Re: King's Public Conduct [Was Re: Awards and all that...]

[Corun MacAnndra <corun@access.digex.net>]

Poster: Corun MacAnndra <corun@access.digex.net>

AEdric wrote:
>
>Geez, that's ridiculous.  Appointed to high office and all the sudden
>you lose your right to express your opinion?  Come on!  That's insane!
>But, I do see how people can make the confusion, I suppose.  Just seems
>pretty silly to me.  Remind me never to gain any position of recognition,
>authority, or power lest I lose my right to be opinionated.  Seems like
>a high price to pay for office. Something should be done to remove this
>impediment.  I, for one, would like to hear the opinion of those who have
>actually gone through things that are under discussion.

It's not as simple as that. When one takes on the mantle of authority, one
must consider more carefully not only what one says, but how one says it.
When you are in a high office people look up to you, and in the case of the
Landed Baronage, those people essentially place you there through a
polling. You are voted into office because people like you, respect you,
look up to you, whatever. And so you have a duty to them not to say things
that will offend or anger or hurt.

We are all in a Society in which Courtesy is one of the underlying tenets.
One must always be courteous, and as Diccon said in an unrelated thread,
especially to those you don't like because it's easy to be courteous to
your friends. So we start with basic courtesy at the bottom, and expand on
that when we are put in places of authority. The more authority you are
given (or seek in the case of Kings and Queens who fight for the right and
are not voted into office), the more you have to be careful of this. It's
difficult at best. Especially for us mouthy, opinionated types (right
Siobhan? <g>).

Logan has been getting more outspoken as His last court draws nearer and he
knows He's going on the equivalent of a vacation when He steps down as
King. But He has still been careful how He has spoken, and has even thrown
in the disclaimer in places that He's speaking as Logan, not as King Logan.
It's a distinction that is difficult to make when you're in that position,
and it's also difficult for others to make as well when we're so used to
dealing with a person as an authority figure. It will be much easier once
He is no longer King. He'll be just one of the guys again, but only to a
degree since he'll be a Duke, and still an auhtority figure, though to a
smaller degree when he was King.

I hope that's clear.

In service,
Corun (sometimes Baron Corun, sometimes just Corun, sometimes "Yo, Mongol!")


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