Peerages

[gc429@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (John Strauss)]

Leifr sez:
 
>Thalia,
>
>That wasn't even polite enough to respond to.
>
>Try again.
 
Although I am forced to concede that Thalia's response could not be called
"polite", that is a question of style. I have no problem with the substance
of her message. 
 
The alternative to "Peers are recognized, not made." is simply stupid.
 
You don't give out the cookie in advance of peerage in hopes the recipient
will grow into the position. You don't give out the cookie as a union card
permitting the recipient to _begin_ behaving as a peer. 
 
It's time to buy a vowel: You give out the cookie in order to point the
(already extant) peer out as an example to others and to congratulate the
peer on his/her achievement.
 
The often quoted corollary to "Peers are recognized, not made" is "There
are the Knights and there are the Knighted. And the two are not always the
same." (Insert Laurels/Laureled or Pelicans/Pelicaned as you please.)
 
I am doing my mortal best to follow what I perceive to be the ideals of the
Pelican. I want, with all my heart and soul, to be a Pelican. My favorite
SCA-related movie is NOT _Excalibur_. It is _A Man for All Seasons_.
 
(Actually, my favorite movie is _Henry V_; but only for the opening
chorus.)
 
But I honestly do not care if anyone ever pelicans me. That just isn't what
it's about. One does not attempt the quest because there might be a cookie
at the end. One attempts the quest because IT FEELS GOOD. Making progress
in that direction IS the reward. Anyone who says they behaved like a peer
for years and got frustrated because they didn't get the cookie was simply
handed the wrong program at the door. I don't know what to say to help.
 
I do not believe that there is anything of any importance that I can 
do WITH the cookie versus WITHOUT it. To your specific examples: the
few times I have been in a crunch and have "behaved as a peer", far from
being bashed for putting on airs, I have heard "Good job, Henry. You
handled that well." _THAT_ is more valuable than gold to me. Nicole
made me some pretty nice garb. When I wear spiff garb to an event, no one
bashes me. They say "Hey, Hank! Spif hat!" or "My lord, may I please
takecyour photograph?" And when I teach, my students say "Thank you".
 
And as to your clarification on teaching, I think it is specious. I see
"taking students" as a prerequisite to "teaching". If the goal is to teach,
who could POSSIBLY object to someone committing to devote sustained
teaching energy to a specific handful of students? If someone has a problem
with that, it is time for them to crack open a window.
 
Leifr, when I reluctantly responded to your posting about teachers, I did
so because you had posted, on a public forum, that there was a negative
social impact, in Atlantia, if one teaches without a peer-level cookie in
one's hand. (That may or may not be your intended message; but it was the
obvious interpretation.) 
 
At that point, I perceived it as my duty as Chancellor to challenge your
statement. There are people reading this forum who may someday consider
teaching for the first time. I feel that it is a major part (possibly the
primary part) of my job to encourage teaching in all its forms. I may not
let such statements as yours pass, though in this case I might have
preferred to. 
 
I would like to apologize to all concerned for my part in letting this
thread get out of hand. I have had my fair say and more. I would also like
to thank all those who shared their personal insights on this sensitive
issue with such candidness and eloquence. I will go on to other more
positive posts, hopefully this very night.
 
-Henry Best