[MR] SCA Census..

[sigrune at aol.com]

To all, involved or monitoring this discussion I would like to 
contribute my own opinions on the matter and make observations of fact 
as appropriate.

Observation:  Some people pointed to the released data and stated 
membership/participation is down. Some have pointed to the released 
data and said membership/participation is stable or up.  How can this 
both be true? I am seriously baffled by this.

Observation: We "loose" a large number of participants for a variety of 
reasons, some of those reasons are economic, or life related.  There is 
a higher than expected level due to interaction with existing member 
issues.
My opinion: before anyone jumps all around accusing people or sets of 
people, would be to investigate the reasons for this more, either with 
another poll, or if more clear data can be gleaned from the poll 
already taken. (write-ins). A result of "Had issue with local group" 
can be so widely varied, the "issue" could be a matter of not offering 
a convenient activity on your side of a barony or other large geography 
group due to someone living outside the "core" area, as equally as it 
being "I and the local (officer) got into a heated argument" etc.

Observation:
"At the present the lack of a healthy economy is our biggest problem. 
The younger generation is gravitating to larp and other such groups I 
believe it is largely due to the high cost of SCA participation. In the 
early days armour standards were lower and one could effectively build 
out a suit in ones garage with a little guidance. With Helms running 
500-900 and up most younger people have a hard time coming up with that 
kind of cash."

Fact: Minimum armor standards have not appreciably changed in the last 
20+ years.  The cost of basic armor, if anything has gone down 
dramatically, even as cost of living and material prices have risen.  I 
can still buy $15 knee cops 20 years later!  Also,  knowing other LARP 
and costume groups, the cost is not all that lower. Many now have 
either safety concerns, or acceptable standards of dress rules, that 
requires expenditures of time and/or money to meet.   What is changing 
in the SCA (thankfully), is how armor kit accuracy is accepted among 
other fighters.  A growing number of Individuals are choosing to spend 
more time studying and striving for better looking kits.  This has a 
slightly negative spin-off effect (and is not limited to armor)...  It 
takes longer, or more resource/money for a new person to come to that 
level.  They see wonderful kits that are the result of hundreds of 
hours of research, hard work, skillful haggling, and expenditure of 
funds; and there is not a easy route to it (short of throwing a big wad 
of cash for it).  Quality armor(kit) is not a something that can be 
instantly gratified, it has to be worked for in some form or another.  
However, the armor market has expanded a tremendous amount in the last 
10 years.  20 years ago if I chose to buy a German Gothic plate kit, it 
would be nearly impossible to find, special order, and cost about $7000 
to purchase with about 1 year lead time.  (and still probably not look 
right)  Currently, I can purchase such, available for immediate 
delivery, for about $3000, have a selection of vendors, AND it is no 
longer a welded helmet, but hand raised!
My Opinion: We have come a looooong way.
My Opinion Solution: Stop suggesting carpet armor to newbies and items 
fashionable in the SCA 30 years ago. LARPS, Romans Legios, Tournament 
Companies, all of these items while being more narrowly focused still 
offer to the newcomer a better path to "get with the program". They 
have a manageable-step policy. Let me elaborate:

New person shows interest - get them hooked, (various ways)
They understand the requirements of participation, and are given a path 
to make/obtain appropriate gear. In this process they are helped not 
only with learning how, but examples, materials etc.  Ask yourself 
this, "When was the last time I gave a newcomer/retainer the cloth to 
make their garb?"  It is a period practice, it happens in other 
organizations... why is it so infrequent in the SCA (unless it is that 
piece you found out was poly cotton)?
Other organizations tend to spend more time focusing on these support 
roles.  In the SCA it is more hit-and-miss, I have gone to some "sewing 
nights" where I feel alone in a room with 10 other people, I have been 
to others where I have found encouragement, camaraderie, and enjoyment 
as well as help. I have been to some where I have been tempted to try 
to beat the "help" off with a stick. Lets look at how we (the people 
that do/host them) these supporting activities in the SCA and see where 
we are coming outside that middle road of just enough help and 
encouragement without being off-putting.

In other groups, the idea of being lords and ladies is not automatic.  
In other groups it is ok to be the ditch digger and common. This does 
not mean these people are treated any less, indeed it is the opposite 
in these other groups, the new people with their fledgling garb and 
items thus have a place that they "fit" into that is not a detractor. 
When trying to explain the concept of (universal nobility) to these new 
people within the SCA, taking into our accounts of our traditions and 
customs, and the fact that longer term participants have fleshed out 
their kits to a higher degree (usually), I have gotten many confused 
looks... One person summed it up well; "Ok, so I am special, but not 
*that* special.... wonderful."  I feel this fosters the negative 
perceptions of favoritism, cliquishness, social divisions; even though 
in many cases it is not actually true.  We are modern people with 
modern thoughts... new participants are less practiced in tuning these 
out.  They see a 3 year person walk by them in garb fit for royalty, 
and look at their own rightfully meager kit and say to themselves "I am 
falling short". Our culture has to interject an explanation to stifle 
their own self critic.   This becomes even more confusing in instances 
where a high award walks by in "sloppy" garb and deference is shown and 
encouraged.  In the words of my friend again; "Ok, we didn't bow to the 
lady in the dress with pearls on it, but we hit the dirt for the guy in 
the t-shirt with Celtic trim glued on...  So am I like the king since I 
am wearing a potato sack?"
In these other groups, no one is treated as peasants either and ordered 
around as such.  Yet in reading the mailing lists I see much 
complaining of "we don't have enough volunteers in service!"  and have 
witnessed some very harsh words trying to guilt people into 
volunteering.    I feel the SCA easily has the potential for correcting 
these errors in perception for new people, but our own zeal frequently 
interferes with this process for new participants. A false standard is 
set up in their head, and the prevailing SCA culture currently 
reinforces that false perception.  How best to fix this problem, I can 
only speculate; but the SCA is a smart organization, I have faith.

-Takeda Sanjuichiro