historic demography and other fun factors

[carl christianson <einar@cvn.net>]

Poster: carl christianson <einar@cvn.net>

At 01:07 PM 3/10/97 -0500, Dafydd ap Gwystl wrote:

>A number of recent posts have brought up concerns about population
>distribution, its impact upon Kingdom event distribution and similar
>things (BoD Townhall meeting, etc.), and perceived injustices.
>
>We are, and always will be, the victims of geography.  There is no magic
>solution.  <snip> It only changes when the map changes.

Hmmm... or someone invents instantaneous transporters.

>The same is true about demographics.  The SCA is run by volunteers.  More
>events, and bigger ones, happen where the population of SCA folk is
>larger.  There are also other demographic issues that impact our game: 
>camping sites are not common or cheap in the greater DC Metro area; sites
>are more expensive up here; and so on, and so on.  That's demographics,
>and we can't do anything about that either.
>
>I would like to interject a bit of history here, though.  Things used to
>be MUCH WORSE. <snip>  This
>caused some very heart-felt and long-term feelings of injustice.

>Time has gradually erased most of this discrepancy. <snip>
>the population of peers and Kingdom Officers is now much better
>distributed across the Kingdom.
>
>So what is my point? <snip> our current demographic
>concerns are really pretty minor.   They may be inconvenient to people
>that they impact, but we can't all be lucky and live <snip> within 3 hours
travel.


My lord, you make some d*** good points and very nicely, I might add.  

Folks, we can fuss and fume, but the truth is every kingdom grouses in much
the same way.  I lived in Trimaris for a long while, which while small in
population, was relatively long and skinny.  At every event held in the
centralized Tampa-Orlando-Daytona area, some poor soul who had to fight his
or her way out of Miami's or Jacksonville's rush hour hell to get to an
event Friday night would whimper about nobody wanting to come to their part
of the kingdom for an event, blah blah blah.  It wasn't that far to the
midstate - 6 hours max - unless you were coming from Key West, and there
were a few who did.  I'm in the East now; there are events up in the Hael
and in Carolingia that I'd LOVE to go to, but cannot travel to in a timely
or fiscally possible manner (poverty-stricken grad student - why can't I be
filthy rich, I'd be so good at it?!?!) from south-central Pennsylvania.

It makes me wish teleportation was possible, for that would solve everyone's
problems.  But it's not, so they aren't, and we just have to deal with it as
best we can.  I remember wanting to go to southern events all the time when
I lived in NoVa - and not being able to face the idea of fighting through
beach-and-theme-park-bound traffic after I'd dealt with Tysons Corner and
beltway traffic all week.  If I could have just wiggled my nose to get
there, everyone south of the Rappahannock would have a face to put with my
name.  It wasn't snobbery that kept me from NC events, it was exhaustion and
traffic frustration - and skimpy funds.

As for the perceived culture clash, well, I think the best that can be done
is to acknowledge that it does exist and strive to be tolerant and learn
from the past.  It's a history group, guys, and what's that obnoxious saying?...

        THOSE WHO DO NOT LEARN FROM THE PAST ARE DOOMED TO REPEAT IT.

Elen Prydydd

(going back to my term papers...) 

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