From: viking@iastate.edu (Dan Sorenson)
Subject: Re: SCA geography (was: through a looking ...)
Organization: Iowa State University, Ames IA
Date: Fri, 18 Dec 1992 07:25:50 GMT

doconnor@sedona.intel.com (Dennis O'Connor) writes:

>We're a big society. I personally think there's plenty of room
>for non-European personas. I know it's stretching it, and as
>they say in the books : non-Europeans are assumed to be foriegn
>guests in a European culture and should behave accordingly.

	I agree!  To me, the fetish for European personas stems
mainly from the fact that most of the population here, and in the SCA,
is white.  Being of Nordic extraction, I'd look darn silly with a
Mayan or Egyptian persona, and I suspect that black SCAdians would not
wish to play Mayan, Norse or Celtic people for similar reasons.  

	However, that doesn't mean there isn't room for this in the SCA.
It does, however, place a burden on non-European, or rather uncommon,
SCA members to fabricate a believable story and act as guests in the
company of Europeans.  As any minority can tell you, the latter is often
the case anyway in mundane life.  As a nordic-type in both SCA and
mundane life, my obligation is to make life easier for non-whites in
both groups.  How might I do that?

	First, I think respect and acceptance are the keys.  Second,
we have blonde caucasians playing samurai, so the distinction between
being "in persona" and not is fairly clear even if the races are muddled.
Personally, I just do a "willing suspension of disbelief" and accept a
black viking as readily as I do a white Samurai.  Last, I do my best to
ask things such as, "So how did you manage to get to this far-away land?"
and not pick apart the story, nor act suprised if the answer is "I was
born here.  Why do you ask?"  (response: your accent made me think you
were from someplace else.  It's of no matter -- tell me, what did you
think of that pheasant at the feast?)  If it is difficult to disbelieve,
a private conversation along the lines of "Your blonde locks make it a
bit difficult to think you are Japanese.  Have you thought about using
some Brylcreme or even Vaseline to darken them for events?  A bit of
eyebrow marker suitably applied might make your eyes appear less round
and really add to the effect of that garb.  Drop on by my tent a bit
later and we'll experiment!" is not only polite, it helps both parties.

	Minorities (and even some majorities, such as women in the USA)
have enough problems as it is.  The SCA, I feel, looks beyond the person
and at the persona.  It is an obligation of the majority personas (the
Danes, the English, the Celts) to accept them just as we do Italians
in real life playing Cents in the SCA.  There is, so far as I can see,
no difference.  When the obvious, such as skin color, makes one a
bit uncomfortable, figure out why and help accordingly.  If the reason
you are uncomfortable is because that viking has a katana on his hip
and heavy eyelids, offer a bit of constructive insight and do your best
to help rectify the situation.  If it's because the skin under that kilt
is black and not pale, offer a bit of help on forming a good reply to the
obvious questions of how he came to Scotland.

	If the base reason for being uncomfortable lies in the person
and not the persona at an SCA event, my suggestion is that one learn
to separate mundane from persona matters at events.

	Erik Aarskog
	Axed Root, Calontir

< Dan Sorenson, DoD #1066 z1dan@exnet.iastate.edu viking@iastate.edu >
<  ISU only censors what I read, not what I say.  Don't blame them.  >
<  "This isn't an answer, it's a pagan dance around a midnight fire  >
<   written in intellectual runes." -- Rich Young                    >