Re: MR: Disc: Pay-to-Fight

[Lance Harrop <lharrop@mrj.com>]

Poster: Lance Harrop <lharrop@mrj.com>


Lord Tibor replies to Lord Konrad:
> 
> Konrad asked:
>   What are the many distressing side-effects?  The only thing I have heard so 
>   far  is not wanting to pay $20 for an associate membership to be able to 
>   authorize.
> 
> I believe it has a number of distressing side effects.
> 
>   It Balkanizes us, by encouraging an attitude of division between
>   those that pay, and those that don't.  I'd rather see a seamless
>   Society, myself.

<snip others> 

Ah, well, I'm afraid I tend to agree with Lord Tibor.  As far as I can 
tell, morally, authorizations should simply be the Kingdom's 
acknowledgement that the fighter can fight the form SAFELY.  

There seems to be a sentiment that authorizations oblige the fighter to 
the kingdom.  I don't know why that should be so.  The way the King 
obliges a fighter is to knight him.  If the fighter's service to the 
kingdom is so necessary, then that is the obvious thing to do, isn't it?  
And after all, knights hold squires in obligation, which means you don't 
have to knight EVERYONE, just keep enough active knights around to suck 
up all the loose fighters.

Authorizations, and fighting, do seem to take up a great deal of the 
VOLUNTEER time of both MoL's and Marshals.  But that is not the same 
thing as saying they cost the Society money and therefore fighters should 
be members.  My volunteering to be an officer, even Seneschal, doesn't 
cost the society anything.

In fact, at least when it is done right, fighting is the showiest, and 
best tool for recruitment.  All the young ladies flirting with newbie 
fighters at their first dance practice should THANK us poor middle-aged 
(and a lot of times married) fighters who fought at the demo that newbie 
was recruited at.

The Society could probably exist without rattan fighting.  Somehow, I 
don't think it would have 20,000 members, however.  A little less 
pressure on fighters, and a little more support, I think, is appropriate.

Now that's a can of worms, if ever I opened one...

Leifr Johansson
=======================================================================
List Archives, FAQ, FTP:  http://sca.wayfarer.org/merryrose/
            Submissions:  atlantia@atlantia.sca.org
        Admin. requests:  majordomo@atlantia.sca.org