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Re: Peerages (was Earl D)



Greetings from Tibor.

Leifr, slow down, you're getting a bit overdone here...
  I think being a peer should be a big pain in the ass.  I think peers are 
  people who work hard at teaching others and demonstrating peer 
  qualities.  Because you have these responsibilities, you should also have 
  privileges, not 'rewards'.  When a peer doesn't do the things you've 
  listed, then they don't need or deserve these same privileges.

Well, I am not a peer, nor all that likely to become one.  I pretty much
respect most of the peers I know, however, and that is good enough for me.

I must admit, I hope someday to be made a peer, for that is the ultimate
attaboy in our social game.  But I can list a few reasons why the thought
makes me nervous, and I think they correspond to a "pain in the a**"...

Peers are frequently expected, if not demanded, to give as much of more of
themselves than others.  This makes moderation difficult.  Either you allow
to Society to continue to subsume your real life, in order to fulfill those
demands, or you end up simply gafiating.  It's easier to not try, than to
have to try too hard.

Order meetings.  I am a member of two orders, and I find the meetings (while
a duty) to also be a chore.  Fortunately, one of those orders does not meet
at events: but the other does.  I go to events to be medieval, or to learn
from interesting people, or to make friends.  Not to attend those meetings.

And, those meeting!  The pressure on people to constantly pass judgement on
others...  It's not my favorite thing to be judgemental.  And, not enough of
these meetings that I've attended are strictly opportunities to talk nicely
about people, either.  I can only imagine (since the stakes are higher) that
Peerage meetings are more intense.

Last on my hit parade (but by no means the last of the list) there is the
issue of commingling reputations.  The number of times I've seen someone
blaspheme over those damn peers, when just one person has done something
objectionable, is legion.  When a single peer misbehaves, it doesn't mean
that all peers of that order should be blamed.  I'd hate to be blamed for
the actions of others.  Contrariwise, I'd hate to have fellow peers blamed
for my every action.

I mean, look at what you are doing, Leifr!  The membership of the Society is
quite varied: the Peerages are just an identical sample of that population.
Just because they received a peerage, doesn't mean they all think or act
alike.  Yet, here you are, treating them as if they are all a million bodies
with just one personality between them...

Again: if I am fortunate, some day I may be complimented within our
organization with the bestowal of a peerage. And I'll be grateful for it.
But if it ever happens, it will certainly be a privilige that comes with a
non-trivial price tag.  Call them rewards, or privileges.  It's still a
mixed bag.

	Tibor