just pinch me...

 

I must admit, extremist statements like "Ban all modern things" really bother me. The SCA started as a backyard BBQ for friends to celebrate a graduation and people enjoyed it so much it continued and spread. It was fun based not accurazi based.
The not so accurate issue the SCA had has changed quite a bit because in order to survive and grow it had to. The level of "periodness" we have in this kingdom is very high when compared to others and there are a whole lot less modern things than there could be but let's examine that statement for a bit. "Ban all modern things"

This would mean I could not wear my glasses because they are in their current form very modern. There would also be no hearing aides. Or pretty well anything made with an industrial machine ( so most of the cloth many of us use because that too is modern. Most people don't have hand made period style foot wear so we'd be running around barefoot.

Our current bathrooms and facilities are also VERY modern so we'd have to do away with those, as are the kitchen equipment. And let's not forget about electricity - very modern.

No clocks or watches ( and heaven forbid anyone have anything digital near by)

No coffee. No chocolate on site either. No toothpaste, no nice smelling shampoo out of a convenient plastic bottle or deo, and no telephones in case of emergencies. Not hot running water for showers and dishes....

The list goes on.

The statement "Ban all modern things" is extreme and not very helpful. The SCA is a mixture as Annika has said and quite frankly Drachenwald is probably the most period kingdom out there but the SCA is not a die hard re-enactment group. There are plenty around, the Company of Saynt George comes to mind. http://www.companie-of-st-george.ch/cms/?q=en/The_Company

These folks are incredible at "getting it right" and if this is the sort of no modern things a person is looking for then I would suggest that groups such as this are perhaps more suitable.

One of the great things about the SCA was the nice mix of accuracy mingled with the modern, Anachronism. That which doesn't belong in the place and the time. The middle Ages as they SHOULD have been.

Making vast sweeping and extreme statements like ban all modern things needs to be carefully examined because really that encompasses A LOT of things.

It's nice when an event strives to get it right but I think it is also important to remember that one person's version of fun is not the same for another. That for some people the SCA is a hobby and a social thing not a museum exersize in living in the middle ages. Most people do their best to not be too glaringly modern but since we don't actually live in the middle ages but rather the 21st century the modern will intrude anyway.

As for "living the Dream". I certainly do not Dream the SCA, I go to get away from my modern life, to relax, to see my friends, have a nice time and if I'm really lucky learn some cool stuff. I would ask that people remember this and it's not a Dream for everyone it's a hobby with many people doing many things one of which is taking pictures to remember the good times by and given the number of times I get asked to share my photos of events I'm thinking many other people are also happy with this too.