[Artemisia] A closed mouth gathers no feet

Sun Aug 12 18:19:42 CDT 2007

----- Original Message ----
From: Cat Clark <cat at rocks4brains.com>
To: artemisia at lists.gallowglass.org
Sent: Sunday, August 12, 2007 3:27:10 PM
Subject: Re: [Artemisia] A closed mouth gathers no feet

On Sun, 2007-08-12 at 10:28 -0500,
artemisia-request at lists.gallowglass.org wrote:
> I disagree- if you do not believe that the Dream of Knight Errantry
> and Chivalric Actions and Courtly Graces is alive and well, 

>Morgan dear,
I must not have written clearly enough. 

I appreciate your clarifying your point, and apologize that my response was not more in-line with the point you were making.

>I was attempting to make the point that the 60s zeitgeist of our 
founders is now hurting us because if we continue to try to be all
things to all people as an organization, the loss of focus may
very well cause the Society to fail and break apart. 

And again, I must disagree.  We are not a 15th Century tourney society, focused only on the armor and combat and behavior of that rather limited concept, that is true.  Nor, from what I have read from those original members, is that what they really intended.  We are indeed spread hither and yon, across the span of the globe and a full millenium of time.  We have many people who do indeed enjoy the 15th century tourney society concept, who view armored tournament combat as the central focus of the SCA, and to be honest as long as we choose our Kings that way, it will be.  BUT, there are many of us, you included, who don't believe that tournament combat is the ONLY focus of the SCA, nor should it be.  I dare to include you as an example in my disagreement with you because I know damn well that your Laurel is not for 15th century tourney combat.  Your own statement as to what made up the core of the mission of the SCA, the idea that Ted and Ethel (you used
 different names) can be Robin and Marian, shows that not all of our focus is there, since Robin and Marian are not in a tale of armored combat, but one of archery. 

We are not just living, or trying to live, the life of Chretien de Troy's Lancelot and Guinevere, we are also Robin and Marian, Tristan and Isolde, Cyrano and Roxanne.  We don't just focus on 15th century tourney combat, we focus on archery, 9th century melee combat, and the Arte of Defense (rapier).  Yes, we try to make a place for any and all, but that does not detract from our mission.  Our mission, to my mind at least, is to introduce the 21st century world to the concepts of Chivalry, Courtesy, Noblesse Oblige, Prowess, Generosity, and Courtly Love.   Once we introduce Ted and Ethel to these concepts, the next step is to show them how they can live them now and then, on weekends.  the third step is to impress upon Ted and Ethel that not all of us leave these concepts in the closet with our garb, but instead try to live up to the Chivalric Ideal every single day.  You see a lack of focus, I see a focus on acceptance, politeness, and generosity that
 makes us much stronger than a focus on some historically specific period or place.  You fear that lack of focus will destroy us, I *know*, in the deepest core of my soul, that our very broad, unrestrictive focus will not only make us stronger, in years to come it will make us even more attractive to the modern people around us.

Yes, right now even in just our Kingdom you and I could easily point out the people that only got the "free-love" idea from our founders, and yes, as a Society we have had to move farther towards the mainstream and away from the fringe, because of things like insurance, waivers, and the like, to protect our Society and it's members from the harsh reality of the real world.  In recent months we have seen the very brutal intrusion of the real world into our Dream, when we all learned to our dismay that our easy-going, free-wheeling attitude about trusting in the Chivalrous behavior of others has resulted in some of our children being subjected to a fate worse than death (yes, being molested is worse than death, I speak from experience).  And still, as the administrative officers begin taking steps to prevent such things from happening again, the 60s zeitgeist you refer to pops right up, with literally dozens of people in this kingdom alone stating that
 they are concerned that we not invade the privacy of our potential youth officers by conducting background checks.

No, there is no room for many of the things we do in a 15th century tourney society, things like Arts and Sciences Competitions, Combat Archery, Target Archery, Rapier, belly-dancing, brewing, Youth Combat, and in all honesty everything else that isn't simply Armored Tournament Combat.  Thank God I didn't join a 15th century tourney society, because there would now be no place in it for me.  How many of our 30,000+ members do you really think *would* have a place in such a society?   Yes, we now have an incredibly broad scope, a society in which a 12th century Norman follows a Mongol of indeterminate time on the throne, and in which an Irishman of indeterminate time is fortunate enough to have a 12th century Persian lady as his Queen.  My Dream is not the same as yours, or Sean's, or Ralph's, but the beauty of our society being so wide open is that I'm pretty sure that Ralph Bigod's Dream bears but little resemblance to Ronan of Hereford's, and I *know*
 that Niccolo's Dream is much different than Jahan's was.

You see the fact that our Society is spread across more than a millenium in time and across the globe in "acceptable" cultures as the future death-knell of our Society, and I see it as our saving grace.  As long as people like Baroness Rachel Ashton, who's garb is exactly correct for her time and place, become close friends with people like Cormac, half of who's garb is, admittedly, something he saw in a movie, we are accomplishing our mission.

We have a Society where politeness and acceptance of people *as they are* is the base, how can you doubt that we still carry that Haight-Ashbury "summer of love" zeitgeist first and foremost in our actions?  Because of this Society, my closest friends are people that have, to me, the most incorrect political views, belong to a religion that I find questionable at the least and humorous at the best, and because I know the Chivalry and Grace that lives in each of their hearts, I learned that I can disagree with their views and still love the person.

The SCA, *as it is, right here, right now*, is the answer to Rodney's oft-repeated question:  Yes, we CAN all get along, if we put forth the effort.

>The most telling piece of evidence that the SCA has some of its roots
planted in the Haight is the concluding act of Diana's farewell party
cum first tourney, where the participants marched up Telegraph Ave.
in Berkeley in garb, carrying signs protesting the 20th century...

And how many of us, had the idea been put forth, do you think would have happily donned our garb and walked in the New Year's Parade in our local area in 2000, with signs protesting the advent of the 21st century?  How many would do it right now, if word were past across the Society's 30,000+ members? 

You are educated enough to know that, like fashion, history has identifiable cycles.  Right now, the United States is coming to the end of a political cycle that is more right-wing conservative that any since the MacCarthy "red scare" era of the late 50s, if not more so than even that one.  You know what came after that one, so what do you think is coming next now?  

"All I am saying, is give Grace a chance!" (with suitable apologies to John Lennon, and anyone who has heard me sing)

Morgan

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