[MR] Egyptian Personas in the SCA

[Gina Shelley]

Well, my answer to your stormtrooper analogy, is "Nice strawman."

But to return to the topic at hand, I would say that one of the the worst problems the SCA has is the widespread belief that this is the worst problem the SCA has. 

When newcomers show up at an event and the first thing out of anyone's mouth is "You're doing it wrong", we can only hope that the reaction is one of apathy. That's our best outcome. What happens more often, actually, is that the targets of the confrontation decide we're a bunch of social midgets that they don't want anything more to do with. 

In fact, it was done to me when I first started out, too. Fortunately, I was having too much fun to not give the SCA another chance. So I just decided that person's opinion had maybe slightly less value to me than last week's pile of toenail clippings and moved on with my life. However, that was long enough ago that that particular style of "Welcome To The SCA" was the exception rather than the rule. Unlike now, it would seem. 

Do we need to just let all sorts of things fly? Of course not. Do we need to apply a little common sense? Yes, please.  Nobody cares what some rude stranger thinks. Saying "that's not period" to people when you don't' approve of their clothing is so played, so wrong, and so offensive it's become an SCA joke.  However, if a kind, friendly, non-judgmental person models the right way and gently leads by example, they will get followed. It might take a little time. That's okay. If you don't put people on the defensive, you'll GET time.


Dulcy


> 
> so how do you, with "courtesy", tell someone that their storm trooper outfit
> doesnt fit into the sca?  your charge is that there isnt a way to tell
> someone they are doing something wrong.  i disagree.  the whole "lets be
> nice and never say no to anyone and lets create awards and peerages and
> tokens for everyone" is, in my opinion, the worst problem the sca has.  
> 
> so, i have to ask, if someone showed up in said storm trooper gig why would
> you be unable to politely tell them that it didnt belong?