From: corun@access.digex.com (Corun MacAnndra)
Subject: Re: Pennsic Land Allocation
Organization: Express Access Online Communications, Greenbelt, MD USA
Date: Tue, 1 Sep 1992 20:53:50 GMT

In article <BtwyKF.MyI@gpu.utcs.utoronto.ca> aryk@gpu.utcs.utoronto.ca (A.J.S. Nusbacher) writes:
>In article <1992Aug31.042115.27413@access.digex.com> corun@access.digex.com (Corun MacAnndra) writes:
>
>>If you want  to be allowed to pay extra money for more camping space, then
>>you sould volunteer to be Autocrat and then you can set the rules according
>>to your personal agenda. I warn you though, Autocrats who do this are not
>>looked on favourably by the rest of the populace, and many of these may be
>>folk you will have to deal with locally for the rest of the time you're in
>>the SCA. 
>
>Interesting question.  I rather like the idea of an autocrat who volunteers
>from a sense of enlightened self-interest.  A sense of martyrdom shouldn't
>be the only possible reason to volunteer.

Aryk, let's not confuse "personal agenda" with "enlightened self-interest."
An Autocrat who sets rules that allow a fair and equitible sharing of land
would be working from enlightened self-interest, since they would have a
chance to set a standard that would benefit them in the future under another
Autocrat. Someone setting a rule that allows dishonest folk from buying up
more land than they really need and thereby screwing the populace at large
would be working from a personal agenda. This is all IMHO. Also, I never
said anything about martyrdom. Anyone working a job anywhere in the SCA
out of a sense of martydom should't be in that job. The same is true for
anyone working for an award, be Pelican, Laurel, Knighthood, etc. We should
be doing the jobs because they need doing and that competently. We should
then teach those jobs to the next generation of volunteers. It's not like
the Society can go out and hire professional Autocrats and historical teachers
so we can learn the things we want in order to play a more fun game. We
all are charged with the responsibility of passing on knowledge and good
works to the rest of the Society. I wish to learn more in a variety of fields
and be able to pass that knowledge on to others. I'm not a professional
teacher, but I like teaching. I've thought recently about going back to
school and getting a teaching degree. The gods know how much our education
system is in need of good teachers. Too bad the government can't see that
and bolster our educational system financially. Books, not bombs.

>Autocrats who do _anything_ are "not looked on favourably by the rest of the
>populace", and accusations that the Pennsic Autocrat has done things because
>of a personal agenda are common regardless of actual intentions.

I will agree with the last statment, but never with the first. I've known
many Autocrats who have done such splendid jobs that they are asked by
the populace of the local group to do it again. Your last statement is true
only because of the pettiness and self righteousness of so many people. 
People who would work from their own personal agenda for their own benefit
and noone else's. I don't think your own local Autocrats are going to think
much of our attitude toward them.

>The job of War Autocrat has traditionally been taken by somebody with a vast
>capacity for taking on work.  As such, the job has in the past been a gruel-
>ling one.  It would be impressive to see it taken on by somebody who is good
>at delegating responsibility.

You imply many things here.

1) All War Autocrats have a great capacity for work, and noone who doesn't
has never been War Autocrat. I've only been to seven Pennsics and have only
known the Autocrats of two, but a desire to do alot of work does not mean
a capacity for it.

2) The job of War Autocrat will become less grueling in the future. Not!

3) No War Autocrat has ever been good at delegating responsibility. I have
seen Autocrats delegate jobs, but the ultimate responsibility for anyone
volunteering to undertake any task of the magnitude of Pennsic belongs only
to that person and cannot be delegated. You are responsible for the actions
of those you delegate jobs to. When my household ran Security at PWXX we
bore the brunt of the actions of a few yahoos from other households who
volunteered to take shifts and summarily pissed off the populace of Pennsic.
In some cases we removed these people from jobs that would allow them to
interact with the populace and gave them something harmless to do like
lost and found paperwork or manning the base station radio.

The feeling I get from your comments is that you don't see the entire
picture of running Pennsic. I've tried to convey what I believe several
of the past War Autocrats would like to say themselves. If they did, they
would probably be met with derision and accused of making excuses or of
blowing their own horn. I also get the impression that you've never Auto-
crated and event or worked with an Autocrat. I hope I'm wrong. You've made
some rather learned comments on other threads, and I'd like to think you're
one who does, and not one who only benefits without doing.

In service,

Corun

-- 
===========================================================================
    Corun MacAnndra     |  The great thing about travel is getting to
  Dark Horde by birth   |   meet new people and see new places.
    Moritu by choice    |                            G. Khan