Femke's SCA Heresy of the Day

[femkes_follies]

Cookies Are Meaningless.

I have come to this conclusion for a variety of reasons. And I'm not vehemently opposed to awards. In point of fact, I've spent more hours than I have any desire to tot up working on "award documents" (The PC current term for "scrolls"). A fair few of those hours, just this week.

Things that have led to my conclusion:

Watching a Mid-level award turn an already obnoxious individual into an unreasonable bundle of ego when she found out her shiny new award put her above most of the local folks she hangs out with in the order of precedence. She's been cookie-driven for years, and this has only fanned the flames. It would be one thing if this would inspire her to do more worthwhile things for the Kingdom and The Dream. More likely it will convince her to find things to do that will specifically garner more cookies.

The inequity of the Cookie system is inherent. The Crown, by its very nature, can't see everything, and therefore is dependent on recommendations. However, I've seen Shires write each other in for every award in the book. Their stated goal is to have everybody in the Shire get SOME kind of Award whenever they have a royal presence. ?!? Honestly? Every year, everybody needs SOMEthing? Accckkk!! This makes me bananas. There is, for instance, no way that a small group should host a Royal Court with 20+ awards that are all FROM that group. Or nearly all. Especially when the group only has 25 or 30 people. And I've seen it happen.

A lot of genuinely nice people get grant-level awards for not doing really very much. Mostly because their local peeps like them and want them to have an award. This is not a problem in and of itself. However, a lot of quiet folks can hold Regional, Kingdom, or broad offices and never get any recognition at all. Some of those jobs are particularly thankless, time- and event-eating, and burn out-inducing. But since they're not autocrating and event or serving as the local Youth Minister - nobody local realized they're "doing anything," since its not a local office. And nobody higher up seems to take any notice at all.

Then there's the rub between precedence-bearing and non-precedence-bearing awards. I've mentioned some of the problems with the former. The latter retain their cache for exactly as long as they're given rarely. I hope they remain that way. The Award of the Sapphire and the King's Chalice are both still "OOoooh, Ahhhh" worthy because they don't get doled out much. This is a Good Thing(TM) to my mind.

It does seem to be that each couple tries to find that happy medium of trying to find a way to thank all the myriads of people who help with their reign without becoming cookie factories. Of late, Royal Augmentations have become popular. In the past, it's been Court Baronies, Dragon's Hearts, fill in the blank.

It's giving me a headache. I think I'm swearing off cookies for a while. 'cept maybe the chocolate chip. Where did I put those?

Comments

[mistressarafina.livejournal.com]

Heh. If it makes you feel better, it seems to be this way in any organization that has more than 2 people.

Being an a-hole, generally does keep you from getting a peerage, if that's what this person is after. Although some do slip through the cracks for whatever political reasons, there are many THLs who will remain at that level indefinitely.

Do I know this person?

[lady-guenievre.livejournal.com]

However, I've seen Shires write each other in for every award in the book. Their stated goal is to have everybody in the Shire get SOME kind of Award whenever they have a royal presence

Really? Really really? *Wow*. I believe you, but I've never seen it (for which I am grateful).

Are your Grant level awards polling, there? They are here and I wonder if that makes a difference.... though I think part of the difference ends up being the people who travel more get seen more, rather than those whose local groups think they're great. To-may-to to-mah-to, in some ways.

[situveuxmoi.livejournal.com]

I know this person don't I?

It's all enough to make a person want to *headdesk* till kingdom come.

And if it is the person I know, it doesn't put them above anybody since they got the award after these people this person is still technically 'below' them.

I love it when they give out the Chalice or the Sapphire because of it's rarity. It makes it more special, imo. It seems like there's a ton of purple frets given out recently.... and Dragon's Hearts too...

Have you tried orange chocolate chip cookies? They are delish. :)

[landverhuizer.livejournal.com]

But I like cookies! well... it's what I thought before I read the next line and bothered to peek at the title :P

Am guessing awards are still somewhat rare where I'm from, from my own experience... somewhere between 1 every 4-5 years but for many much less often. My husband played for quite a while but sortof faded into the scene, was active and volunteered and slowly faded out of the scene without ever seeing an award but never mentions it (I actually had to think about it).

There are some, however, that do seem to pop up out of nowhere and end up with loads of awards in short order... not all bad people, just very popular, but it does leave some folk kinda of bummed out. Annoying people seem to just become more visibly so :P but I've seen such people fade back to their previous 'level'.

Did go to the odd event attended by Royals where half the group seemed to have been written in for something... haven't figured out what goes on here, seems we have lean years followed by mass award giving all at one event!

[ablackram.livejournal.com]

thank you for scribing and illuminating our cookies so that they look so cute together. :)

I'm out of chocolate chips.... smoked fish I have, boston butt is in the smoker.

Off to get it in before the storm hits tonight around 2 am to 7am. Coming from the south. I hate the ones coming from the south.