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From: lee@rochester.UUCP (Lee Moore)
Newsgroups: net.rec
Subject: Re: Re: A SCAdian Call to Arms
Message-ID: <2566@rochester.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 25-Oct-84 18:27:10 EDT
Article-I.D.: rocheste.2566
Posted: Thu Oct 25 18:27:10 1984
Date-Received: Sat, 27-Oct-84 03:15:37 EDT
References: <697@sunybcs.UUCP> <500@plus5.UUCP> <763@sunybcs.UUCP>
Distribution: net
Organization: U. of Rochester, CS Dept.
Lines: 34

I, too, would like to comment on the SCA.  Several years ago, I tried
to join the SCA chapter here in Rochester, NY.  I had previously been
a member of Markland (a dark ages-viking group) and was looking for something
similar.  I attended meetings for several months at which time I went to
a feast.  At this feast, several of the officers asked me "Who are you?".
They thought I was some stranger from out of town.  The reason they didn't
know who I was is because they were too busy plotting over who was to be
King.  Apparently there was a debated call by one of the referees in the
final match to determine who was to be king.  So now there were two contenders
each of which had his own supporters.  Even though everbody talked about
the succession, nobody was willing to give details... "if you don't know
already, we can't tell you".  Great.  Another detail: when I arrived I was
asked what I did.  When I told them, their reaction was: "Oh no, not another
computer person!"

Ok, Ok, you might say this was just a small group of people and I shouldn't
blast all of SCA just because of them.  While this is true, discussions
with other people at other schools bring out similar experiences.  The
SCA is the only organization that I know of that actually LIKES to create
bureaucracy.  You can only wear approved colors and you must act your
station in life.  While authenticity is a reasonable goal, it is often
used as a means to put down people.  People take the SCA too seriously.
They should remember (that like Science Fiction Fandom) it's just a
goddamm hobby.

Here is an SCA joke that I heard in my Markland days:
	Q: Why can't SCA women get pregnant?
	A: They can't stand to be out of period for nine months.

-- 
Internet:	lee@rochester.arpa
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