Re: Too many egos in charge

[Travis Brandel <travis@freedomnet.com>]

Poster: Travis Brandel <travis@freedomnet.com>

jsrechts@imap.unc.edu wrote:
> 
> Poster: jsrechts@imap.unc.edu
> 
> Time for me to vent some...
> 
> I was amazed and disgusted by the behavior "those in charge" before the
> Final Field Battle.  It seems that once again, a few hotheads in high
> places placed
> their egos and ideas of "honor" before thinking of the popular good.
> People are on vacation here but it seems that some forget that all too
> fast and then after attempting to spoil the game for the rest of us,
> make a hasty apology.  Perhaps we need to reinforce the notion of why
> were are here to begin with (to have fun) and the anger and hubris are
> bad qualities.
> 
>>Mondo snippage<<
> 

It has been said, many times and by people whose intellect is probably
deeper than mine, that Pennsic becomes an entity that resides outside of
the normal sphere of reality. Anyone who has ever been to pennsic can
verify that there just isn't anything like it in the world. While this
is no excuse for people ego's or tempers to get away from this, it would
be childish not to recognize that temper and emotions do run higher at
the war than at any other event of the year. With that being said, i
wish to do a little venting of my own. the problem i see with your post
is the age old axiom of " Know what the hell you are talking about
before you open your mouth". Point blank, you do not have all the facts.
To attribute ANY action to anger and hubris without knowing all of what
may have transpired not only is irresponsible, but it is also
hypocritical to place yourself in judgement of the people who have
willingly placed themselves in positions of responsibility. Furthermore,
your post tends to lead the reader to believe that the East and its EVIL
ALLIES tried to do some form of harm to poor innocent Midrealm and its
ever chivalrous allies. I'm here to tell you..i don't know how many of
the battles you were in, but i was in every single one of them, and i
was witness to some of the most shocking and unbelievable behavior that
i have ever seen...and almost all of it was perpetrated by someone with
a red piece of tape on there helmet.  I am not saying that the blue
forces were beyond reproach, but to heap blame on one side and ignore
the other is just not fair. I was also on the field when the blue forces
left...talking to some friends who were fighting with the midrealm, and
i too was none to happy because me and my friends had laboured hard in
the field. I went to the royal encampment to find out what the deal was,
and after hearing what happened, and especially after reading Timothy's
post, I can honestly say that were I in that position, I would hope to
make a similar decision with as much grace and poise as was wielded by
those " powers that be". Its has also been said that " you can't please
everybody". I am truly sorry that you felt this subtracted from your
Pennsic, but there are always other wars and other events, and maybe
next time something will happen that makes you happy, and at the same
time upsets someone else. Thats the way the world works.


> Now onto another gripe:  Lack of imagination on the part of those in
> command.  Can we have a rallying cry that is actually based on something
> medieval or renaissance rather than a lame quote
> from "Starship Troopers"?  (I'm referring to the Everybody Fights,
> Nobody Quits here).  One can find many examples of usable quotes from
> medieval literature.  Perhaps we can have a rule that Royalty and those
> in Command read Battle of Maldon, Song of Roland, Henry V etc.  The
> paramilitary chants really should just be left to the movies and to the
> Real Armed Forces.
> We would get far more of a medieval flavor to our battles by shouting
> the period quotes and in turn, make things more fun.  We join the SCA in
> part to escape the 20th century, we don't need to import hackneyed
> modern phrases to tarnish our little fantasy of being medieval people.
> 
> Funny, we forget we are 20th century people when it's most needed and
> then at the best possible time to be medieval - we go 20th century.  Go
> figure!
> Time to change some habits.
> 
> Lyanna

Wow...Hmm, remember that next time you put on your glasses at an event.
Sure, there are tons of things from medieval literature that could be
chanted to fire up the fighters. Hell, i could stand on a shield and go
into the whole " we few...we noble few" speech from Henry V...and
hopefully be cognizant enough of my surroundings to duck the vegetables
that would be thrown at me. By now you probably feel that i am attacking
you, and that is not my intent. Instead, let me give you my read on the
whole " Everybody fights, Nobody quits" scenario. 

The forces of Atlantia, who were the main people doing the chanting,
were laying on a sun baked field...exhaustion from the toils of fighting
for thier kingdom dragging thier limbs to the ground with leaden
dullness. Atlantia had just faced a foe larger in numbers, but smaller
in heart, and had just walked away from an upset victory in the mountian
pass battle. While trying to find comfort on the unforgiving earth, the
Noble Atlantians looked across the field at the gathered host of the
midrealm preparing for the second field battle, and most of them felt
something close to despair..for the midrealm force, while not the
voracious fighters the atlantians were, had them vastly outnumbered. A
Duke of the realm, realizing that only high moral and high spirits could
help turn the tide of the coming battle, made a passionate plea to his
forces...ending with " Evrybody fights". The return call of " Nobody
Quits" came from the other side of the army, and soon the forces of
Atlantian picked up the chant...charged and re-energized to face the
trails to come. 


Yeah yeah...corny as Orville Reddenbacher, but the fact is that I was
chanting, along with the people around me. It felt good, and for the
first time in a long while there was no division of "Northern, Central,
and Southern". We were all one big force, working together for honor and
glory. Maybe it wasn't the most PERIOD thing that could have been said,
by in my mind, it sure as hell was the most timely thing that was said. 

And dammit...i had fun.

'nuff said

Balynar
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