My Water is Breaking . . .
On the Possible Loss of the Water Bearer in the SCA-
So here we are discussing the possibility (perhaps Probability) That the Water bearer will no longer be recognized as an official SCA sanctioned job title. Let me do something a little out of character here and rush to the BoD’s defense . . . I totally support this idea. As soon as you recognize an official function you have to regulate that official function, because we live in the 21st century and that’s what we do. Food and Health regulations aside, (and there are certainly plenty of those to take into account) there are other liability issues associated with the ‘official’ water bearer; non combatants close to the field, for example, who may be harmed from stray shots thrown their direction, and the possibility of water being splashed on people accidentally. We all know how disease-ridden water can be.
So let’s do away with Water bearers. Let’s just ask people to bear water.
In fact, I think that we should take this a step further. Chirurgeons have always been a huge liability in the SCA. I have two friends,one a paramedic in Adenveldt and one a surgeon here in Atlantia, who refuse to become Chirurgeons (despite the fact that both are infinitely qualified) simply because A) they don’t want to deal with paperwork and B) they don’t want to place liability on the sca or on themselves. They just show up to events with their medical bags and respond as citizen responders.
So let’s do away with Chirurgeons. Let’s just ask people to be available to help in a medical emergency.
Certainly we cannot stop there. Having a Marshallate has always been a sticky issue (litigiously speaking). Once you put someone in charge of monitoring a full contact sport you risk the fact that as human beings they may make a bad call, or fail to recognize a hazardous situation. They may fail to act or even act in a less than perfect manner. Someone could get hurt. It could even be me, gosh darn it.
Lets do away with Marshalls. Lets just ask people to watch the fighting and stop it if need be.
Heck, let’s keep this thing going. Recognizing people as authorized fighters in the SCA is also a sure road to the clerk of superior court. As soon as you set up a system of rules and standards you open the flood gate to litigation. So lets do away with the authorization process, lets do away with the inspection process, and lets just ask those people above (you know, the people who watch the fighting and stop it if need be) to call off fighting is someone is fighting unsafely or if their equipment appears inadequate.
Lets do away with fighters. Lets just ask people to fight. Safely. Honorably.
MoLs? Too much paperwork . . . paperwork can be lost, misplaced, or insidiously altered. I once got a papercut and it bled for like ten minutes almost.
Lets get rid of MoLs. Lets just ask people to tell us who fights next and keep track of who won.
Think of the simplicity . . . the wonder . . . the glory . . .
And for those of you who simply cannot do without a working job title for every position, I have the solution to that as well. I propose that we set up an undocumented and unofficial system of people on the field known as Unrecognized Combatant Supporters. (We’ll call them UCS for short.) The official position formerly known as marshall shall now be unofficially called the ‘Stick Toting Unrecognized Combatant Supporter.’ (STUCS). MoLs shall be ‘Paper Loving Unrecognized Combatant Supporter.’ (PLUCS, for short). Water bearers shall henceforth be called ‘Moistened Unrecognized Combatant Supporter.’ (MUCS). Those formerly known as Chirurgeons shall be ‘Scalpel Holding Unrecognized Combatant Supporter.’ (SHUCS). Field heralds shall be the ‘Invariably Shouting Unrecognized Combatant Supporters.’ (I-SUCS). Finally, fighters shall be known as what they should be- ‘Perfectly Honorable Unrecognized Combatants. (which would stand for PHUC, of course).
Think of the conversational possibilities-
‘Hey STUCS, there’s a PHUC over there who didn’t check in with the PLUCS’.
‘Which PHUC are you talkin’ about?’
‘That big tall PHUC over there . . . the one standing by the I-SUCS.”
‘Looks a little shaky and dehydrated, that one. Call the MUCS and notify the SHUCS.’
‘Awww . . . SHUCS . . . you sure that’s necessary?’
‘We aren’t going to lose a good PHUC on my watch, buddy!’
Oh for the possibilities . . .
Please don’t get me wrong. I love the SCA. I always have. I believe I always will. And I believe that having water bearers available to me has been invaluable . . . possibly even life saving. But I don’t care if they are officially recognized. I just care that they are fully appreciated. I feel the same way about myself.
PLEASE do not respond to this post with all the reasons why it won’t work. I know why it won’t work. We live in a litigious world. The above-simplified system would only work in a world where everyone took total responsibility for their own actions and was willing to forgive accidents that invariably happen. We do not live in such a world.
But hey, a guy can dream, can’t he?
In fact . . . I think that’s why I joined up in the first place.
