to whether they are right about  Doc Martens 
being period footwear.  But it also has no bearing on the fact  that if they are 
really ridiculing you about it, then they are being  overbearingly rude even if 
every single thing about their person WAS totally  accurate.  I have to wear 
mundane eyeglasses to function at an event.   I've tried a number of contact 
options and my eyes don't tolerate them.  By  your criteria, since I have no 
choice but to wear the mundane glasses for my own  safety, I should then never 
mention anything about authentic clothing, cooking,  or anything else to anyone 
else, even though I may have just the information  they are looking for.  
That is nonsensical.
 

<<If you camp in a nylon tent, you've got no room to criticize  anyone, for 
anything, at any time. 
The same holds true if you wear any piece  of garb, no matter how small, 
which was not made of
period fabrics, in a  period manner.  It really does not matter *how* the 
person speaks to you  in
this case... it's a matter of *if* the person speaks to you.  People  who 
live in glass houses
should not throw stones.>>
 
Then no one can ever possibly ever discuss authenticity with anyone ever  
again.  Because there is probably no one in the SCA who doesn't have some  
inaccuracy about their person, even if they have made every effort to be as  
accurate as humanly possible.  Hey, I've had and survived a cesarian  section with a 
living baby.  By your criteria, that will forever prohibit  me (and my child, 
when he's old enough to do so) from ever talking to  anyone about anything 
authentic, because the fact that I and my child are alive  and I have a surgical 
scar across my lower abdomen means neither I nor he  are perfectly authentic.  
It doesn't matter if I am the soul of courtesy  and only answer questions 
that you ask me without ever criticizing; you said it  doesn't matter how 
politely I speak to you, but that I have no right to speak to  you at all on that 
subject.

<<Now, if someone has their own ducks  in a row, and wishes to offer up 
advice to me on a particular
subject, then I  *may* listen to them.  If they are 100% authentic in every 
aspect of their  SCA
life, then I *will* listen to them, and thank them for taking the time to  
offer their insights.

Everyone else can keep their  distance.>>
 
Then you are going to be extremely lonely.  Because there isn't anyone  in 
the SCA or even the mundane academic historical world who can fulfil the  
criteria you've set for who can give you advice.  Even if someone had a  time 
machine and went back to 1404 and bought all their supplies there and  brought them 
back, they still wouldn't be 100% historically accurate, because  they might 
have fillings in their teeth, had survived a disease because of  antibiotics, 
and at the very least simply have no way or reproducing the mindset  and 
upbringing of a 14th century adult.
 
Brangwayna