2003-07-16 - 12:38 p.m.

Ya know, I think I've figured out what's bugging me about the "Must cover plastic" rule.

It's not that I personally have to change, because truly, fixing my kit is a matter of 10 minutes (maybe even less if the new tabard works as well as I think it will), and it gives me the chance for some civil disobedience even.

It's not that I think it will keep new folks away and/or off the field. Although I do think that will occur, I'm prepared to be wrong.

It's not that I detest the way it's being done (ie with a stick rather than a carrot).

It's not even that I think the rule goes against the grain of what the SCA has been.

It's that the people who are pushing the *hardest* for this rule are the *exact* same people who give the Heralds so much shit when we try to make things more period by enforcing reasonable and documentable name standards.

So when The Powers That Be want to discriminate against people by putting in an arbitrarily decided rule that may or may not increase the "periodness" of the SCA, it's okay, and in fact part of Kingdom Law...but when The Heralds do it, it's 'Them damned Heralds are fucking with my name because it gives them a power trip to return stuff on a stupid technicality...if I want to be Misty Lightbringer from the Unicorn Marsh, I can be, even though I can't find a single piece of evidence that anyone was ever named anything like that in period'.

The same people that don't have an issue with using non-period style use names after they game the Heraldic system to get *something* through are having a cow about someone using black plastic pauldrons.

The same people who enshrine the Double Elimination Bracket Tournament of Doom as the One True Way to determine a Champion have issues with someone who tries to get on the field with pickle barrel armor.

Ayep...that's exactly what my problem with it is...thankfully, I know I can't do shit about it, so that makes it easier to just blind myself to the hypocrisy and play the game the way I want to, making the minimum effort to accomplish my goals.

It's easier when you set low goals for yourself...less chance of missing them.

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