[Regia-NA] SCA-style vs. Regia-style discourse

Mon, 10 Mar 2003 20:33:55 -0000

sounds like my work clothes and tents. all of which started life different
colours:))
vara
----- Original Message -----
From: "Douglas Sunlin" <dsunlin@hotmail.com>
To: <list-regia-na@lig.net>
Sent: Monday, March 10, 2003 8:28 PM
Subject: RE: [Regia-NA] SCA-style vs. Regia-style discourse


> Well, at this point, my wool and linen costume bits as well as my geteld
are
> all beiege, beige, beige, (and have been so for 2 years) since I have yet
to
> hear any d
> irections on which colors are suitable. Playing it safe...
>
> On manræden, Osweald of Baldurstrand
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/California_Viking_Age
> http://www.geocities.com/baldurstrand/
>
>
>
>
>
> >From: JuditheileenY@netscape.net (Eileen Young)
> >Reply-To: list-regia-na@lig.net
> >To: list-regia-na@lig.net
> >Subject: RE: [Regia-NA] SCA-style vs. Regia-style discourse
> >Date: Mon, 10 Mar 2003 14:31:28 -0500
> >
> >Thank you, Thora.
> >
> >Carolyn Priest-Dorman <capriest@cs.vassar.edu> wrote:
> >
> > >If someone is looking for solid factual documentation, and is
frustrated
> > >because she isn't finding it, it isn't helpful for her to be hearing
> > >something like this.
> > >
> > >>But then, there isn't any solid
> > >>documentation for the existence of children, either. We know this, we
> >have
> > >>three on site, and trying to explain them away is just the pits...:-))
> > >
> > >Nonsense! There's plenty of solid carbon-dated evidence for the
> >existence
> > >of children of all ages throughout history, in the form of skeletons.
> > (No,
> > >as a mother I don't like to contemplate the existence of dead children
> > >either, but the truth is important and sometimes needs to be said.)
> > >
> > >It is more helpful to the questioner if the people who respond either
> > >answer "yes, here's the documentation," or "X has the documentation, go
> >ask
> > >her," or "no, I don't have documentation." Rhetorically phrased
> >factually
> > >incorrect responses don't do anything to either help or calm down the
> > >frustrated questioner; they just inflame the situation.
> > >
> > >I have noticed this particular culture-clash problem repeatedly on this
> > >particular list. It simply is not easy to orient oneself to Regia's
> >world
> > >view and values from the remote location of the New World. Kim has gone
> >a
> > >long way toward providing insight into the problem when he points out
in
> > >his most recent Regia-NA post the basic penury of Regia as an
> >organization,
> > >and how Regia can't often underwrite publication of members'
> > >research. This accounts for the paucity of membership and/or
> > >organizational handbooks, etc. (I think I have a copy of every official
> > >Regia document--handbook, bylaws, and fighting rules. Is that it?)
> > >
> > >However, most of the results of research in the SCA are similarly
> > >unpublished. And however easy it is to take pot-shots at the SCA for
its
> > >base level of inauthenticity, the simple fact that serious high-level
> > >researchers live, research, play, and produce documentation there
simply
> > >cannot be laughed off by anyone. The SCA solves this problem by
> >vigorously
> > >promoting (and rewarding) discourse among the membership about factual
> > >historic information they've found, in the interest of ensuring a more
> > >authentic game.
> > >
> > >In the SCA, when someone asks for documentation it's because he wants
to
> > >make or do a more period thing. It's not a challenge to the communal
> > >knowledge of the entire SCA--it's a praiseworthy impulse seeking an
> > >outlet. When North American SCA people come to Regia, as I did, they
> >seek
> > >to be oriented to the knowledge base of Regia in just the same way and
> >for
> > >just the same reason. They express this need by talking to the only
> > >populace they can lasso: the e-groups. But I've noticed that many times
> > >what they find is a baffling silence, a bewildering language barrier
(it
> > >*seems* like English, much of the time), or assertions about what is
and
> > >isn't historically authentic by people who get hostile when their
> > >statements are probed for the underlying sources.
> > >
> > >SCA people need to understand that the rank and file Regia member does
> >not
> > >always know what the documentation is, because that's the express job
of
> > >the local Authenticity Officer. (This is not a criticism! I'm willing
> >to
> > >bet that the rank and file don't know much about what the local group's
> > >ledgers look like either, for the same reason.) But in the SCA, there
is
> > >no "Authenticity Officer" post. Regia people need to understand that
the
> > >insistence of SCA people on sources of fact is not a challenge, but the
> > >result of the deliberate "authenticity vacuum" in the SCA hierarchy.
And
> > >both sets of people need to understand that if Regia-NA is to flourish
we
> > >will need to work toward creating some middle path that satisfies both
> >Old
> > >World operating methods and New World acculturation.
> > >
> > >Remember, the ultimate goal here is to have fun being authentic; that's
> >why
> > >we're all here, isn't it?
> > >
> > >
> > >Carolyn Priest-Dorman Þóra Sharptooth
> > > http://www.cs.vassar.edu/~capriest/thora.html
> > >
> > >
> > >_______________________________________________
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> > >list-regia-na@lig.net
> > >http://www.lig.net/mailman/listinfo/list-regia-na
> > >
> >
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