[Artemisia] (not so much about) Uprising fees and (more about) NMS

[FactorOfSurprise at aol.com]

In today's culture, it is very easy to develop a sense of entitlement that is 
mostly, if not completely, unmerited.  It's very convenient to feel that 
everyone should pay the same entry fee at events, despite the fact that one has 
paid membership dues and one has not.  That feeling doesn't make the resulting 
conclusion (ie. there should be no non-membership fee/ membership discount - 
call it what you will) true.

Because we are an organization run for the most part at the grass-roots 
level, we tend to not see it in the same light as comparable activities such as 
organized sports or clubs.  Researching belly dance classes in the area - most 
have $30 monthly fees, as opposed to ~$20/35 yearly fees charged for membership 
in the SCA.  Being a member of a belly dance club does not make it more 
enjoyable than being involved with the SCA, even though I would pay more money.  It 
does not make them a better value or give me extra perks.  In fact, I would 
still be responsible for the cost of costumes, the cost of transportation to any 
performances or clinics, and fees for special workshops.  If I decided not to 
pay the monthly fee, I could still attend classes on a class-by-class charge 
(which would add up to more than the $30 monthly fee) and workshops with an 
additional charge.  This is part of life.  It is not people gouging me or trying 
to rip me off.  

If a person doesn't wish to be involved in a society that has a 
non-membership surcharge, they are welcome to create their own society and not charge it.  
Granted, this will eliminate all the benifits that membership fees and 
non-membership surcharges pay for.  They will not be part of a world-wide recognized 
organization with insurance and a good reputation, which will make it 
incredibly more difficult to find places to hold events.  They will not have a 
ready-made pool of people interested in the same activities.  They will not have the 
wealth of knowledge and experience that we have in the SCA to draw on.  They 
will not have the supplies; loaner garb, loaner gear, feast and kitchen 
supplies, that baronies and shires have purchased with their money: gained from 
events, fundraisers and (if I understand it correctly) a portion of our membership 
fees.  None of these facts are coersion to keep people from leaving the SCA 
and setting up their own groups.  They are inevitable consequences of actions.  
They are not part of a malicious design set up by people with no sympathy for 
those who do not wish to pay for the activity they participate in, they are 
simple facts of life. 

The fact that there was declining membership in the SCA doesn't necessarily 
mean that the cost of running the organization declined in a similar manner.  
Read the post from the good Baron and Baroness of 1000 Eyes about the reasons 
behind raising the cost of Uprising, and you will see a real life example of 
this.  People want to participate in this activity without paying the full 
membership fee, and they are allowed and even encouraged to do so.  However, they 
are not entitled to the same priviledges as those who pay a full membership, 
nor should they be exempt from making payment equivalent to their participation. 
 If they want to participate less, then yes, they should pay less.  That does 
not mean they should pay nothing.  They are not entitled to that.

Bijou Jacqueline Josephine de Fontane