Peerage - the Good, the Bad, the Possibilities

by Despina de la Brasov, Midrealm

This article comes from a post by Lady Despina to the Authentic_SCA newsgroup at Yahoo! Groups, and is reproduced here with her permission.

These are being posted as my opinions and ideas. I'm not saying that everyone has to subscribe to them. This is also not to encourage peer bashing or non-peer bashing, so please let's not go there.

Not all peers are bad. Not all peers are good. Peerage does not confer knowledge, nor does it take away knowledge. Peerage does not confer a usable brain; one can either have or lack such a thing with or without peerage. Peerage does not make one stuffy; one can be stuffy without peerage. Peerage can inflate the ego. Peerage can make one humble and awed. It is possible to be an ass before peerage. It is possible to become more of an ass after peerage. It is possible to realize upon peerage, that other people are looking at one and then clean up the asinine-ness in one's behavior in order to be a better example. It is also possible to realize all of this, not care, and not change. There are peers who should not be emulated. There are peers who should be emulated as closely as possible.

In short, the one thing that peers have in common is that they are all human - all have faults, all have flaws, and every one was a newbie at one time looking for a clue. Being a peer doesn't instantly make one a better person, smarter, more engaging, nor do one's jokes all become funny at that point. *grin* Not being a peer also doesn't make one a better person, smarter, more engaging, and one's jokes still aren't necessarily funny all the time. *grin*

Being a peer bestows responsibility - to one's kingdom, one's family, one's friends, one's household, and the society at large. Part of that responsibility is remembering that one is a peer and, no matter what one does, after one gets peerage, one is *always* identified as such. Anything that comes out of one's mouth from that point on, is going to be taken as gospel by someone. Any action that one takes from that point on, someone is going to be watching and will remember how they saw a peer act in that situation. Part of the responsibility is remembering that one was not always a peer and one is human. Not all peers take the responsibility seriously and it is a loss to themselves and the society (for all those they could have helped and won't because they are viewed as unapproachable in some manner). Those peers who do take the responsibility seriously should be applauded and thanked - often.

Everyone who enters the society has the possibility of becoming a peer. *everyone* Everyone within the society has peer-like qualities in them. How those qualities develop and manifest themselves is not only up to the individual, but also those around them; including the peers with whom they come into contact.

Peerage isn't a reward, it's recognition. It is not given, it is earned.

I can recognize someone as a peer because they (obviously) earned that rank. However, they must still earn my respect; *that* is never freely given.

One never knows who one might inspire to greatness or toss into the darkness with a single phrase, word, or look. A moment of your time could be solidify a lifetime commitment of service and learning in the SCA for someone else. Take the moment. It's worth it in the long run - to you, to the person with whom you are speaking, and to the society as a whole.

I often need to remind myself of this; I am not a peer and I don't pretend to be one; but I know that I can have an impact on people and I know that I am pointed to when certain subjects arise. Just as Bran learned, one needn't be a peer to inspire another person or gain a reputation for certain aspects of the game. Be yourself, have fun and enjoy the game. If you learn something along the way, good for you. If you teach someone something along the way, congratulations, that's even better. *grin* Knowledge, once acquired, can never be taken away; but it can be freely given. No one is unteachable.

Peerage is both a blessing and a curse. May you all receive all the peerages you earn and deserve.

Smiles,
Cu Drag,
Despina de la Brasov
Middle Kingdom

Date: 2002/06/13 Thu PM 01:50:22 EDT