[MR] Re: authenticity...and the SCA as a joke

[Judithsca at aol.com]

Salve!
    I would have to agree with his Grace on this subject.  I have been here in Drachenwald for a good year now, and have seen the way that the other reenactment organizations view us as a whole (not specific components of our organization).  Here in Europe, we in the SCA have had to fight extra hard to eliminate the reputation that the SCA earned early on as the Tennis-shoe, plastic knights.  Granted, the SCA has come a long way from its early days as a free-love, pseudo-arthurian social club.  And in fact, I would have to say that over-all, the SCA's authenticity level in Drachenwald is higher than that of its american counterparts because of the influence of the mass of medieval reenactment groups that exist here (and with that comes ready access to infortmation/stuff).  Even still, it is very hard for the SCA in Europe to get a place at historical festivals to do demos, etc.
     And while the overall level of authenticity has increased in the SCA, in the last couple of years, I have noticed some really disturbing trends, especially at events like Pennsic.  My beloved, a Drachenwald knight who had never before been to a major SCA war on the mainland, came with me this year to Pennsic, and he was shocked at the low level of authenticity (and he is NOT an elitist period hawk like myself). He noted that there were masses of women dressed in pseudo-ethnic wrap skirts and flimsy tops, or in blatantly fantasy-leather ensembles.  And I too noticed that there were many more this year than in previous years (having attended 8 Pennsics running).  Yes, I know the charter of the SCA states "attempt" at medieval clothing, but I think that more and more people have been interpretting that more and more loosely, and fewer people are making a *real* attempt.
    Maybe this is the fault of the way in which people are welcomed into the society and provided with information on how to assemble their first suit of medieval clothes.  But then, at Pennsic, a lot of the people wearing the pseudo-ethnic stuff were NOT newbies.

Judith

p.s.and anyone who says that being more authentic costs more money should examine the prices that come affixed to those leather fantasy ensembles...

In a message dated 10/27/2003 8:08:05 PM Eastern Standard Time, dukelogan at bellsouth.net writes:

> what i suggested was that the sca, as a whole, as a living history
> organization is a joke.  the wonderful and noteworthy efforts of a few
> individuals or a few groups of special interest (heralds, cooks) does not
> paint an accurate picture of the sca in general.  these are exceptions,
> unfortunately.  >>