[MR] A Matter of Terminology

Wed Jan 23 14:26:04 PST 2008

I've been keeping my hands off the keyboard for msot of this, but I am going to chime in now....

As a gamer, I understand the point you are making here.

However, I don't believe the terminology of what we call these folks, is the issue.  As Dulcinaya and Shae have both said, EVERY MEMBER OF THE SCA IS A CHATELAINE.  Unfortunately, in my 12 years between the Midrealm and here, I have seen too many instances of folks being ignored or run off entirely at their first event.

I recall one event (years ago) where a couple in garb was standing in a corner, watching the goings on, looking rather unhappy.  Myself and another member of my then household approached, and learned it was their first event, and knew no one.  They stated that troll just kind of brushed them off when they tried to ask questions, and my brother and I were the first to speak to them.

They had been there an hour, looking totally lost, and not one person addressed them.  They were about to leave, deciding that the SCA was full of stuck up snobs.  We convinced them to stay, and long story short, the man ended up being one of our best fighters, and his lady one of our garb queens.

We weren't in our home group, having driven two hours to the event, but we did what EVERY MEMBER OF THE SCA SHOULD do....

I personally will never turn a new person away at troll, but if I have loaner garb handy, I will offer it.  If they choose to wait to try it on until they have seen what was going on, that is fine with me.  The important thing is that they are comfortable, and they are getting a taste of two of the qualities we espouse as being most dear: Honor and Chivalry.

How honorable is it to tell someone coming for their first time, "The policy says you must have garb, since you don't you can't come in."  How many events at schools have had fighting outside, and attracted people to ask who we are and what we are doing, and have not even HEARD of the SCA, much less be familiar with it's policies?

As a reiteration, we are an organization based on TEACHING.  It is WHY we have a 501 c 3 non-profit designation.  If we aren't teaching those who ask, then we aren't living up to what we as a society have promised to do.  How honorable is that?

I apologize if any of this sound inflammatory, but this is my biggest passion in the SCA.  A man I respected above all else brought me into the Society, and always taught me, "Treat new folks better than you were treated."

I was treated like garbage when I first joined, both in the Midrealm, and here in Atlantia. My own stubbornness and love for this is the only thing that kept me going, to finally get involved, and begin to do what I can.  There is no guarantee that every person with an interest in medieval history is going to be an annoying jackarse like myself **grins**

It is my personal mission to treat every new person to the Society better than I was treated, and I implore everyone on this list to think about it, and think about how you felt when you first got involved, and remember what it was like....

Just my two doubloons on the matter....

Until the next,
Yours in Service to the Dream,

Cap'n "Black" Jack Flint
       Lord and Master of "The Raptor"
            Brute for Hire

----- Original Message ----
From: "jbrmm266 at aol.com" <jbrmm266 at aol.com>
To: atlantia at atlantia.sca.org; cbellfleur at aol.com
Sent: Wednesday, January 23, 2008 5:07:52 PM
Subject: [MR] A Matter of Terminology

My teenage sons have explained to me that among the young, "newbie" is a fairly benign expression, slightly derogatory but in a jesting sort of way, while "noob" (or n00b, as written in 1337) is a slam. 

A "newbie" is someone new to the game, a bit naive and inept, but learning and improving (or at least willing to do so). 

A "noob" is someone who is either incapable or unwilling to learn or improve. 

If we're trying not to disaffect newcomers, why don't we call them just that, newcomers or perhaps novices; and avoid the accidental (or deliberate) slamming of the newly arrived? 

I know that "newbie" has a long history in the SCA, dating back to at least when I was one, and that was in AS VIII (1973). 

Your servant aye
Donal

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