Weight Standards?

[DougCooper]

Re: Weight Standards?

But that's just the point Troy Groves is making. If we say it's always the other person's fault for having a bad attitude, then we could justify anything at events: "It's your problem if you're bothered by the cooler and enamelware by my firepit."

So there's another application of attitude too. If reenactors have a positive attitude about improving their impression, they'll try to lose weight to get within the typical range of the person they're portraying.

Unfortunately, that's neither a feel-good nor politically correct message.

And besides, we need the eggs.

Hank Trent
Great phrase, Curt!
hanktrent@voyager.net

:D

Most of the events I attend anymore have a strenuous side to them - tends to attract folks with the right attitude to improve and the motivation to test themselves. When the sweat is pouring down your face and you feel like a soldier, one tends to ignore appearances and concentrate on comradeship. Its a soldier thing...which is the whole point.

[lambrew]

Re: Weight Standards?

Joe, I second Andrew's statement. For the record, I'm 6'3, and I hover between 240, 220 lbs. What I do for a living involves some heavy lifting, as a result I am what they call "big boned", whatever that means:sarcastic. I keep trying to get my weight down, I think I carry my weight well but there is room for improvement. Attitude comes first, and this helps motivate me to improve on every thing else. Hobby as diet/good health motivator, sounds good to me.

Respectfully....
Sean Collicott

[Wild Rover]

Re: Weight Standards?

Joe,

Bully show on the loss.....takes more determination and dedication than most folks have.

Pards,

[OldKingCrow]

Re: Weight Standards?

But that's just the point Troy Groves is making. If we say it's always the other person's fault for having a bad attitude, then we could justify anything at events: "It's your problem if you're bothered by the cooler and enamelware by my firepit."

So there's another application of attitude too. If reenactors have a positive attitude about improving their impression, they'll try to lose weight to get within the typical range of the person they're portraying.

Unfortunately, that's neither a feel-good nor politically correct message.

And besides, we need the eggs.

Hank Trent
Great phrase, Curt!
hanktrent@voyager.net

+1 from FLA

[Hank Trent]

Re: Weight Standards?

Most of the events I attend anymore have a strenuous side to them - tends to attract folks with the right attitude to improve and the motivation to test themselves. When the sweat is pouring down your face and you feel like a soldier, one tends to ignore appearances and concentrate on comradeship. Its a soldier thing...which is the whole point.

And yet, don't those events still have material culture standards? Would modern work boots and a blue or gray baseball cap be close enough, since everyone's ignoring everyone else's clothes anyway?

There's a duality here that complicates things. To get the most from an experience, one has to overlook the bad and concentrate on the good, since no event will be perfect or even close to it. Thus age, weight, background kabuki stuff, modern viewsheds, etc., are best just accepted and ignored. Otherwise, one might as well stay home.

And yet, if one takes that to the extreme, there's no point in bothering to put on or attend "better events," because you can always ignore just one more thing, so why not allow whatever impression anyone wants to bring?

Personally, I've come to terms with genuinely wishing my own impression and others could be better, while at the very same time, also enjoying events immensely by just ignoring all the anachronisms.

I suppose most reenactors have a similar balance point, or are hung up either on one side or the other--being defensive about any suggestion of improvement, or becoming burnt out and miserable because the hobby is overrun with what they consider to be farbs.

Which is why this topic has become such a dead horse to be beaten. One can say that too many overweight soldiers are inaccurate, and also that overweight reenactors should be encouraged to participate at every level of event, and even the same person can say both at the same time. Barring some major shift in the hobby, as Jim Kindred said, there's nothing that will change.

Hank Trent
hanktrent@voyager.net

[Curt Schmidt]

Re: Weight Standards?

Hallo!

Thanks Herr Hank, as that, IMHO, sums this up rather well.

And yes, we have gone from beating that Dead Horse to flailing it.
(Dr. Phil's Life Law No. 1)

Thanks to everyone for their input and opinions.

Curt
They shoot horses don't they Mess
USDA Grade A Rifles