[SCA-AE] Fw: TROLL

[Karen Macek]

EndlessHillsOK here is my money on the issue. 

I am tired of the people who don't like a term insisting no one else can use it.   Don't use it if it bothers you, but don't get in my grill because I do use it and like it.  It's a perfectly acceptable term in the SCA and has been used since before I came into the society 17 years ago.  It's not an insult unless you are trying to make it one.  

Authenticity is great and I am all for it, but this isn't a reenactment society, its a recreation society.  If you want to get really medival, we should all be using coins not paper, few of us should be able to sign waivers, and we should probalby all be wearing the same clothes to every event ( With the notable exception of the Baron)  I happen to like history more because this society taught me to appreciate it as something other than the memorization of dates it was in school.  That doesn't mean that everything that happens in the SCA is authentic.  Besides even the people alive in the middle ages liked puns and crude humor (just look at the marginals for goodness sake). 
 
My first major event in this group I sat Troll at 2am in the morning.  Aoife will probably be the only one who remembers it as we woke her up when the people who came in asked for the Autocrat.  Chrissy and I were up at the desk at the top of Achahela singing TROLL HALL, and various other "troll" songs - and yes I am talking Elfquest music here, when several very tired gentles came strolling up (yes at 2am).  They were laughing with us about our choices of music that dark morning when we asked them to pay for their entrance.  The one gentle looked at the other and said "well I guess its only fair I pay for you since your my guest."  The second gentle said something about not being so for very much longer, and the lady who came from the parking lot asked for the Autocrat so that they could find out where they were sleeping.  Chris tried to direct them to the camping when the first gentleman said "Dear, they have a cabin for the royals"  It seems the 4 people we were trolling in were the King and Queen of the East and the Prince and Princess of the Midrealm.  It's one of my favorite Troll memories.

Troll is an easy term to remember and a great place to sit and get to know people by name.  I encourage new persons to the group to take a shift.  Call it what you want, just stop trying to make everyone else conform to your viewpoint please.  Until the Society stops using the term in their literature I don't see a need to stop using a tongue in cheek reference myself. 

That's my rant for now.  Helen is finally asleep so I'm heading to bed too.  If I insulted anyone with this, I apologize but I'm not feeling very pc at the moment.  Goodnight and may this be the worst thing that happens to you today.

Kateryna ty Isaf