Femke's SCA Heresy of the Day
Sep. 16th, 2009 03:07 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
femkes_folliesCookies 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?
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?
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(no subject)
Date: 2009-09-17 03:09 am (UTC)I agree, people who do good work, but quietly, are more likely to be overlooked. The squeaky wheels can get more attention than they truely deserve. Life isn't fair.
That's why I like the mental concept of awards as winning the lottery, not earning a scout badge. You've got to do the necessary things to "buy" your lottery ticket, but that still isn't a guarantee. But if you stop buying a ticket, fade into the mundane world or whatever, you won't ever have a chance of winning.
(no subject)
Date: 2009-09-17 03:00 pm (UTC)That IS a good mental concept.
I think it ties into why I just hate the whole structure with the Grant Level Awards. In the MK, for instance, the AoA service award is an Award. The GoA is an Order. So the AoA one can be given repeatedly and should be. BUT, now that it's overshadowed - it sometimes feels/looks like an "also ran" sort of thing.