[Mid] Dialogue of Chivalry

The first anniversary of the Dialogue of Chivalry approaches.

For those of you who were on the Middlebridge a year ago, thanks for
taking part. The dialogue (the discussion and the writing) was for me
one of the most satisfying aspects of 1997.

For those of you who weren't on the Middlebridge last January, the
Dialogue was a wide-ranging discussion of chivalry, courtesy and their
lack. At that time, the tone on the Bridge was extremely tetchy. I
challenged people to complain more creatively, and consider what our
ideals are, how we fall short, and what we can do about it.

It was a very successful discussion. I edited it into literary form,
and it can be found on the Web in several places, especially at
http://www.midrealm.org/midrealm_dialogue_of_chivalry

Looking at the Dialogue yesterday, I found that I was wrong when I said
(here?) that I didn't have any Jafar stories. He took part in the
Dialogue, and I will include his words here. This section comes from
early on in the Dialogue, when Gwydion, at my invitation, was speaking
about how knights sometimes fall short of their role:

****

Gwydion spoke again: "I think I see now what your questions were aiming
at, Sir Finnvarr. May I add one to my list? I don't know what trait or
'deadly sin' it falls under, maybe arrogance, but some knights seem to
put themselves above the rules of the lists and of chivalric behavior.
I've seen knights do things that violate basic standards. In such cases
I've been told that it's His Excellency or His Grace So-and-So, as if
that is a license. I mean such things as attacks from behind in melee,
lack of
a lanyard on secondary weapons, knocking an opponent over by
body-checking him from the
blind-side, (an ex-Earl Marshal!), or attempting to wrestle someone to
the ground in single-combat frustration, (another ex-Earl Marshal!)."

At this point Count Jafar, who had been listening intently, exclaimed
"Hey! That was me! In the melee, I mean. I believe I apologized to the
gentle in question, eventually, and you and I and several other marshals
had a informative discussion about the rules applying in the situation."
This last was with a wry smile. "Seriously, I was wrong and I admitted
it. If that one instance has soured your opinion of the chivalry, I am
sorry."

Gwydion answered, "But no, that incident did not sour my opinion of the
chivalry or peers in general. I do not have a sour opinion. I tell the
tale because those who are not peers are often at fault for not standing
up for what is right, whether to avoid tarnishing the moment or ruining
their chances of advancement. In this incident I did not back down to
any pressure, real or apparent, and took a risk. I'm glad I did.

"And, my lord count, whether you had apologized or not, the fact that
you were willing to discuss the situation objectively, publicly, and in
a timely way instilled in me great respect for you. There was in fact
some confusion about what was to be allowed in that encounter."
****

In retrospect, I am certainly glad that this section got into the
Dialogue.

Finnvarr

From: Steve Muhlberger <stevem@faculty.unipissing.ca>
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Received on Thu Jan 1 10:34:50 1998