RTOTD #420.1

Day 420.1

It just dawned on me that I never gave my thoughts about this whole TNG/Burghermunch merger thing.

Let's answer the questions that I had before:

1. Does the merger require the 18-35 rule to be thrown out? Yes. If you don't throw it out, it creates a conflict between the 2 groups. Burghermunch is pretty much the main "all-inclusive" munch group for the city. There is, of course, the Burghmunch, but that's not in the city. It's close, but it's not in the city, therefore it can't be the "primary" community munch group. And as Burghermunch is the "all-inclusive" group, an exculsionary rule like that can't exist and it still remain all-inclusive. This one is pretty straight-forward.

2. Does the rule define TNG? Honestly? Yes. The name is The Next Generation. I'm not talking about TNG Pittsburgh, I'm talking about TNG as a whole. The purpose of it is for those young and new, that might otherwise feel out of place in, in some other cities, an older community, to have a peer group of those also kinky and of similar age. Without that rule, it's just another munch. Whether it is enforced is entirely up to the group leaders.
    In the sense of the local community, for the most part, there hasn't really been the NEED to enforce it for as long as I can remember locally. The older crowd has generally respected the suggestion, though as there IS a lot of crossover in friendships and relationships, and as a result, there hasn't been a need to enforce the rule. People older then the cut-off come sometimes and it's not a problem. It doesn't create a situation where the younger people really feel uncomfortable or like they're the kid in the room with a bunch of people they can't relate to.

3. If the rule isn't enforced, does it really matter if it's thrown out? Yes. Just because it hasn't needed to be enforced doesn't mean that it's unneccessary. Because as long as the rule is THERE, it can be enforced if circumstances dictate the necessity of doing so. Past-practice be damned. If the necessity arises, it's better to have it than not. As long as the rule is technically there, even unenforced, it's still there. And if the group leader, whoever it is at the time, ever felt compelled to do so, they could easily enforce it and make the group a true TNG. (I won't say "again" because honestly, I don't know if it was ever enforced.)

4. If the rule has to be thrown out for the groups to merge, can TNG still be part of the name? No. Look, whether or not the rule is enforced, it's still there. TNG is defined by the rule. If you get rid of it, it becomes just another munch group. The purpose of TNG becomes therefore unfulfilled, whether or not it's mostly attended by those in the 18-35 age range, it's still just another munch group welcome to everyone.
      That's not a bad thing to have a nother munch group open to everyone. However, it just can't be called TNG at that point. That's all I'm saying.

Now, that that's settled... the question becomes "what happens now? They've already merged and as a result, the rule MUST be thrown out. What do we need in that place for the 18-35 group?"

My answer to that? Nothing. Seriously. We don't need a TNG, by definition, in Pittsburgh. What we do need is something to fill a place though.

Threshold serves a great purpose here. But it isn't really a "gateway" group. It's a one-and-done meet-up for those that have never been to anything before. You can meet 1 or 3 people, 1 or 2 established members of the community and that's about it. It helps you get over the intial fear of actually being around other kinky people in real-time.

But then again, TNG wasn't a gateway group either.. Yeah, sure... it was for those that were mostly new, within the past few years, and most of those new people were in the 18-35 group, so it was a peer group. However, it wasn't a gateway group. It didn't mitigate the feelings of being overwhelmed or lost in the crowd the way a gateway group should. It didn't put you in a position to meet a couple other people in exactly the same boat as you to develop friendships or to learn new things very easily. OK, the mentor program is being put together for that, but it's still un-tested and not even in place yet. Hopefully it works for some of those things, but it could just as easily end up a headache and clusterfuck. (Yeah, no pressure on you @DoNotGoGently *grin* haha!)

No, a gateway group should be something between the Threshold and Burghermunch (I'm not calling it TNG/Burghermunch because I've already decided that it can't have TNG as part of the name anymore). A 6-12 month attendence hard-capped group for newbies of all ages can fill that role. You can establish friendships and maybe learn a little bit in a lower-pressure situation and still venture into the "community-at-large" (the other groups) but still have that group of newbies that you can come back to for the first 6-12 months after your first Threshold meeting.  Think of it as "Freshman Orientation".

And after that 6-12 month window for you closes, you're not allowed back. That simple. You've "graduated" out of the group.

If Threshold is the front door and Burghermunch, Burghmunch, MaST, the FemDomme group and others are the rooms in the rest of the house, a gateway group is the Foyer or lobby. Somewhere that you come in the door after being greeted and can kinda figure out where you're going from there.

I don't know exactly how the details of this would work, or who could run it without attending it (you wouldn't be allowed if you've been around for more than 12 months). But I don't care. I just think it's just a better idea than anything I've heard so far.