(SCA stuff) Why it's a bad idea to let TRM make policy
Semi-annual rant about separation of 'church' and 'state'* in the SCA:
It is my personal belief that the appropriate role of a kingdom's royalty is to serve as beloved figureheads for the kingdom. They lead us into battle, praise the troops and artisans, give awards to deserving people, and kiss babies. These are 'in game' functions that contribute to the ambiance of events and make the SCA more than a bunch of weirdos in funny clothes. These are not 'easy' duties - not everyone has the acting and public speaking abilities (or ability to make a heart-felt, if awkwardly delivered, speech) required to do it well. They need to be able to see who is deserving of awards and be capable of handling delicate situations diplomatically.
In my ideal world, Their job is to be respected and adored by Their populace. It is our job to respect and adore Them (or skip court if you can't stomach faking it). I expect that it is similar for other segments of the SCA population, but I was taught as a beginning rapier fighter that we fight for our Queen (yes, we love our King too - blah, blah, blah... but we all knew that we belonged to Her) Being able to recognize and show proper respect for HerRM was important - the last question in an authorization was 'What is the Queen's name?' I want to adore my Queen.
I don't want to see TRM (not referring to the current ones in particular) at an event and roll my eyes because of a dumb-ass policy change they implemented. This crushes my dream (heh). We have kingdom officers to deal with making our modern non-profit educational organization run smoothly. It is their job to know if a policy will get us sued, result in an inability to get decent sites for events, or discourage embezzling of local group funds. These are 'out of game' functions that are essential to the organization, but add little to the magic of the SCA. These are the people who should be praised in court by our beloved royalty. It doesn't crush my dream if I think the kingdom seneschal made a stupid decision because adoring her is not an integral part of my SCA experience.
Atlantia is unlikely to change policy such that royalty can't change kingdom policy. Crowns might want to consider, though, if They serve Atlantia better by having preferences that Their adoring masses can respect during Their reign (maybe with a small roll of the eyes), or by implementing policy changes that almost certainly will piss off half the populace. There seems to be a trend toward asking for feedback on proposed changes now that we have more convenient means of communication across the kingdom, but I wonder how many of the proposed changes really need to be considered at the policy/law level. If we do have too many court baronies or it confuses newcomers to see huge baronial coronets that dwarf our gorgeous Atlantian crowns, could TRM post a letter online explaining why there are fewer awards this reign and wait until the end of the reign to write an essay on the importance of regalia and appropriate giving of awards in the SCA?
Ten years ago, foils and epees were commonly used on the rapier field. There is not a single word about banning them in kingdom law or policy, but you never see them on the field today. There were many factors at play, and they were slowly on their way out anyway (this didn't come out of the blue), but a royal *request* that tournaments at royal progress events use heavy rapier blades seems to be the major impetus for the rapid change to more authentic blades. There was some grumbling from some of us who didn't own (or have authorizations for) heavy blades, but people were allowed to use epees for pick-ups and at other events, and it's much harder to hate TRM for making a request than for imposing a ban.
*also a useful analogy for the difference between the marshallate and the Academie on the rapier field.
[/rant]
It is my personal belief that the appropriate role of a kingdom's royalty is to serve as beloved figureheads for the kingdom. They lead us into battle, praise the troops and artisans, give awards to deserving people, and kiss babies. These are 'in game' functions that contribute to the ambiance of events and make the SCA more than a bunch of weirdos in funny clothes. These are not 'easy' duties - not everyone has the acting and public speaking abilities (or ability to make a heart-felt, if awkwardly delivered, speech) required to do it well. They need to be able to see who is deserving of awards and be capable of handling delicate situations diplomatically.
In my ideal world, Their job is to be respected and adored by Their populace. It is our job to respect and adore Them (or skip court if you can't stomach faking it). I expect that it is similar for other segments of the SCA population, but I was taught as a beginning rapier fighter that we fight for our Queen (yes, we love our King too - blah, blah, blah... but we all knew that we belonged to Her) Being able to recognize and show proper respect for HerRM was important - the last question in an authorization was 'What is the Queen's name?' I want to adore my Queen.
I don't want to see TRM (not referring to the current ones in particular) at an event and roll my eyes because of a dumb-ass policy change they implemented. This crushes my dream (heh). We have kingdom officers to deal with making our modern non-profit educational organization run smoothly. It is their job to know if a policy will get us sued, result in an inability to get decent sites for events, or discourage embezzling of local group funds. These are 'out of game' functions that are essential to the organization, but add little to the magic of the SCA. These are the people who should be praised in court by our beloved royalty. It doesn't crush my dream if I think the kingdom seneschal made a stupid decision because adoring her is not an integral part of my SCA experience.
Atlantia is unlikely to change policy such that royalty can't change kingdom policy. Crowns might want to consider, though, if They serve Atlantia better by having preferences that Their adoring masses can respect during Their reign (maybe with a small roll of the eyes), or by implementing policy changes that almost certainly will piss off half the populace. There seems to be a trend toward asking for feedback on proposed changes now that we have more convenient means of communication across the kingdom, but I wonder how many of the proposed changes really need to be considered at the policy/law level. If we do have too many court baronies or it confuses newcomers to see huge baronial coronets that dwarf our gorgeous Atlantian crowns, could TRM post a letter online explaining why there are fewer awards this reign and wait until the end of the reign to write an essay on the importance of regalia and appropriate giving of awards in the SCA?
Ten years ago, foils and epees were commonly used on the rapier field. There is not a single word about banning them in kingdom law or policy, but you never see them on the field today. There were many factors at play, and they were slowly on their way out anyway (this didn't come out of the blue), but a royal *request* that tournaments at royal progress events use heavy rapier blades seems to be the major impetus for the rapid change to more authentic blades. There was some grumbling from some of us who didn't own (or have authorizations for) heavy blades, but people were allowed to use epees for pick-ups and at other events, and it's much harder to hate TRM for making a request than for imposing a ban.
*also a useful analogy for the difference between the marshallate and the Academie on the rapier field.
[/rant]