Message-Id: <199404120039.UAA16438@pascal.math.yorku.ca>
From: Solveig Throndardottir <nostrand@mathstat.yorku.ca>
Subject: Coronation
To: carolingia@bloom-beacon.mit.edu (Barony of Carolingia)
Date: Mon, 11 Apr 94 20:39:37 EDT
Mailer: Elm [revision: 66.25]

Noble Cousins!

Well .. Let us see if this account posts to the mailing list any better than
the other one does.

First of all, I wanted to know who got awards.  I know all about the "He
who shall not be named" affair, but I don't know who got awards.  I am
still very much interested in certain gentles getting awards and, since
I have taken up writing letters of recommendation, I intend to keep at
it as long as they seem to still be doing the stuff they did to inspire
me to write on their behalf in the first place.

Second of all, I was very much moved by Old Marion's posting on the subject
of a certain duke.  I first arrived in Carolingia during the aftermath of 
both the reign of Angus II and the departure of Baron John.  (There was 
rather strong anti-royalist sentiment in Carolingia at that time.)  Thus, 
despite Lord Dana Stuart being the standard bearer for Angus's clan, I soon 
heard more than enough negative stuff about the duke.

However, this does not mean that all that he did was evil nor does it mean
(even supposing that all that he did was evil) that his name should  be
blotted out from the history books.  This reminds me of Haman.  Now 
supposably his name should have been blotted out millenia ago, but he is
remembered every year at Purim.  Now is there a lesson to this?  I think
that there is.  We need to learn from evil as well as from good if only to
recognize evil.  Further, evil is commonly admixed with good and with
appearances of good.  Angus, by all accounts, is a charasmatic person.  We
often like to think that OUR charasmatic person can do no wrong, etc.
However, what we (as moral people) need to do is to consider individual
acts, means and ends for their moral value.  (A hard lot we have, it would
be so much easier if we could just attach ourselves to some authority
figure whether it be sage, the "all powerful BoD" of the current crises or
whatever.  But, such is not the case.)  [Incidentally, if you argue that
Haman was with the other group and doesn't count, then how about David
arranging the death of one his general's so that he could marry the man's
wife?]

Now, what about the "moral attributes" of the peerage?  That is exactly what
they are "attributes".  We attribute virtues to our peerages.  We hold them
up as examples.  We hope that those who actually hold the accolade actually
exemplify our shared ideals.  The East Kingdom has already done what it
can in this regard.  Duke Angus was tried in a court of chivalry (by all
accounts) and expelled from the chivalry of the East Kingdom.  (I forget
whether he was also bannished.)  We have already done what our own courts
of justice can do.  We have already disavowed the behavior of Angus as not
exemplifying the ideals of our peerage orders.  The ducal and county ranks
are another matter.  They are not established as exmplars of our particular
virtues.  Rather they are part of the feudal structure of our society and
embody our own history.  Thus, I do not believe that any action on the
Ducal rank is in order.  The ducal rank held by Angus here serves to remind
us that not all of our kings are as noble as we might like.  (Recently, I
believe that the East Kingdom has been blessed with a strong lineage of
wise and noble monarchs.)

SIGH.  I must appologize this is getting much longer than either my
original posting to the list or my private message to Old Marion.

As pointed out to me by Countess Arastorm the Golden a Pennsic or two back,
Duke Angus came around the society at a time that the society needed him and
he did do much good for the society.  (Now there may be those who contest
this, but he did have something to do with allowing women to fight at
Pennsic among other things.)  Thus his name should be retained.

Beyond this, and this is more important, I think that altering history to
expunge his memory from the SCA is actually dangerous.  (I wish I could
express adequately my feelings about this.  I think that manipulating
history has historically had very negative consequences.  Further, it 
helps perpetuate the myth that we are all good.  Or, in contemporary America,
the equally dangerous myth that we are all bad or that whenever we engage
in x activity we are automatically bad.)  This is the myth of evil, I am
also reminded of a conversation at the Buttery a while back about Nazi music.
Basically, the mythology of Nazi music is that the Nazi's spent all their
time singing about torturing people to death.  This was hardly the case,
rather they sang about blond haired girls with flower's in their hair or
as in Schindler's List things like the "Song of the Happy Wanderer".  Or as
I always remind myself, everyone in the hero in their own lives.  (Strange
platitude.)  [Please note:  I am not arguing for moral relativism!  If 
anything, I am a moral absolutist.]

I do recall saying something to the effect that we are attracted to either
a bipolar view of the world in which all figures are either black or white
or a very nihilistic view of the world in which everything is so muddled
that there is no point in trying to be good, etc.  Neither is correct.
Human beings are moral creatures capable of being good.  The existence of
moral choice is what is important.

Beyond that, I (in private correspondence) praised Old Marion quite strongly.
(I was truly moved by her posting on the Angus affair.)  Thus, I will post
what I can recall of it publically.  I said that regardless of any renunciation
of titles, privilage or honour that Old Marion has a truly noble heart
that can not be hidden from any who know her.  She, burgher and cook though
she may be, is truly worthy of sitting in the council of kings.  (Actually,
I put it much better than that in the original posting.)

If I was not always running out of storage, I would copy messages to myself
so that I could repost them if they got lost.  Ok, I give up!  I cann't 
really recall what the two things that I originally posted were.  The two
postings put together were far shorter than this one and probably said more.

						Your Humble Servant
						Solveig Throndardottir
						Totally Ignorant