There’s currently a discussion blazing away on The Shambles that really got me thinking about things, so I thought I would share my thoughts here, as it’s all pretty much been said on The Shambles.
The discussion was started by one Mr Eric TF Bat, who is a great instigator of many a roaring great discussion, knowing just the right buttons to press and having just the right lever to get that ball rolling. I am a great fan and envious of his skills. Mr Bat quite innocently (well…) put to The Shambles reading audience the question of whether there were some SCAdianisms that should be weeded out and stamped on with great gusto. Some of those on the list were such things as ‘The Eric’, ‘Garb’ and even ‘Troll’. The word Garb even made it into his list of “And some I’d like to see fade (or stamp out, violently)”.
Whilst Mr Bats opinions are shared by some, and not by others I thought I would share my own perspective on this matter here. These are my thoughts and my opinions that I share purely for well… me actually. First a little history of my involvement in the SCA…
I was first introduced to the SCA about 15 years ago, back then it seemed fun, quirky and a little scary. It was something I could see myself getting swept up in quite easily. Back then I was a fringe dweller in the Society, barely touching the sides, but standing at the edge looking in at a wonderful and fun world. Back then it seemed like it was more about fun and encouraging arts and sciences as well as the fighting… Much like it is today.
Back then I never got involved enough to notice whether there was an underlying sub-culture in the Society that not only encourages ‘period-ness’ but visibly turned their noses up attempts that they judged to be ‘not good enough’. Maybe it’s just the cynic in me, but since getting more actively involved in AS-39, I have noticed more and more who well, seem to be well… Authenticity Snobs. These are lovely people mind you, but they just aren’t shy in visibly letting people know that they think they are better… more authentic. Please don’t get me wrong… It’s not the clothes they wear, or even the fact that they are definitely more authentic, more period in everything they do. It’s the not so subtle looks of distaste when they judge people who might not necessarily be in the SCA to be on parade. Now everyone is entitled to their opinion, and as I’m doing here, expressing that opinion is their right too. So basically I’m a hypocrite for judging these people… I can except that, and I shall explain why.
The concept of The Dream is in effect what guides the SCA as a whole. Not the Dream itself, as the concept of The Dream is that everyone has their own Dream, and that the SCA is just a legal framework. The concept of The Dream guides us to be tolerant and encourage everyone to find their own Dream and to help them to do so. From my perspective an Authenticity Snob is someone who tries to encourage someone to accept their Dream of authenticity as The Dream instead of helping them to find their own Dream.
When it comes to the words we use in the SCA not being period, not being authentic, I really believe that that’s because the SCA isn’t a recreation Society, it’s a Society for Creative Anachronisms. It has never been and never will be a re-creation society. The culture of the SCA has grown through 42 years of creative anachronisms, of being a modern society that creatively puts things out of their time. Coke machines Internet Cafe’s at Pennsic may make people cringe, but they are Creative Anachronisms when put in the context of being at a medieval fair.
We have developed a culture, language and cultural traditions over many years and to try and change that now would I believe be very difficult. The Eric will always be The Eric to some, as will all the other terms and those of us who love the concept of The Dream, love the true root of what the SCA is all about will always seek out those who have been in the society the longest. We will seek them out to hear stories of the old days, and I’m not talking about the old days being the medieval times, the old days are the early history of the SCA and of Lochac. I believe there are actually a surprising number of active people in the Society that are not in it specifically to be authentic, I believe that they are here because the whole culture of the SCA is one of acceptance, tolerance and community togetherness all with a taste of something quirky and fun. 
42 years of traditions and culture is a heavy load hurtling through time and space, it’ll take a massive amount of energy to change its direction, even just by one degree.
What worries me about the discussion on the Shambles is that a significant number of people feel such a driving need to be persecuted. You’ve followed the thread from the start, so you know it was all about the state of play. Nobody was advocating the wholesale throwing-out of 42 years of SCAdian tradition, and in fact the point was frequently made that you can’t throw it out: it’s a major strength of the SCA as compared to the Routiers and metal weapons groups and so on. We’ve hit upon the sweet spot between re-creation and recreation, which is why the SCA prospers when the hand-sewn-condoms groups keep dying out.
But some people want to turn any discussion into an us-and-them, thus missing the point. You know there’s something seriously broken when I’m cast as the pro-authenticity, anti-fun candidate. What’s next? Declaring Alfar unfit to run Festival because he’s not interested enough in armoured combat? Oy, vey…
You should realise by now that there are only a few who actually GET your kind of input, and understand the whys of it. These strangely enough are probably the same people who like me understand the need for Authenticity Nazi’s such as yourself, and also understand the concept of The Dream and how that equates to a necessity to be tolerant of both ends of the scale, as it’s the tolerance that makes the SCA as it is work.
The Sweet Spot as you put it, is not something that’s all that hard to hit, and in the case of the SCA it’s about the size of the list field. All it takes is the courage to accept that everyone in there knows the rules of the lists, and has their armour on.