Stupid Questions

[79th N.Y.S.M.]

Re: Stupid Questions

People ask "Stupid Questions" becuase they dont know and you cant make any judgement on that person. Chances are they are at a living history event to learn more about well you guested it... history! Not everyone is a history buff so dont expect them to be.

[hireddutchcutthroat]

Re: Stupid Questions

Ok here is my funniest public interaction; I was at the biggest Fest in CA we get alot of local High Schools and JCs coming around with prepared questions to ask to the participants. My pards and I were enjoying the shade of a palm tree when a gaggle of 17-18 year old girls beset upon us. This is the conversation between one of these girls and myself:

Her "Whats your name (giggles)?"

Me "Bob"

Her "No, (giggles more) whats you little PLAY NAME?"

Me "Uhhh Bob. Whats your little PLAY NAME?"

Her "Jessica..."

Me "Thats a nice Little play name."

Her "Żours is cute too...Can you give me your autograph?"

Me "Uhhhh ok."

I gave her my autograph and she left. My pards and I got a good laugh out of that one. :tounge_sm

[HOG.EYE.MAN]

Re: Stupid Questions

Robert,

Funny stuff.... I also gave an autograph out once at the 125th Gettysburg event..... Spectators flocked around me because I was the "little Drummer Boy" in the U.O.battalion.

[hireddutchcutthroat]

Re: Stupid Questions

Robert,

Funny stuff.... I also gave an autograph out once at the 125th Gettysburg event..... Spectators flocked around me because I was the "little Drummer Boy" in the battalion. :wink_smil

And I thunkt it was becasue I was such a fayne strapin young mayn! :wink_smil

[tomarch]

Re: Stupid Questions

I don't mind silly questions, I don't think there dumb just silly. Like the old "here's your sign" joke from a few years ago. My most favorite initially came from Vicksburg, back in '95. It was about 200 degrees in the shade, or at least it seemed to be. I literally had sweat pouring out of my skin and a spectator asked "aren't you hot in that uniform?" I've heard that one the most, especially in the summer.

The best answer to this question was given by a pard of mine one hot Memorial Day. A very attractive young lady in a very tight halter top and shorts said" Are you hot in that uniform?" His reply: "Some women think so...." :D

[PrettyBoyDonovan]

Re: Stupid Questions

The best answer to this question was given by a pard of mine one hot Memorial Day. A very attractive young lady in a very tight halter top and shorts said" Are you hot in that uniform?" His reply: "Some women think so...." :D

I answered that question the very same way to some cheerleaders geeting ready for some evening parade one night out in the boonies. They just made some bitchy face and walked away. Me and my pards had a good laugh for the rest of the night.

(feel free to scratch out 'bitchy')

[OleMissRebel]

Re: Stupid Questions

I was at a Vicksburg Living History once and some feller asked me "Where were the Germans in this battle?"

I simply answered "umm....probably in Germany."

[hardeesboy]

Re: Stupid Questions

I was at a Vicksburg Living History once and some feller asked me "Where were the Germans in this battle?"

I simply answered "umm....probably in Germany."

Ryan,

Actually, there were several Germans involved in the Siege of Vicksburg. The 22d Kentucky, under Lieut. Col. George W. Monroe, had a whole company of Germans (company K) and several scattered throughout different companies (A,E & G) in his ranks. That is just one occurence!

The public has a tendancy to know more about the Civil War than we give them credit for.

[Kate Vogel]

Re: Stupid Questions

"So if ya'll are 'refuugeees' does that mean I can kidnap and rape ya'll?"
-Spectator at Perryville '02

I kid you not.

[dahoude]

Re: Stupid Questions

Getting the kids involved is indeed a hoot! Myself and a few comrades were engaged in a musing game of chuck a luck during some down time in camp while at a LH at Pamplin Park a few years back. A few spectator's kids came over a began watching, with some enticing we were able to get them in the game, we spotted them some repro greenbacks and taught them to play. When one of the kids literally started to clean up and break the bank it was hilarious. When the game had ended he kindly started to return the funny money, we stopped him and said, nope it's yours, we play for keeps. The two kids ran off excitedly showing mom and dad their take. About an hour later the two kids returned to our camp with mom and dad with more funny money that they had just bought at the visitors center, and some pewter dice! They wanted to play some more, we were just floored! I guess we made an impression, only bad thought... we wondered if they were going to be skinning their pards at the cafeteria table on Monday!
Had to share that one...

