This deserves separate disposal as a wretched analogy: a TV contract is not an “award” for the work already done, by a body established for that purpose; it is a contract to do work, by a profit-making business.
OK. Hello, long time SCA person here.
I’m not going to pretend everything is this groups is sweetness and light and perfection. People will get overlooked, people will get ripped off, I wouldn’t call the system completely fair - at least if you are looking for the cookies.
I know the SCA’s weaknesses. I’ve lived through them.
You have to accept that the person in charge making rules and decisions in your kingdom got his job by hitting someone else with a stick. That does not always make for the best decision makers. Fortunately, there are some rules they cannot break due to rules being determined by The Society.
My early years in the SCA were marked by a horrible environment - The Philadelphia region was run as a cult of personality by one Baron - a guy who, if you weren’t one of his ‘preferred people’ then you were nobody. This lasted ten years, and while Barons are elected, not fought for, the system was easily gamed.
I was also a rapier fencer in an age when the stick and armor fighters were completely disdainful of that practice. Hating it utterly and pretty much wishing it would go away.
So why did I put up with it?
It was fun.
I loved fencing, I loved the costuming, I enjoyed it. I didn’t go to as many events as I do now (partly because my sleep schedule on the weekends was screwed up) but I went to a few here and there.
I didn’t seek any awards and I didn’t get any. Some extremely petty politics entered my life but after a brief burst of anger I got over it and went back playing with swords.
It got better. I won’t say it got perfect, but it got better.
Eventually that cult leader of a local Baron got a tap on the shoulder from some Dukes who told him to cut that shit out. Around the same time a sea change happened in the Kingdom where people realized they didn’t have to just vote for the loud knight who ran. To put it in perspective: When I first joined, every Baron was a Knight - a guy who hit people well enough with a stick that other guys who hit people with sticks should be their peer. Fine for the battlefield - not so hot for group administration. These days, no Baron I can think of is a Knight.
Rapier got more respect too, mostly (there are still some holdouts). But pretty much every King for the past 5-6 years has joined Rapier fighters on the melee field at Pennsic. They realized the fencing game was fun (moving up from epees to full rapiers helped a lot). As of last year, there is a Rapier peerage.
The Kings and Queens got wiser too. Some of the people who won the crown in the 90’s can still win it today. But then they were hotshots in their 20’s with more attitude than sense. Now that guy is in his 40’s and has had a career and better experience. When a young King does win they have a household with experienced Dukes to advise them. But given that the costs of being King & Queen is quite high (even with a travel fund) that does tend to discourage many younger candidates who have starter jobs and most likely cannot afford the job.
Again, better does not mean perfect. One major issue hitting the SCA right now, at least in my Kingdom, is that it is taking fighters too long to become Knights. What used to take 3-4 years can now take 9-10 years. Most people who strive to be knights can get discourage. Sadly, a recent King who tried to break this problem suffered from such a horrible PR issue that his efforts were severely curtailed.
Now keep in mind at the same time I have been fencing in the SCA I have also been a Rev War reenactor, and there can be a lot of politics there. But the pool is much smaller - yet stupid antics abound. I cannot remember how many people started units just so they could be officers - even if they were the only person in the unit. It got kind of embarrassing to watch, but hey, the Uniforms were correct (to the best of research anyway!).
I think that’s the thing - I’ve only been to one SCA event beyond my first where I didn’t know everyone’s name. But then, we are the remotest Shire in the Known World…
Yet we say that Laureates in the real world (Nobel-winners, for instance) “won” that recognition – the recipients so often deserving it, we can at least suspend the disbelief that they generally get it on their own merits.
If this expression has been dropped in the SCA, perhaps because so too the suspension of disbelief.
Though in this particular case, “won” is the fitting word indeed – if not by “own merits” so much, at least by “own efforts” – re-writing competition rules to score one’s own strengths highest, and pile up scores for a list to wave at the OL, proved an efficient stratagem; pity not everyone’s in a position to model that specific trick.
And, just as senior students at Harvard Business School keep hedge-teaching junior students the forbidden rites of predatory trading a la Bane Capital, I’m sure variants of this stratagem will be created and explained to would-be Laurels (with the right connections) for generations to come.
Hi, all and to Raven in particular!
I was surfing and came across this thread. I’m the Feilimidh that Raven referred to and I’ll give you the inside on this.
I am not generally a politics player. The handbook that I wrote was not the first service I rendered the SCA. I’ve also served as co-founder of the local barony, and served as it’s chronicler (2.5 times), chatelaine (before there was such an office), child minister (before there was that officer), herald (twice), and taught several arts as well as earning several MK arts and services awards. I had worked with newcomers and children (via pages schools & other activities) for close onto 15 years before the book was plagiarized. I had travelled and promoted children’s activities and newcomer classes Society-wide for most of those same years. Having talked with several peers & royals around that time (and living with a Laurel), I know that the peers didn’t know where to place my kind of service (Laurel or Pelican?). However, after the case came up, any chance of a peerage at all would be moot. As a “proof” that a peerage was imminent, the MK king awarded me at Pennsic the highest MK service award (dragon’s heart) for my work with pages and newcomers. This was also the second award for such service that I received from the MK, the first being a very low level service award (the purple fret). I treasure the Dragon’s Heart as my “peerage”. I continued my activities in the SCA for the next 4-5 years before mundanity and health took me away. Strangely, no more than two years later my handbook was once again plagiarized, printed and sold in at least one other kingdom. That case has yet to be settled 25 years later.
Do I enjoy playing SCA? Yes. Do I enjoy the politics? No. Do I let it make me bitter? I hope not.
Raven may have overstated my case, but circumstantial evidence does lend one to believe…
HL Feilimidh Dearforghail, Dragons Heart, Purple Fret (2), Willow, Twr Mawr (Caer Anterth), Catfish (Jararvellir), …casually known as Fei of Caer Anterth & the Great Dark Horde
I joined in AS9. I got my “highest level service award” (we call it a “Mid-level service award”, since the Pelican is the highest) in AS23. I was made a Peer in AS35.
So, 15 years of service (some years more than others, sure) before I received my mid level (which does not in any way shape or form mean “a peerage is imminent”) and then *ten *more years before a Peerage. Longer than most, but again, not exceptional.
Perhaps indeed, politics interfered with your Peerage. That’s not uncommon, but more often (such as in my case) it was the ability to piss others off, even while working very hard.
So, there’s nothing at all in your history here to indicate that “you wuz robbed” of a Peerage. Your Service is great but by no means super-exceptional. The fact you got a Dragon’s Heart did not mean a peerage is imminent- you can get a mid level award and never get a Peerage, you can even get a Peerage before you get the Award- altho that’s rare. Whoever told you it meant that was very wrong.
To me, your Service really does sound Pelican, not Laurel.
However, yes, if your case came before my Pelican council, I’d be voting for you, based upon your info here. Thank you for your Service.
Man, white people are weird.
Yeah, just reading through it makes me feel like I’m back at high school again.
You’ve never worked in a major multi-national, have you?
I’ve been following this thread because it is so nice to hear of a more dysfunctional culture that the one in which I work.
#NotAllWhitePeople
Who you calling “white people”?
I’ve often had that thought, living in a white-majority culture.
Like Billy Connolly, I’m light blue. It takes me a week in the sun to get white.