[MR] Unfortunate Tidings regarding the Queen's Arms change

[Richard Fitzgilbert]

Greetings from Richard!

The response to a polling is not the same as the opinions of the populace.  The
response to a polling is just a measure of the people who cared enough to go
through the hassle of responding to a polling.  There are ways of measuring
opinions of the people who aren't completely ambivalent and who aren't motivated
to answer a polling.  A category that I believe applied to most of the populace.


If we asked every herald to show 100 people the two picture, explain what was
going on and ask them what they thought, what kind of response do you think they
would have gotten?  I bet it would have been more like 60/20/20.  Also, in a
case like this, I don't see a problem with simply relying on the opinions of the
experts.  If we only got written responses from everyone who considered
themselves a herald and everyone who ever bore those arms, and everyone else
with a strong opinion, I'd have considered that sufficient response.

It's a sort of bureaucratic arrogance to block this change simply because not
enough Atlantians thought it was important enough to warrant a polling response.
I'd still say that the final decisions should rest with the bearer of the arms.
If the Queen wants to bear the "new" arms she should.  Leaving the decision to a
corporate officer is so, well, modern!

Yours in Service to Atlantia,
Richard Fitzgilbert


"But that last clause is EXACTLY why the latest proposal to change the Queen's
arms was returned by the Laurel Sovereigns of Arms!  Atlantia did not 'think
well of it', but as a whole shrugged and said "Eh. Not important.  Not gonna
bother."  There is no way that any reasonable person can interpret a response of
less than 5 percent as being "well thought of in the kingdom".

There have been a number of ideas put forth to drum up support.  Please feel
free to implement them.  If -- IF -- the level of support matches that of Queen
Niobe's change from erminois to Or, I'm sure that Laurel would look with more
favor on the change."

-- 
Alanna/Lucinda"