[Artemisia] Heckling from the peanut gallery & long courts

[LadyPDC at aol.com]

Regarding my post about comments from the populace during court:

Tangl, I also would not like to see us lose the humor in court nor the more 
relaxed atmosphere that can and is mixed well with the pageantry of court.  
However, I see two problems with an open invitation for anyone to make comments.  
The first is that your definition of what is humorous and mine might be 
vastly different and ours can and will be even more different from that guy two 
rows down.  Who defines which humor is appropriate?  The second is that, while 
your humorous comment might be quite appropriate and apprapo, the fact that you 
do it makes that guy two rows down think that it is ok for him to also do so.  
His humor, unfortunately is not quite so appropriate and is downright 
offensive.

Fortunately, there does exist some period protocol for just such an 
eventuality.  The royalty or Baronage can tell the populace that they allow any 
comments and take their chances.  They can also appoint "jesters" who are the ones 
allowed to make such comments and keep the humor and relaxed atmosphere in the 
court.  We have many who can and do fulfill that very period occupation very 
well and without offending anyone.  In fact, it only adds to the recreation in 
my opinion.  It also gives the royalty some control over what will be said by 
whom in court and how much time such "jests" will add to the length.

On the length of court.  My concern was not with the time but with the loss 
of importance of recognition both big and small.  There are no small awards to 
the person receiving them.  But when you have 30 AOA's awarded in a row 
followed by higher and higher awardings, the importance of that first AOA can be 
lessened.  I know that there are times when such must be done simply because it 
is a big central event or because we got behind in awarding.  But perhaps we 
can come up with ways to bring back the importance of those awards.  Such ideas 
as have been presented of listing the awards in the Sage as a part of the 
event recap or having some of them presented in Baronial Courts might be a 
possible solution to that problem.

OK, I am rambling I think so I will stop and return you to your regularly 
scheduled discussions.


Lady Constance de la Rose
Barony of Loch Salann
Kingdom of Artemisia