So the idea that these are being created as some sort of top-down fiat that is at odds with the populace is a bit disingenuous.
Yes and no. Some awards have been created due to real ground-level demand; indeed, the proposed rapier peerage is one of the best examples. But in my observation, many (perhaps the majority of) Kingdom-level awards have been, frankly, due mainly to the ego of various Royalty -- a desperate desire to Make Their Mark on the Kingdom permanently, which often shows up in new awards.
You can often recognize these by how rarely some of them they are actually given by their successors. There are some examples of dramatic successes that enhanced the award system, such as the Tyger, which are taken very seriously by each reign. But in my observation, they're a modest minority.
I do not see a great deal of splintering elsewhere - there is a newish subset of awards for the under-18, and they mimic the OHM divisions of the adults.
Well, yeah -- and that's one of the examples of splintering that most annoys me. We used to give the adult awards to kids. It was not especially rare to give an AoA or even a Silver Crescent to a minor when I started, but nowadays it is almost unthinkable: the universal reaction is, "Don't be silly, they should get the kids' award instead". I am *deeply* repulsed by that -- I think it damages one of the SCA's greatest strengths, which is the way we give actual responsibility and recognition to our kids -- and AFAICT it is a direct and immediate side-effect of this particular splintering...
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Date: 2014-11-18 05:51 pm (UTC)Yes and no. Some awards have been created due to real ground-level demand; indeed, the proposed rapier peerage is one of the best examples. But in my observation, many (perhaps the majority of) Kingdom-level awards have been, frankly, due mainly to the ego of various Royalty -- a desperate desire to Make Their Mark on the Kingdom permanently, which often shows up in new awards.
You can often recognize these by how rarely some of them they are actually given by their successors. There are some examples of dramatic successes that enhanced the award system, such as the Tyger, which are taken very seriously by each reign. But in my observation, they're a modest minority.
I do not see a great deal of splintering elsewhere - there is a newish subset of awards for the under-18, and they mimic the OHM divisions of the adults.
Well, yeah -- and that's one of the examples of splintering that most annoys me. We used to give the adult awards to kids. It was not especially rare to give an AoA or even a Silver Crescent to a minor when I started, but nowadays it is almost unthinkable: the universal reaction is, "Don't be silly, they should get the kids' award instead". I am *deeply* repulsed by that -- I think it damages one of the SCA's greatest strengths, which is the way we give actual responsibility and recognition to our kids -- and AFAICT it is a direct and immediate side-effect of this particular splintering...