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femkes_folliesI've been spending a lot of time reading Histories of the MidRealm. It's interesting in and of itself, as well as revealing about the culture of various Baronies. (While I'm on the topic... anybody know where I can get a copy if Finvarr's book?)
More than one of these histories describes (generally with an effort at even-handedness) some significant conflicts of factional/political nature. Now, I'm pretty sure that nobody ever started out in the Society with the goal of being painted as the Evil Dictator or the Wicked Witch of the West. And some of that flavor comes through even in accounts that are making an effort to be fair. So I've been wondering: Where do these Battles come from?
You had to know there were
1. UR Doin It Wrong Mentality - Somebody (usually someone who's been part of the society for a good long time) tells another somebody (or somebodies - generally of lower rank) that they're playing "wrong" somehow. This can range anywhere from garb to local group structure to Kingdom Politics. And, while failing to adhere to Corpora and Kingdom Law needs correction - adherence to Custom and Tradition is a little harder to shore up. Especially since there is a tendency to break out a Morningstar and institute lethal force when a restraining hand on the arm of the other person might have done the job. There is a longish period in the History of the Midrealm where Crown and Curia tended toward what can only be considered Sandblasting a Soup Cracker.
2. Double-sided Righteous Indignation - Both sides believe themselves utterly in the right. And they are. Because both of them believe they are acting for the best - with a highly variable value for "best." In other words, one side may consider that the "best" thing is preservation of the Kingdom Tradition, structure of subsidiary groups, and The Way Things Are Done. While the other side is interested in what will most improve THEIR game for the people in their local group.
3. Nepotism. This is usually more a result of someone who has a position - and has a friend who wants something badly. Rather than deny, they grant the request... and the consequences are sometimes minor and sometimes terrible. Worse, sometimes the only way to minimize the damage is to revoke the honor granted - and it doesn't get done. So it goes that the Kingdom suffers through the term of a bad officer. Or multiple terms. Or a poor officer is allowed to bring harm to a group that shouldn't have happened. Or an otherwise able officer allows a friend to bring harm to a group. And on. And on.
4. Poor communication - We know it happens. But it still takes us by surprise. Often, what appears to be malice is ignorance. It SHOULDN'T have happened. And a little due diligence on the part of the Powers in question for any given situation would often have avoided the issue entirely. Related is a tendency to try to avoid conflict by not talking about something. This rarely does what is intended is is more likely to create a festering wound.
5. Sheer Inertia - I've talked about this one before. A lot of the problems in the Mid fall under this category. And I don't see it changing any time soon. Especially as there are about two couples in tomorrow's Crown List that would begin to have the chutzpah to buck Tradition enough to fix some of them.
6. Inability to admit error - Many an ego exists that cannot stand correction. Pointing out that something is not working will lead to immediate cross-reaction. And some of the problems that have happened could have been averted by the perpetrators just saying, "Hey, this isn't working. Let's try something else." It happens VERY seldom. Having proposed a given course of action, people get emotionally tied into it and can't seem to back down from the position that it IS and REMAINS the right course.
All of these are magnified by the tendency of SCAdians to be more "black and white" in their thought processes than the average person. "If you aren't for me, you're against me." Factor in the very real growing pains of the last 40 years (In Kingdom), and the way that the Society as a whole has changed and you begin to see where some of the firestorms started.
Certainly there are Ass-hats who stir the pot just to stir. For the most part, Coropora and Kingdom Law are both written in heart break - rules were created to protect against recurrence of something that wreaked havoc. Unfortunately, an almost equivalent portion of MK Law over the years has been knee jerk rules made against things a sitting couple find to be a personal affront. These usually get repealed, sooner or later.
The fact is, very seldom in any given stand-off is there a "right" and a "wrong" side. The fact that I feel one way, and you feel another does not mean that I am right and you are wrong. Just that we disagree. And for many of them, the only way to determine how a given act will affect a given group is to try it. And see. There are a fair few conflicts in which Kingdom Law or Corpora DOES dictate a degree of right and wrong... but it's also good to remember that both can change, as well. Sometimes someone who is currently "wrong" by the letter of the law may get their way later - after many things about the Society have changed. After which, those who upheld the "law" a little too fiercely end up going down in the annals as the Big Meanie.
