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
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