Re: Smoking on the field (fwd)

[Dick Eney <dickeney@access.digex.net>]

Poster: Dick Eney <dickeney@access.digex.net>


Tamar the Gypsy (sharing account dickeney@access.digex.net) pipes up fro
the back of the room:

On Fri, 8 Nov 1996, David H Ritterskamp wrote:
> Poster: blackbow@juno.com (David H Ritterskamp)
> [snip]
> >> > BIG HAIRY EXAMPLE:  Atlantian Kingdom Law specifically
> >> > prohibits smoking in any of an event's main areas.  Yet on
> >> > a regular basis, I see Marshals and fighters light up in the
> >> > middle of a tourney field.  
> [snip and again snip]
> 
> >Pardon me while I vent:
> >But I found that it really detracted from the mood of Crown Tourney 
                              ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
emphasis added

> >when one of the major Peers of the kingdom dropped his cigarette butt 
> >in the middle of tourney field TWICE.  This when the event flier has 
> >specifically requested that smokers "self-police".  
<snip>
> >-- Manus MacDhai
> 
> BZZZT!  Wrong answer Manus; thank you for playing.
> If you're against one specific person, Manus, you have a problem that you
> need to address TO THAT PERSON.  Not us.
> If you're against it as a whole, well, until yesterday I didn't even know
> it was against K. Law.  News to me.

"Glad you finally found out, then," says Tamar.

> Be that as it may, you can vent at the whole concept of smoking in public
> at events all you want.  It is, however, bad taste to vent at His Grace,
> just because he's the highest ranking and most visible of the offenders
> (read:  easiest target.)

Consider that His Grace _is_, as you say, a highly visible, high ranking
offender - is it not likely that others, especially those new to the
Society, would look to him as an example?  To quote a sig.file I've seen,
"If the government wants us to obey the law, it should set a better
example."  To display disrespect for one of the laws of the kingdom is to
imply disrespect for all of them.

> As to whether smoking in public at events is such a big deal -- 
> if it bothers you that much, pretend it's a cigar or other period 
> smoking device.
> -Lord Jonathan Blackbow

It seems to me that the objection in this case is multiple.  First, that
it is against kingdom law to smoke in the public areas of an event; 
smoking on the tourney field at Crown Tourney is quite definitely a
violation; the tourney is the primary focus for the event.  Second, that
the particular individual had failed to obey the quite reasonable request
of the hosting group, which had been spelled out in advance in print, not
to litter the property.  Third, that the particular individual was in a
position to be a role model.  Fourth, a cigar or other period smoking
device is only in period for a certain rather small group of personas. 
Most of our personas would have been deeply perturbed by the sight of
someone smoking. 

While we may wince slightly and try to ignore the effect of plastic armor
duct-taped to blue jeans, the fact remains that there is a cumulative
effect; the more single items we have to ignore at once, the harder it is
to maintain the mood.

=Tamar the Gypsy (sharing account dickeney@access.digex.net)

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