(no subject)

[learnedax]

Catching up on the olympics, thanks to TiVo, has made me realize how many strong parallels they have with Pennsic. From the athletic core which revives ancient tradition (with champions contesting points ranging from archery to fencing) to the strong cultural representations of diverse homelands, there's a big cognitive similarity. When landscape-transforming temporary construction, ingrained rivalries, and a healthy dose of pomp and circumstance are taken into account, I begin to seriously wonder whether the two events serve similar psychological purposes.

This nicely dovetails into two longstanding discussions that came up again at war: first, is there any significant difference between Pennsic and a large sci-fi convention, and second, is the role of martial activity within the SCA truly a critical element, or merely a historical quirk?

Specifically, if fighting, as the Olympic tradition seems to, serves a higher purpose than being yet another fun thing that people do, it represents a qualitative difference between the SCA and other things that the counterculture does... And if it's just a diversion for a bunch of stick-jocks, then what is Pennsic but a themed con?

Thoughts?

Comments

[matildalucet.livejournal.com]

"transported by their experience." THAT'S what I was trying to bring my mind to. It's hard to get a periodoid atmosphere in a hotel. Too much polish, too much modern-looking staff. The Coopers make an attempt (or so I tell myself, regardless of what they think they're doing) to blend in and I can smile at them and not get distracted. No matter how nice hotel staff is, they don't look like us, don't sound like us, and I feel like an alien in a sideless surcoat in their space (at least at Birka).