Re: Population Distribution Inequities

[William Morris <william.morris@sc.edu>]

Poster: William Morris <william.morris@sc.edu>

>I would like to interject a bit of history here, though.  Things used to
>be MUCH WORSE.  Fifteen years and more ago, within the same geographic
>areas (Atlantian borders as they currently stand, or near enough), half or
>more of the total Atlantian SCA population was within perhaps an hour of
>the greater DC area.  You could count the peers OUTSIDE that region on one
>hand; maybe 90% of the peers in the kingdom lived in that area.  This
>caused some very heart-felt and long-term feelings of injustice.  To focus
>solely on fighting (the other orders were similar), the arguments went
>a little like this:
>	"Gee, Fred is the best fighter in South Carolina!  Why isn't
>	he a knight?  All those Storvik knights won't knight anyone from
>	down here!  And they never travel down here to see us!"
>and on the other side, (fictional Storvik knight)
>	"Fred?  No, I don't think so.  There are a dozen unbelted
>	fighters in this area that are as good.  And Barry never travels
>	up here, where most of the events and activities are."
>
>At the time there was one knight in South Carolina -- Duke Olaf.  There
>was one knight in North Carolina, and he was inactive in Charlotte.  There
>was only two or so knights in all of Virginia outside Caer Mear, and there
>were perhaps two knights in Caer Mear and TEN in Storvik.  The Laurels
>were the same -- at that time there were NO Laurels in SC or NC, I think.
>On average, only one Kingdom officer at any time was from outside Storvik.
>
>Time has gradually erased most of this discrepancy.

Though I understand your statements, I must interject with something.  I 
was not a society member 15 to 20 years ago so I can not comment on how 
things were, but I can on what is now.  Things have changed a good 
deal...the situation has gotten better...but are we done?

Was it enough to get a few more knights in the south?  Enough to get a 
few Laurels?  Did that suddenly mean that people (north or south) who had 
to travel long distances to get to important kingdom or known worlde 
events suddenly had equal voice?

No.  The situation has allowed the extremes to operate without DEPENDENCE 
on the other for event population, revenue, assistance, etc.  Note the 
word dependence.  In the times of which you speak, it sounds as if the 
south was dependent upon the north for a great many things.  That element 
is, perhaps, over.

It still, however, does not change the current situation.


Lord Liam a'Welwyn, Seneschal,Canton of Cyddlain Downs,
Chronicler, Barony of Nottinghill Coill,
and Free Scholar of the Academie d'Espee
william.morris@sc.edu

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