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No, really- you do. You’ve fought in many a battlegame, entered an arts and sciences tournament or two and attended several satisfying feasts. Amtgard is a fantastic hobby- no need to admit exactly how much of your life has been taken over by it- and now you want to become more involved. You want to give something back. Perhaps you’ve helped serve some of those fantastic feasts, reeved a jugging tournament and helped out where you could… but you want to take it to the next level.

Sucker.

That’s what people are going to tell you. Over and over and over and over again.

Sucker.

So how do you start?

Before you can answer this question, you should first ask yourself what you want to accomplish. Is your ultimate goal to hold office as a kingdom monarch? Are you eyeing a Crown belt? Or do you just want to be a political Mafioso with a finger in every pie and an ear to the ground?

Many people believe that in order to be active in politics, you must run for office. Nothing could be further from the truth; there is more than enough room for the interested, active populace member.

It just so happens that the steps to becoming an active, politically aware Amtgardian are the same steps anyone who wishes to run for office should take to prepare themselves. Handy, right? So whether you just want to be more involved or want to shoot for that brass ring, these steps should help you.

BABY STEPS

1. Find your Yoda(s).

They are all around you. Often they come in the form of cranky old Amtgardians who have been around since dinosaurs walked the Earth. They seem to know everything. They are involved in every discussion. Nothing gets past them… most of the time.

Find one or two (or more, if you want even more help and perspective) and make them your Yoda(s). They will be your guides, your fountains of knowledge and wisdom. If you aren’t too incredibly annoying, they may even bail you out the first time you really step in it.

How you approach your Yodas depends upon how you want to interact with them. Do you want to talk to them in person about things? Do you want to primarily interact with them via e-mail? Keep in mind that most good Yodas tend to be very busy- they’re out there being political, working for the club, making tunics, and so on. The best first approach is often something along these lines:

“Dear Yoda,

You might not remember me- I’m that Padawan kid who hangs out at your park. I was reading the Corpora, and I had a question that I thought you might be able to help me with: <insert question here>.
I’m sorry to bother you, but I want to be sure I am reading this right. Thank you so much for your time!

Sincerely,
Padawan”

Can you spot the hook? “I was reading the Corpora” is a line that no Yoda can resist. Most Yodas believe that only other Yodas read the Corpora, and the idea that a non-Yoda is reading it… voluntarily… well, let’s just say you will have piqued their interest.

How do you reel them in? When you get your answer, respond with something like this:

“Dear Yoda,

Thank you so much for all your help! Do you mind if I come to you if any other questions come up?

Sincerely,
Padawan”

Most Yodas cannot resist the opportunity to give their opinions and many feel obligated to encourage the next generation. They will likely respond and tell you to feel free to ask them anything you need to. You’re in! With a little care, the occasional compliment, and a big helping of not-making-a-nuisance-of-yourself, your Yodas will last you a lifetime.

2. Educate yourself.

You cannot be an effective force for change and growth if you don’t know the rules. Study both the rulebook and the Corpora exhaustively. Ideally, you should be familiar enough with both documents that nine times out of ten the answer to any question is right there in your brain.

Don’t just memorize the information: understand it. If you don’t understand it, ask your Yodas. They can explain what it means and more than likely can give you examples of how it has been applied in the past in specific situations.

Become familiar with the parks in your area and throughout your kingdom. Learn the issues. Learn about people. Use the O.R.K. as a resource- it’s very useful for finding out things like approximately how long someone has been around, what their experience is and what groups they are affiliated with (see Appendix B for more information).

Read Althing ballots and explanations. Discuss the ballot with people. The easiest way to have a political voice is to vote. Do it.

3. Lurk, lurk, lurk.

You have the knowledge, you have your Yodas… now it’s time to think about putting all this into practice.

Whoa there, buckaroo! I said think about putting it into practice. Knowledge is great, Yodas are great, but what you need now is a little training.

Most kingdoms have forums or e-mail lists available. Is that where the real political nitty-gritty is going down? Are there Althings you can attend? Figure out where these discussions are taking place and watch them carefully.

Pay attention to what people say and how other people react to them. Read every post or e-mail and listen to every opinion as though what is written or said is the absolute 100% unbiased truth. Then think about them again and try to read between the lines. Ideally, you should know most of these people. You should have an idea of who is open and honest and who tends to play their cards close to the chest. Take an e-mail from the most honest, forthright guy you know and read it as though it were chock full of innuendos and lies.