More than one of these histories describes (generally with an effort at even-handedness) some significant conflicts of factional/political nature. Now, I'm pretty sure that nobody ever started out in the Society with the goal of being painted as the Evil Dictator or the Wicked Witch of the West. And some of that flavor comes through even in accounts that are making an effort to be fair. So I've been wondering: Where do these Battles come from?
You had to know there were
1. UR Doin It Wrong Mentality - Somebody (usually someone who's been part of the society for a good long time) tells another somebody (or somebodies - generally of lower rank) that they're playing "wrong" somehow. This can range anywhere from garb to local group structure to Kingdom Politics. And, while failing to adhere to Corpora and Kingdom Law needs correction - adherence to Custom and Tradition is a little harder to shore up. Especially since there is a tendency to break out a Morningstar and institute lethal force when a restraining hand on the arm of the other person might have done the job. There is a longish period in the History of the Midrealm where Crown and Curia tended toward what can only be considered Sandblasting a Soup Cracker.
2. Double-sided Righteous Indignation - Both sides believe themselves utterly in the right. And they are. Because both of them believe they are acting for the best - with a highly variable value for "best." In other words, one side may consider that the "best" thing is preservation of the Kingdom Tradition, structure of subsidiary groups, and The Way Things Are Done. While the other side is interested in what will most improve THEIR game for the people in their local group.
3. Nepotism. This is usually more a result of someone who has a position - and has a friend who wants something badly. Rather than deny, they grant the request... and the consequences are sometimes minor and sometimes terrible. Worse, sometimes the only way to minimize the damage is to revoke the honor granted - and it doesn't get done. So it goes that the Kingdom suffers through the term of a bad officer. Or multiple terms. Or a poor officer is allowed to bring harm to a group that shouldn't have happened. Or an otherwise able officer allows a friend to bring harm to a group. And on. And on.
4. Poor communication - We know it happens. But it still takes us by surprise. Often, what appears to be malice is ignorance. It SHOULDN'T have happened. And a little due diligence on the part of the Powers in question for any given situation would often have avoided the issue entirely. Related is a tendency to try to avoid conflict by not talking about something. This rarely does what is intended is is more likely to create a festering wound.
5. Sheer Inertia - I've talked about this one before. A lot of the problems in the Mid fall under this category. And I don't see it changing any time soon. Especially as there are about two couples in tomorrow's Crown List that would begin to have the chutzpah to buck Tradition enough to fix some of them.
6. Inability to admit error - Many an ego exists that cannot stand correction. Pointing out that something is not working will lead to immediate cross-reaction. And some of the problems that have happened could have been averted by the perpetrators just saying, "Hey, this isn't working. Let's try something else." It happens VERY seldom. Having proposed a given course of action, people get emotionally tied into it and can't seem to back down from the position that it IS and REMAINS the right course.
All of these are magnified by the tendency of SCAdians to be more "black and white" in their thought processes than the average person. "If you aren't for me, you're against me." Factor in the very real growing pains of the last 40 years (In Kingdom), and the way that the Society as a whole has changed and you begin to see where some of the firestorms started.
Certainly there are Ass-hats who stir the pot just to stir. For the most part, Coropora and Kingdom Law are both written in heart break - rules were created to protect against recurrence of something that wreaked havoc. Unfortunately, an almost equivalent portion of MK Law over the years has been knee jerk rules made against things a sitting couple find to be a personal affront. These usually get repealed, sooner or later.
The fact is, very seldom in any given stand-off is there a "right" and a "wrong" side. The fact that I feel one way, and you feel another does not mean that I am right and you are wrong. Just that we disagree. And for many of them, the only way to determine how a given act will affect a given group is to try it. And see. There are a fair few conflicts in which Kingdom Law or Corpora DOES dictate a degree of right and wrong... but it's also good to remember that both can change, as well. Sometimes someone who is currently "wrong" by the letter of the law may get their way later - after many things about the Society have changed. After which, those who upheld the "law" a little too fiercely end up going down in the annals as the Big Meanie.
