Re: [Epic] Re: SCA

From: <duckrvr_at_...>
Date: Wed, 19 Feb 1997 10:23:04 -0600

At 11:09 AM 2/19/97 -0800, you wrote:

>> While there are a number of perfectly normal, well-adjusted people who enjoy
>> the medieval re-creation,
>
>Never met one. <g>

There are admittedly few.

>> there are a number of people who are attracted
>> because it is 100% escapist. They have disfunctional mundane lives.
>
>ie a lot like wargamers in general.

I disagree. Most of the wargamers I know are gainfully employed adults
(engineers, pharmeceutical reps, grant writers, etc.) with relatively stable
home lives. This is not to say they weren't geeks in high school/college,
but they out grew it for the most part. I have problems with the
out-of-work handy men living at the poverty level with their two kids who
are attracted to the SCA, or the 300 pound women with low self esteem and
large mouths that seem to show up with religious frequency.

Yes I know there are unemployed wargame fanatics and 300 pound Copenhagen
chewing slobs who think they know everything there is to know about WWII
weaponry and combat, but I still think they constitute a considerably
smaller percentage.

>> The other thing is that everyone who is a member is convinced that they are
>> medieval historian despite the fact that a number of completely unfounded or
>> just plain wrong beliefs are passed around the society as gospel truth.
>
>ie a lot like wargamers in general. Oh, I've already said that. Oh well.

You got me here.

>> Oh, yeah. If you are a guy, you are pretty much expected to fight
(despite . . .
>
>That depends very much on where you are. Here in Politarchopolis, about
>30% of males have never fought in the Eric, and only 30% are actively . . .

Wow. I would say a good 60 to 80% or more of men in Meridies fight, with
about 5% of the women dong so. Combat Archery is not very popular (or at
least wasn't a couple years back). So the women are outnumbered about 20:1.

I averaged about 3-4 events per year for about 4 years, entered a couple
brewing contests (ranked in the middle), assisted a feastcrat on a 21 course
feast and feastcratted a 15 course feast myself (including the rest of the
event, of course). I went to Border Raids with the Middle Kingdom, and
other Kingdom level events. My point is that I fell I had a pretty good
feel for the SCA as a whole in the Southeast US, and it was pretty much as I
described it everyplace I went. there were isolated pockets of "normalcy,'
but by and large a lot of people needed help in their mundane lives. Their
lack of what I consider to be good priorities is one of the things that
turned me off tot he SCA in general.

>Which kingdom? As I said, the 'culture' varies not just from kingdom to
>kingdom, but Principality/Barony/Shire to P/B/S.

Meridies. Shire of Ezaret. We had fairly close contact with Gladenfeld
(formerly a barony in Nashville, but I think the in-fighting reduced their
numbers so they are a shire now), the Barony in Knoxville (Thor's Mountain,
I think) and I had friends in An Dun Theine in Huntsville, AL.

Temp
Received on Wed Feb 19 1997 - 16:23:04 UTC