I have made it a point to remain silent during most of the online discussions regarding the SCA. I’ve done this for many reasons, but upon reflection, none of them were good enough for me to remain silent. So, this month, in lieu of a post about the progress of my latest project, I’ve decided to share some thoughts.
Eleven years ago, I had no idea what the SCA was. Then I met my husband. An avid fencer and herald, he loves the SCA, and wanted to share that love with me. So, hesitantly, I went to my first event. I loved everything about it. While he was off fencing, I wandered the event, meeting people, and falling in love with the Society. Sitting through Court, I told a dear friend that it was my goal to sit in the back of Court, drink with my friends, and enjoy myself. Gulp. That didn’t turn out well. Within 6 months, I held a Kingdom office, serving as Diademe Herald. My love grew when I discovered the A&S community and was able to flex my creative muscles.
I wanted to be a bookbinder. I was going to learn how to make my own paper, glue, tan my own leather, and build a book from scratch. Clearly, this is not the direction I took. I love to tell the story of how I got into my research. For those of you who don’t know, it goes like this:
No shit, there I was (pun intended), researching papermaking in China. While reading I found a passage that talked about how the Chinese used paper to wipe themselves after using the bathroom, and I thought, “I wonder what everyone else did before toilet paper?”
And thus my SCA path was chosen. Is it an easy path? No. Finding information on basic human sanitation is not easy, especially when we are talking about using the bathroom. The tooth cleaning research has been both easier and harder. Easier because people talked and wrote about how to clean the teeth, and harder because there is a lot of information to parse through.
During these eleven years, I have seen a shift in the game. We are, overall, trying to be more inclusive. I applaud this. I believe that the game should be accessible to all. I wholeheartedly approve of non-gendered titles and normalizing asking for pronouns. What does this cost us? Nothing. What value does it have to those it affects? Immeasurable. So, why wouldn’t I do it? I cannot think of one good reason.
Countless SCAdians were bullied as children. I was lucky and never had to deal with a bully. Having the bullying policy in place shows that the Society is trying to be better for those who did suffer, and who are still victims of bullying. And that means something. Is it a perfect policy? No. But it is a start. Should we make it better? Yes. If you happen to be one of those people complaining about having to have a policy in the first place, you may want to ask yourself: Why do I find this policy so offensive? If your answer is “I just don’t think we need it.” Then you haven’t been paying attention to the people around you. To those complaining about it, I ask you this: Why does a policy intended to make the experience better for people offensive to you?
Recently, the BOD has put out its statement regarding reopening events. I am sad that they are not implementing rules to keep us safe. COVID questions and temperature screenings are important and should be mandatory. What does it cost us to answer a few questions and have someone take our temperature? NOTHING. We do it before we get our hair cut. We do it for work. So, what’s one more set of questions and a two-second scan with a thermometer? Why are you opposed? Because it infringes on your rights? Really? Are you that selfish?
Personally, I am not comfortable going back to in-person events yet. I want to see more people get vaccinated, and see some sustained reduction in the number of new cases before I consider attending an event over 25 people. I am even less inclined to attend with the BODs current guidelines in place. This makes me sad, but I am doing it not only for my own safety but for the safety of my SCA family.