From: bull@vaxc.cc.monash.edu.au
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: I am still bewildered
Date: 11 Nov 92 12:07:20 GMT
Organization: Computer Centre, Monash University, Australia

bull@vaxc.cc.monash.edu.au writes:
> vader@meryl.csd.uu.se ("]ke Eldberg") writes:
>>
>> Greetings from William de Corbie!

        Ok, so I'm replying to myself, but I want to clarify and expand
a few points I briefly mentioned earlier.

>> The most bewildering thing of all is the mixture of, on the one hand,
>> great dedication to authenticity and scholarly research -- and on the
>> other hand, the way SCA people totally ignore many flagrantly OOP things.
>> On the one hand, we are extremely keen to do the *real* middle ages,
>> and not some fantasy. On the other hand, these efforts are confined to
>> a few sectors, while much larger parts of SCA life is allowed to remain
>> in a fantasy world.
>
>         The majority of SCA members are college students who have little
> if any reliable knowledge of what life was like in "period" before they
> join. These people tend to view the SCA as some grand costume party with
> its own elaborate rules and games. For may of these people, the pressure
> to perform well academically precludes them from making any prolonged
> effort to research their chosen period and locale. They simply settle for
> some standard which, *to them*, isn't glaringly OOP, but in many cases,
> they don't know they're OOP, and many don't care.

        As I was saying, some people don't have the time to properly research
their persona's background, some don't have access to adequate information,
and some simply don't care. Part of this can be alleviated by those of us
who are in a position to perform accurate research. If we can provide some
reliable information on what a particular region and period was like, in
a handbook format, people who don't have the time/resources/motivation to
perform their own research can use the handbook. This could help put us on
a path towards some sort of standardised "minimum level of authenticity".

        What would the format of such a handbook be ? One book could not
hope to cover the entire time and locale accepted within the SCA (all of
Europe from 600AD - 1600AD). It would be more reasonable to break it up into
regions and itentifiable cultural periods. The emphasis of such a project
should be to provide the information in a manner which encourages the reader
to use and experiment with (eg food recipies, garb patterns, music scores, social
customs, etc). Much of this information is already known to historians in
universities, all we need to do is tap their knowledge and distill it according
to our needs. This may also help establish better relations with our critics
among the academia.

        I believe a project of this type was started, but I don't know what it's
exact aim was, or it's current state.

>> I see a system of orders, ranks and titles which has almost nothing
>> to do with any historic time or place. It is sheer fantasy. Still, the
>> resistance to all suggestions for reform is extremely stiff. "USA: Love
>> it or leave it" was once the battle cry of those who supported the
>> Vietnam War. I find similar attitudes in the SCA, and some people get
>> angry even at the idea that anything could be done to improve this
>> Society and its system.

        It falls back to the question "Are we a historical re-enactment
group, or are we a recreation group which uses European history as it's
theme?".

>> I see a system of rulership which, if seen as historic re-creation, is
>> ludicrous -- and which can only be understood if you know about the
>> peculiar American fascination for sports and competitions.

[My comments about people being too attached to SCA rank and status deleted]

        You'd like to see the SCA system changed? Fine, so would a lot of
other people. What do you want to change it to, and how many other people
will support your choice?

        Step 1: Reach a broad consensus about what the SCA is.
        Step 2: Establish why the current system is bad for the SCA.
        Step 3: Outline a historically accurate system (or several systems)
                which answers the problems of the current system.
        Step 4: Reach an agreement on which system should replace the
                current system.

        I don't like your chances.

        Don't mistake me. I support the idea of reforming the SCA, but the
stumbling block is to get the general membership to *want* to reform, and to
decide what route the reform should follow. I shall even put some of my money
where my mouth is and look to commencing a handbook of the type I outlined
above. I'll bend a few ears in the History department at this Uni and see what
responce I get.



           Bull@vaxc.cc.monash.edu.au  OR  bull@monu1.cc.monash.oz
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