civil war re-enactments...wtf?

[Tulsa]

Ah, Royler, where are you now? By the way...I gather from your email address that you are involved in writing/publishing/teaching.... Would you be willing to address some work I have? You criticized me and my desires...do you have the heart to offer me redemption/salvation? That would be the most honest and appreciated criticism.....that which holds forth the offer of help in the end. I could help make it worth your while. tulsa

 

[blueedwards]

OK...Blue, and the rest of you: the reasons these guys do these things one could write several volumes of books covering such, but in short:

1.) Like Dungeons and Dragons these people feel 'safe' knowing and doing things that have little relevance in reality, but they feel empowered by the 'daring' of it all...carrying guns (black powder) or class six weapons, which really is no daring at all, is it?

2.) Community with those of like mind (we apply as well to this one)

3.) Feeling that, unlike the losers playing D&D, you are recreating history for everyone else to see and understand and better grasp (which isn't true..you are just telling yourself that to differentiate yourself from the D&D crowd....you are still losers)

4.) We may all of us struggle to find a place and feeling of belonging in the present but we can all find a place to belong in things that have already happened....I'll play 'this part' and you play 'that part' and this is how the script dictates we proceed, and so we have a place and action though it is a place in a netherworld which doesn't matter...we just can't figure out what to do within the 'real time' game called life that has no script.

5.) Look...there is not one normal human being that doesn't look back to a day and say...I wish I could go back and live that day again as it was great and times were good.....and I would make much better decisions from then on out if I knew what I know now. Well, it's nice that since 1983 the world wasn't obliterated by nuclear war. But the only way you know that wouldn't happen all the way to August of 2005 is that you had to live through it or after it. Those ended up being good times for many, unless you lived in Rwanda. My point is we lived with a small fear (everyone of us) that is gone if you could go back and live through the times again (again the fear would be great and true if you lived in Rwanda.) Or...how about the good ol' days in the America of the 2nd world war...Many I know look to those as the Halcyon days of America. Well...how did the German Jews view those great days or how did the American Black feel about those 'great days.' Hmmmmmm......The good old days weren't that good after all!



So, I leave you with these short subjects that explain why people go 'back' to reproduce that which has already happened. It is safe. You may 'die' in the act and it took no real courage; you know that there is a tomorrow for yourself and the rest. You may 'triumph' in the act and it took no real courage, and you know there is a tomorrow for yourself and the rest. You can pretend to kill and not...you can pretend to die and not....all of which requires some fortitude in reality but doesn't in pretend...... As I said...volumes could be written about these.... I can't go on as I have better awaiting me in the following moments regardless what happened in the past. tulsa

while i never did it, playing dungeons and dragons makes more sense to me than this civil war nonsense...you are in some kids basement with mountain dew and you go home when its over...you are not out in a field with a heavy wool uniform on saying "are ye ready?".

plus, these were not good times. america was at war with itself and black people were slaves...whats good about that?

 

[ThreeUnits]

They're nuts for it here...then again I live in the same state as Gettysburg (one of the WORST NATIONAL PARKS IN THE UNITED STATES)
sb

Oh dear, my wife and I were planning a trip to Gettysburg this November. Can you elaborate for us SB?

 

[sportsbet]

I'll put it this way Three....if you've never been there before I don't want to tell you not to go.

BUT...it's gotten really hokey and over commercialized. I will never go out of my way to go back there (and I've been there plenty of times). But if you're really interested in going don't let me stop you.

:toast:

sb

P.S. Stay AWAY from the tour guides...you can see the park on your own and be better informed than those clowns.

 

[Degenerate]

Read a few books on the Civil War and have a war game based on it but myself can't fathom the desire to dress up in re-enactments. Unless of course you did a Civil War period version of paintball. :uzi: