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SCA-courtesy-art - 5/22/96

 

Courtesy guidelines by Ioseph of Locksley.

 

NOTE: See also the files: 4-newcomers-msg, SCA-intro-art, courtesy-msg, SCA-trans-msg, p-manners-msg, intro-books-msg, SCA-Personas-art, Earng-Your-AoA-art.

 

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NOTICE -

 

This file is a collection of various messages having a common theme that I  have collected from my reading of the various computer networks. Some messages date back to 1989, some may be as recent as yesterday.

 

This file is part of a collection of files called Stefan's Florilegium. These files are available on the Internet at: http://www.florilegium.org

 

I  have done  a limited amount  of  editing. Messages having to do  with separate topics  were sometimes split into different files and sometimes extraneous information was removed. For instance, the  message IDs  were removed to save space and remove clutter.

 

The comments made in these messages are not necessarily my viewpoints. I make  no claims  as  to the accuracy  of  the information  given by the individual authors.

 

Please  respect the time  and  efforts of  those who have written  these messages. The  copyright status  of these messages  is  unclear at this time. If  information  is  published  from  these  messages, please give credit to the originator(s).

 

Thank you,

    Mark S. Harris                  AKA:  THLord Stefan li Rous

                                          Stefan at florilegium.org

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From: locksley at indirect.com (Joe Bethancourt)

Newsgroups: rec.org.sca

Subject: Re: blackballing SCA

Date: 26 May 1994 08:01:19 GMT

 

Dorothy J Heydt (djheydt at uclink.berkeley.edu) wrote:

: Joe Bethancourt <locksley at indirect.com> wrote:

: >

: >I have a "standard file", SCA101A.ZIP, that I have uploaded to several

: >fundamentalist Christian BBSes, local and otherwise, that has been received

: >quite well. Eric Pement, with the Jesus People Network, was quite excited

: >by it, and makes it available on his BBS as a "debunking" file, i.e. a

: >counter to the absurdities about the SCA by folks like Texxe Marrs (who

: >thinks even the Girl Scouts are a New-Age-New_World-Order-Satanic-Plot)

: >and the like.

 

: Sounds neat.  Would you care to post it?

 

Follows are the pertinent sections (SCA101A.ZIP is a LARGE, self-reading

file for IBM PCs, so I won't, and can't post all of it...)

 

(Chapter 5):

 

 

         SEX, DRUGS, UNDERAGE GIRLS, NUDITY, WEAPONS &C.

 

Very simple: If it's illegal, DON'T DO IT!

 

              If it's offensive: DON'T DO IT!

 

In some areas of the world, drinking by minors is tolerated. In others, it

is NOT. In some areas, the use of psychoactive drugs is tolerated, in others,

they are NOT. Follow local laws. Don't mess up the game for others by your

own stupidity. If a member of the SCA gets busted at an event, we ALL get

tarred and feathered in the news media. Are you willing to face the sure and

certain (and painful!) retribution from the SCA membership after you get out

of jail?

 

In our membership we have many kinds of people, of which not a few are

active law-enforcement officers (both local, State, and Federal), military

people (some with amazingly high security clearances), agents of the IRS,

lawyers, doctors, nurses, priests, ministers and others whose JOBS in the

REAL WORLD will be imperiled if you bring controlled substances to an event.

They would not be very happy with you if that happened.

 

We are trying to re-create the ideals of the Age of Chivalry here. THAT'S

why we do what we do. If you think that doing something that WILL get the

whole SCA in VERY hot water is "chivalrous".....then you better find another

sandbox to play in.

 

Hard words, but truthful.

 

Now we need to talk about some matters that in the SCA are considered normal

and common courtesy.....

 

First, and most important: Gentlemen: if a lady says "NO!" she -means- "NO!"

Period. The End. No arguments, no excuses, no NOTHING.

 

A Lady is a Lady is a Lady. Always. Even if she acts like a two-bit slut,

she is STILL A LADY. Treat her nice. You are not at the local dance-hall, nor

the local bar. You are expected to behave like a gentleman at all times. Do

so, and you will come out ahead. Act like a jerk, and the retribution can be

fearsome.

 

A Lady should not have to carry -anything- she doesn't want to. A Lady

should not have to get her own food. A Lady should be treated as the most

precious item in the whole Universe, at all times.

 

Ladies: If you do not mean "NO!" then don't say it. You also have the most

fearsome weapon in the Known Worlde: your SCREAM. If you are in trouble,

YELL. LOUDLY! Scream your heart out. You will find quite a few of the

biggest, ugliest and hairiest men you've ever seen (and not a few fearsome

ladies) thundering down on you, ready to pull off the arms and legs of

whoever is bothering you. This means, also, DO NOT SCREAM UNLESS YOU MEAN IT.