Respectfully,
Heryngmongere
So here we are discussing the possibility (perhaps Probability) That the Water bearer will no longer be recognized as an official SCA sanctioned job title. Let me do something a little out of character here and rush to the BoD’s defense . . . I totally support this idea. As soon as you recognize an official function you have to regulate that official function, because we live in the 21st century and that’s what we do. Food and Health regulations aside, (and there are certainly plenty of those to take into account) there are other liability issues associated with the ‘official’ water bearer; non combatants close to the field, for example, who may be harmed from stray shots thrown their direction, and the possibility of water being splashed on people accidentally. We all know how disease-ridden water can be.
So let’s do away with Water bearers. Let’s just ask people to bear water.
In fact, I think that we should take this a step further. Chirurgeons have always been a huge liability in the SCA. I have two friends,one a paramedic in Adenveldt and one a surgeon here in Atlantia, who refuse to become Chirurgeons (despite the fact that both are infinitely qualified) simply because A) they don’t want to deal with paperwork and B) they don’t want to place liability on the sca or on themselves. They just show up to events with their medical bags and respond as citizen responders.
So let’s do away with Chirurgeons. Let’s just ask people to be available to help in a medical emergency.
Certainly we cannot stop there. Having a Marshallate has always been a sticky issue (litigiously speaking). Once you put someone in charge of monitoring a full contact sport you risk the fact that as human beings they may make a bad call, or fail to recognize a hazardous situation. They may fail to act or even act in a less than perfect manner. Someone could get hurt. It could even be me, gosh darn it.
Lets do away with Marshalls. Lets just ask people to watch the fighting and stop it if need be.
Heck, let’s keep this thing going. Recognizing people as authorized fighters in the SCA is also a sure road to the clerk of superior court. As soon as you set up a system of rules and standards you open the flood gate to litigation. So lets do away with the authorization process, lets do away with the inspection process, and lets just ask those people above (you know, the people who watch the fighting and stop it if need be) to call off fighting is someone is fighting unsafely or if their equipment appears inadequate.
Lets do away with fighters. Lets just ask people to fight. Safely. Honorably.
MoLs? Too much paperwork . . . paperwork can be lost, misplaced, or insidiously altered. I once got a papercut and it bled for like ten minutes almost.
Lets get rid of MoLs. Lets just ask people to tell us who fights next and keep track of who won.
Think of the simplicity . . . the wonder . . . the glory . . .
And for those of you who simply cannot do without a working job title for every position, I have the solution to that as well. I propose that we set up an undocumented and unofficial system of people on the field known as Unrecognized Combatant Supporters. (We’ll call them UCS for short.) The official position formerly known as marshall shall now be unofficially called the ‘Stick Toting Unrecognized Combatant Supporter.’ (STUCS). MoLs shall be ‘Paper Loving Unrecognized Combatant Supporter.’ (PLUCS, for short). Water bearers shall henceforth be called ‘Moistened Unrecognized Combatant Supporter.’ (MUCS). Those formerly known as Chirurgeons shall be ‘Scalpel Holding Unrecognized Combatant Supporter.’ (SHUCS). Field heralds shall be the ‘Invariably Shouting Unrecognized Combatant Supporters.’ (I-SUCS). Finally, fighters shall be known as what they should be- ‘Perfectly Honorable Unrecognized Combatants. (which would stand for PHUC, of course).
Think of the conversational possibilities-
‘Hey STUCS, there’s a PHUC over there who didn’t check in with the PLUCS’.
‘Which PHUC are you talkin’ about?’
‘That big tall PHUC over there . . . the one standing by the I-SUCS.”
‘Looks a little shaky and dehydrated, that one. Call the MUCS and notify the SHUCS.’
‘Awww . . . SHUCS . . . you sure that’s necessary?’
‘We aren’t going to lose a good PHUC on my watch, buddy!’
Oh for the possibilities . . .
Please don’t get me wrong. I love the SCA. I always have. I believe I always will. And I believe that having water bearers available to me has been invaluable . . . possibly even life saving. But I don’t care if they are officially recognized. I just care that they are fully appreciated. I feel the same way about myself.
PLEASE do not respond to this post with all the reasons why it won’t work. I know why it won’t work. We live in a litigious world. The above-simplified system would only work in a world where everyone took total responsibility for their own actions and was willing to forgive accidents that invariably happen. We do not live in such a world.
But hey, a guy can dream, can’t he?
In fact . . . I think that’s why I joined up in the first place.
Respectfully,
Heryngmongere