Re: Modern Personal Stuff

[Kensei <kensei@concentric.net>]

Poster: Kensei <kensei@concentric.net>

At 03:35 PM 11/25/96 -0500, you wrote:
>
>Poster: "Gabriella di Lorenzo Fiorentini" <hjurand@awod.com>
>
>>   Absolutely right.   I don't know why you people have so much trouble 
>> with this.  Just don't wear the glasses.  If you are a poor college 
>> student who can't afford glasses, fine.  Stumble around alot.  That's 
>> what a period poor person would have probably have done.  And
>wheelchairs,
>> how can people actually show to events with these.  Any mundanes who saw
>> a person in nice period garb but using a wheelchair would say "Who is 
>> this idiot?".  Don't they have friends who can carry them around in a 
>> litter or something?  Or if they don't, they should stay home (a much 
>> more period practice, I'm sure).  All it takes is a little consideration
>> and thought and you too can be authentic.   
>> 
>         I'm sorry, but "don't wear the glasses??"  What does that solve? 
>It certainly doesn't solve the problem the person has initially, being
>able to see.  "Stumble around a lot?"  Maybe it's only me, but I find this
>line of reasoning amazingly closed minded...let's say that I could not see
>at an event and was 'forced' to stumble around at events just to appease
>some gentle's view of the Current Middle Ages that we are a 'Purist
>Society'.  That would be fine if I my goal were to truly re-enact the
>period.  But the fact is that it is not.  If I really wanted to be a
>Purist, I would go to Europe and join a True Re-enactment, where I would
>discuss only period issues, do only period things and pretend that
>Civilization As We Know It Today had never existed.  But this is not my
>goal. The fact is, we are NOT in the Middle Ages, this is the SCA, and
>nowhere is it written that it is necessary to shirk modern 'conveniences'
>like glasses (unless a person freely chooses to do so).  I would rather
>not stumble around blindly in fear that I might offend someone's view of
>the period they are aiming for, and I would prefer not to see others do
>the same.  As for the wheelchair comment, as someone who once had to use a
>wheelchair to get around (for a short time, which admittedly is nothing
>compared to those unfortunates who must use one for their entire life), I
>can say that the typical person is not going to look at someone wheelchair
>bound that looks a bit unusual and wonder who the idiot is.  Why should a
>disabled person be 'restricted' from participating in events?  Because
>wheelchairs and other medical contraptions are not period??  I wore a Halo
>brace for 9 months (an obvious modern necessity), and participated in
>events while I was so confined...by this same coin, should I have just
>stayed home and not participated, because someone's nose might have gotten
>pushed out of joint?  No, sorry, I don't think so.  All it takes is a bit
>of consideration and thought and you, too, can be compassionate.  
>           Gabriella


That Victor seems to be one evil man.  He must be one of those who kicks the
crutches out from cripples, too.  <---(FYI:  The foregoing is a satire of
the original satirist.)

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