No, we don’t want to turn you into a paranoid lunatic. These exercises will help you to train yourself to look at things differently; you should get used to checking every angle and covering all your bases. If you want a successful political career it is absolutely essential that you be able to see every issue from every angle.

Pick a topic that is currently under discussion and write a response- not on the list or forums, just for yourself, preferably in a Word document, notepad, or other non-forum-or-e-mail connected medium. You don’t want to send anything by accident.

Write a response that reflects how you truly feel. Then write one that is the exact opposite of how you feel. If the spirit moves you, write one that is angry. Set them aside and do NOT look at them again for 24 hours.

When 24 hours has passed, pull out those responses and read them again. Think about how you would feel right now if those responses had been sent publicly. If they make you writhe in agony… well, that’s why we’re practicing.

Do this as many times as you need to until you are comfortable with your writing style and how you express yourself.

A few tips on writing: be sure to use spell checkers- nothing makes you look more like an amateur than poor spelling. Use complete sentences and avoid internet slang. Develop your own style and voice. You may have aced that business writing class and can whip out a formal, corporate-sounding letter in two minutes, but that might not be the best voice for you to use in political discussions. You want to sound competent and knowledgeable, but you also want to sound like yourself.

Now that you are comfortable, it’s time for the Yodas again.

4. Poke the Yoda(s)

When the spirit moves you, write a response- one you truly believe in- to something going on in the forums or e-mail list. Then send it to your Yoda(s), with something like this to introduce it:

“Dear Yoda,

I wrote this response to X and such on the forums. Would you be willing to read it over and tell me what you think? I really want honest feedback; I’m trying to get better at this so I don’t make an ass of myself in front of everyone.

Sincerely,
Padawan”

If you have established a good mentor/student relationship with your Yodas, you should get some valuable feedback.

It’s very easy to write something and believe that it makes your point clearly and concisely… then end up being blasted by a flurry of people who were offended by what you wrote. Sometimes we just don’t realize how others are going to read what we have written. Having your Yodas give you thorough feedback should help you to identify any quirks of phrasing or uses of voice that may cause a problem.

5. Go for it.

Once you are comfortable with your writing style and your ability to express yourself, it’s time to take the plunge and start posting to the boards and lists. It’s generally better to start off small- one or two paragraph responses at most. Your primary goal during this initial period is to get people used to seeing you respond and you do not want their initial impression to be, “What a wanker, he/she has NO idea what they are talking about!!!”

Of course, it may not play out that way. It’s always possible that right about the time you’re ready to go public, something explodes and you write a three-page diatribe. It’s riskier, but if you want to- go for it. If you can’t ease into it, then start off with a bang. You’ll definitely get some attention.

Engage in discussions at the park. Talk to people about what is going on. Writing an opinion and debating that opinion in person are completely different skill sets, and the only way to get used to face-to-face discussions is to do it- over and over and over again. If you have a well-thought-out opinion and have done your homework, in-person discussions will be easier. Remember to breathe and above all, remember to listen to the other guy.

Do not, under any circumstances, choose The Electric Samurai (eSam) as your first Amtgard political forum. The Electric Samurai is a wonderful forum that gathers members from all over the world to exchange opinions and ideas. Just about anything you could ever think to discuss about Amtgard has probably been covered on eSam more than once and it is a wonderful resource.

The Electric Samurai also eats Amtgardians alive. It is ridiculously easy to ruin your credibility forever with one badly-phrased post. While eSam is a valuable resource and gathering place for members all over the world, if you are new to eSam you should approach with caution and keep a low profile until you’ve had a chance to acclimate. See Appendix A for more on integrating yourself into the wonderful world of eSam.

Guess what? You are now a politically active member of the club. People are going to be reading your words and thinking about them. Where you go from here is entirely up to you. Many people remain at this level and never take it further; others take the next logical step and start running for offices.

Part three of this series will discuss how to begin running for office and give tips and hints on how to do so effectively. If you think you’re ready, then do it! The club always needs new faces who are willing to step up and take charge.

Sucker.

Next - Chapter III: On the Campaign Trail

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