on the road again
so I do a lot of traveling but you already know that. Last week I had lunch with two officers in Colorado, and we were discussing the weekend and I told them I went to the Renaissance fair just outside Denver. They mentioned they had been before, but it's the same every year, blah blah blah. I then mentioned I was surprised not to see the local Medieval group have a presence at the fair.
"You mean the SCA" one of them said.
Now, when someone can name the group by their Initials it perks my ears.
"Whats the SCA?" the other asked.
"Society for Creative Anachronism" He replied.
"OK so now I'm really tuned in. Anyone who can actually NAME the SCA by its full title has definitely had a run in with them of some sort.
So I said "Have you played?", casually.
"Yes," he replied, but with a hesitation. I knew from the look on his face and the tone in his voice, the experience had not been good.
"I went with a friend, and it was interesting, and I can see where I would have really gotten into except for the insular attitude of the asshole we ran into. He was more interested in his group and keeping some perceived power, than welcoming new people in. We got so turned off, I never went back."
And here, people is the sad truth about some groups in the SCA. Some people perceive a power they "Think" they possess, by keeping new people out. They don't want to take the chance of some new dynamic face stealing their thunder with their new ideas, and fresh attitude. Like the old penguins in Happy Feet, Change is bad!
This happened 10-12 years ago. I have to wonder, are those same people still playing? Is their group dying or did they change their ways? Or, did someone come along and displace them, as often happens with dynamic newcomers.
For the SCA to survive, I think their needs to be some changes. Changes in the attitudes within the groups, changes in the way chatelaines do their jobs, changes in the way we structure our events.
We need to be more encouraging, more accepting, and more aware of how our personas are perceived by others. We need to keep the politics at home with the new folk, and we need to encourage them as much as possible. We need to be tolerant of what they know, and yet at the same time, educate them on what the SCA is, and how we play it. Gently, like teaching a child, and re-enforce the ways in which we do things. Education is the key. Not just the arts, and the medieval history, but the true SCA culture. What they do with that knowledge will define them in the SCA and make them viable members of our community. Have events that reflect both a medieval theme and an SCA flavour.
So the next time you see a face you don't recognize, don't turn away, reach out and greet them. You never know what they bring to the table.
That cop that I had lunch with - amazing woodworker. Potential lost.
"You mean the SCA" one of them said.
Now, when someone can name the group by their Initials it perks my ears.
"Whats the SCA?" the other asked.
"Society for Creative Anachronism" He replied.
"OK so now I'm really tuned in. Anyone who can actually NAME the SCA by its full title has definitely had a run in with them of some sort.
So I said "Have you played?", casually.
"Yes," he replied, but with a hesitation. I knew from the look on his face and the tone in his voice, the experience had not been good.
"I went with a friend, and it was interesting, and I can see where I would have really gotten into except for the insular attitude of the asshole we ran into. He was more interested in his group and keeping some perceived power, than welcoming new people in. We got so turned off, I never went back."
And here, people is the sad truth about some groups in the SCA. Some people perceive a power they "Think" they possess, by keeping new people out. They don't want to take the chance of some new dynamic face stealing their thunder with their new ideas, and fresh attitude. Like the old penguins in Happy Feet, Change is bad!
This happened 10-12 years ago. I have to wonder, are those same people still playing? Is their group dying or did they change their ways? Or, did someone come along and displace them, as often happens with dynamic newcomers.
For the SCA to survive, I think their needs to be some changes. Changes in the attitudes within the groups, changes in the way chatelaines do their jobs, changes in the way we structure our events.
We need to be more encouraging, more accepting, and more aware of how our personas are perceived by others. We need to keep the politics at home with the new folk, and we need to encourage them as much as possible. We need to be tolerant of what they know, and yet at the same time, educate them on what the SCA is, and how we play it. Gently, like teaching a child, and re-enforce the ways in which we do things. Education is the key. Not just the arts, and the medieval history, but the true SCA culture. What they do with that knowledge will define them in the SCA and make them viable members of our community. Have events that reflect both a medieval theme and an SCA flavour.
So the next time you see a face you don't recognize, don't turn away, reach out and greet them. You never know what they bring to the table.
That cop that I had lunch with - amazing woodworker. Potential lost.