Re[2]: Acrobatics and vocabulary

["chuck graves" <chuck_graves@mail.hq.faa.gov>]

     Dafydd responded:
     
> Well, I would have said it another way: "the problem is that the SCA 
> guild doesn't correspond to anything medieval."  
     
     Whoa, hoss! Speak not in absolutes! 
     
     There are undoubtedly more bad examples than good examples of 
     functioning guilds. But I have seen some very effective guilds on 
     a local basis--especially armoring and brewing. The local guilds 
     have worked to fulfill their roles: (1) provide a service or 
     commodity, (2) train new persons in the necessary crafts, (3) 
     provide a framework to recognize an individual's accomplishments, 
     and (4) promote individuals within the ranks.
     
     Some things we don't do accurately--and I hope we never do--are 
     make the guild into a monopolizing group or restrict personal 
     growth by enforcing a caste system. But those fall under the same 
     class as plague.
     
> And in fact, there are bloody few examples of SCA guilds that last 
> more than a few years or so....
     
     That's probably true. Local groups tend to rise and fall, and kingdom 
     groups often don't propagate effectively from their local cousins. But 
     we live and learn, and hopefully grow.
     
     Personally, I would like to see the kingdom brewers guild grow and 
     prosper--and help generate enthusiasm at the local level. Time will 
     tell on that score.
     
     Regards,
     Tadhg