 

You will be treated like a goddess. Accept it with -grace-, and don't abuse

your position. Act like a lady of the Age of Chivalry, not like the local

<expletive deleted>, and you will gain by it.

 

              ---------------------------------

 

                        WEAPONS

 

DO NOT DRAW REAL WEAPONS unless:

 

        1) in honor of the Crown

 

        2) to show off the blade

 

        3) in REAL defense of your life or the life of another.

 

There are NO other reasons to draw live steel at an SCA event. Period. If

you are showing the blade, shout "CLEAR!" to let people nearby know that you

are drawing a live blade.

 

DO NOT "play fight" with live steel, EVER. Do not act irresponsibly in ANY

manner with live steel. Ever.

 

This includes period (and not-so-period) firearms.

 

Be very aware of local weapons laws. Try not to violate them.

 

DO NOT handle ANYONE'S property, especially weapons and musical instruments,

without the owner's permission......and don't mess with someone's Lady unless

you want BIG trouble REAL fast.

 

Don't be a jerk. THINK before you act, and you'll be OK.

 

           -----------------------------------------

 

Don't join a group within the SCA until you have watched them in action for

a while. Most of the groups (households, guilds and so forth) are OK, but

there are, unfortunately, some that might turn out to be not to your liking.

Just hang around for a while, don't be pressured, and make up your OWN mind.

 

           -----------------------------------------

 

Keep an eye on your kids, if any. We are not baby-sitters. Most SCA people

will keep an eye on kids, BUT: it's not our job, it's yours. If you tend to

bring your kids to events and let them run wild on a regular basis, then you

might get "talked to" about it. You are messing up other people's fun by

doing this, so....make your OWN arrangements for your OWN kids.

 

           -----------------------------------------

 

The SCA is NOT a fantasy role-playing game. If you want to be some kind of

Science Fiction/Fantasy character, most people won't care....but they will

think of you as some kind of nerd who has no clue as to why the SCA exists.

Play the same game as we do. If you want to be an elf, or a 10th level

D&D Wizard, go to a Science Fiction Convention.

 

           -----------------------------------------

 

Most SCA people will treat adolescents as adults. If you are an adolescent,

act like an adult. Be responsible. THINK. Don't break mundane laws at SCA

events. Leave the head-banger tapes at home. Play the Game with the rest of

us, and have a good time. You are welcome.

 

           -----------------------------------------

 

Remember that in the SCA your reputation will go with you for the whole time

you are active. People in the SCA have LONG memories for jerks. Take this as

a friendly warning: BE NICE, and BE HONEST. Don't think that by moving to

another Barony or Kingdom that you will escape it. SCA people are -close- to

each other, and DO talk to each other a lot, no matter how far away they

might live.

 

           -----------------------------------------

 

(Chapter 7)

 

 

The following is a direct quote of the decision on matters of religion and

magic by the Board of Directors of the SCA inc.

 

Governing and Policy Decision #6 (June -80, revised July 88)

 

   "Having no wish to recreate the religious conflict of the period under

study, the Society for Creative Anachronism, Incorporated, shall neither

establish nor prohibit any system of belief among its members.  No one

shall perform any religious or magical ceremony at a Society event (or in

association with the name of the Society) in such a way as to imply that

the ceremony is authorized, sponsored, or promulgated by the society or to

force anyone at a Society event, by direct or indirect pressure, to observe

or join the ceremony.  However, this provision is in no way intended to

discourage the study of historical belief systems and their effects on the

development of Western culture."

 

   "Except as provided herein, neither the Society nor any member acting

in its name or that of any of its parts shall interfere with any person's

lawful ceremonies, nor shall any member discriminate against another upon

grounds related to either's system of belief."

 

Note in particular that there is nothing which prohibits any form of magical

-or- religious ceremony at an event; all that is prohibited is performing

them in such a way as to require people to participate, or to imply that they

are official activities of the SCA, Inc.  

 

It is considered beyond the bounds of good taste to denigrate or harass

people for religious reasons within the SCA, and such activity could get you

booted from the group.

 

We have believers in many faiths in the SCA. Be tolerant. If you wish to

spread the message of your Faith, well and good, but do it gently and

quietly. If you are seriously annoying, or interfere with others, then you

may be asked to leave, NOT because of your beliefs, but because you are being

a jerk.

 

              ------------------------------------------

 

How's that?

--

locksley at indirect.com           PO Box 35190       Locksley Plot Systems

White Tree Productions      Phoenix, AZ 85069 USA         CyberMongol Ltd

 

<the end>



Formatting copyright © Mark S. Harris (THLord Stefan li Rous).
All other copyrights are property of the original article and message authors.

Comments to the Editor: stefan at florilegium.org