[Steppes] Akon vs. Scottish festival

[AlKudsi at aol.com]

I'm going to step in once again, and point out something that should be 
obvious, and is a point that seems to have been lost.  Our choice in this matter is 
not whether to have a demo at the Highland Games, it is whether to support 
our brother/sister barony.  Highland Games is an ELFSEA demo, and the greatest 
majority of the participants are from their Barony.  Your mission, should you 
chose to accept it, is whether to support them or not, not make their decision 
for them.  If you want to make a decision, make a decision on whether to go to 
a convention that will not allow us in most facilities, does not want to give 
us good exposure (one fighting demo?) and where the people who drift by our 
booth in various SciFi movie or TV show getups think WE dress weird.  I'm not 
into comic books, anime, or fanzines, so I rarely go to a convention unless one 
of my favorite writers will be there.  I helped out (I hope) at All-CON, and 
I think we generated interest there, but most of the ones who stopped and 
expressed interest were SCA members who have become inactive or were active in 
other kingdoms, and wanted to find out more about how to reactivate here.
 
I resent being considered a geek of any type (sorry, Morgan), but if I am, 
I'm a HISTORY and CRAFTS geek.  I did not get into the SCA via gaming, 
conventions OR Ren Faires, I learned about it through some of my favorite writers, and 
because it gave me the opportunity to live history rather like the Civil War 
reenactors, but without the regimentation they have.  But all of those venues 
attract young people, and people who might, like many on this thread, develop 
an interest after seeing us at our ALL of our various demos.  Therefore, they 
are valid demos.  Trying to quantify how many people join through our demos at 
NTIF or conventions, or Ren Faires is fruitless.  Many people who see us at 
those venues don't sign up, but become interested later and remember us. If we 
are there, having fun, showing what we do, living our personas or doing our 
crafts, we will generate interest. I've done demos at elementary schools 
too...and those young people didn't join the SCA -- however, we gave them a greater 
appreciation of history by being there.  EDUCATION is supposed to be one of our 
missions, and education doesn't necessarily bring in new members.  That does 
not mean it is not a valid demo, however, because it did pique interest in 
learning more about history or a craft!  Trying to say we only got 5 leads from 
this demo, and 30 leads from that demo doesn't mean that much to me...it is the 
quality of the people we attract that means something to me, and whether the 
people that saw us were touched in some way by what we did, whether they join 
or not.
 
So, my point you ask?  Debating AKON versus Highland Games is not the issue.  
We are not here to decide whether Highland Games is a good demo (it isn't the 
Steppes' choice) or AKON is a good demo but rather which ones, if any, we 
actually want to participate in.  And that is a personal choice for each of us.  
Personally, I will be at Highland Games, as every year, but not participating 
directly in the demo.  I go by and visit with my friends, I may sit down and 
weave or whatever for a while, but I'm there to hear good Scottish music (not 
to drink or toss cabers, either!). If my being there helps the demo, great. 
I've been known to "seed" the audience and ask questions of those putting on the 
demos to get discussions going about what is going on, but I do it in 
mundanes.  There are many ways to contribute.  Your decision, each of you, is just how 
you want to do so.
 
HL Saqra al-Kudsi



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