[marine05]

Re: Stupid Questions

Getting kids involved is great. We, at living histories, will often put a crew of youngsters on the gun, especially if they are from a group, scouts, school, church &c, they love it. Also give a kid a piece of hardtack and you've made a friend for life.

I don't know why but kids love to smell the muzzle of the cannon, their mother's don't like it too much if they get any powder residue on them. Dads like it though, get that manly odor on them.

We are constantly asked if our cannons are real, we tell them, jokingly, yup, real big, real heavy, real loud and give us real rounds and we could do real damage.

The errant question doesn't bother me as much as the husband/father telling his family some wrong information.

We have met a lot of people that are very interested, and a great many that are very knowledgeable about the ACW. By my asking questions is how I became a reenactor.

s/f

DJM

[Possum Skinner]

Re: Stupid Questions

I've noticed that by camping in the campaigner areas of mainstream events, there are some positives and negatives when it comes to spectator involvement.

On a positive note. Most of the spectators don't trek back into the woods to find you, so you don't have to answer as many questions.

On a negative note. Most of the spectators don't trek back into the woods to find you, so they end up being fed Hystery instead of history by the less than average mainstreamers.

When they do trek back there they are usually less apt to ask those sillier questions and tend to be more interested in seeing how things were really done. "Wow! This must be how it really looked." Is a common statement, and know-it-all papa considers you a real historian and doesn't interject as much.

There are many, many spectators out there who are much more knowledgeable than people give than reenactors give them credit for. Mister X may not own a single piece of equipment, but he has a library at home that would rival the Library at Alexandria. When he sees you doing it right, he might even be interested in sharing knowledge,or even trying it out. I have met a couple of real firearms gurus this way.

The silly questions are inevitable, but they can easily be met with appropriate answers and the laughter and sarcasm can wait until after they are well out of earshot. My favorite was not a silly question, but an awkward situation that happened at a school day. The gentleman giving the Surgeon's demonstration was extremely knowledgeable and had invested lots of time and money into procurring lots of medical instruments from the period. He had a huge table laid out with dozens and dozens of these instruments. A group of 3rd or 4th graders came up to the table and he was showing them all these instruments and they were just agog with wonder. Finally a little girl pointed to one and said, "What was that used for?" Not realizing he had done it, he had placed an antique vaginal speculum on the table from his collection. "Um, um, um...That's is for...examining...um... a ladie's lady parts."
He was brilliant red and the children gave funny looks at each other, then he quickly went on to something else. When that group walked away, he quickly put the instrument back into his crates.

[DukeRPSC]

Re: Stupid Questions?

I will admit to taking the more aggressive role when at a living history or reenactment. When two or more are gathered together, I tell them: "I have information you need to know. It will at the very least make you a more interesting person at your next cocktail party."

Questions are based on each individual's quest for information. I have no idea of what each individual's level of information may be, but I am willing to supply such information as may complement that person's current level of knowledge. Rather than cast aspersions or make fun of an individual, I'd prefer to take the query and lead to discovery for that person. It can really be fun and you never know what you will discover about that person in return. Most of the time, they will surprise you.

Duke

[ElizabethClark]

Re: Stupid Questions?

I like the tone of this discussion! I, too, have encountered those who ask a seemingly silly question in order to break the ice (including, "Is that a real baby?" which I interpreted and answered as if it had been, "Is that your actual child, and is it dressed/doing things the way they would have been done?"), as well as the semi-confrontational "guru" who informed me that the egg noodles I was rolling out in the kitchen were not accurate, as pasta had not yet been invented. (Oooookay.) My response was a smile, and a polite "I don't know about pasta--but these noodles are a receipt I got from my mother's mother, who was born in 1784, so I know this batch has been invented since then." (Which actually was truth--I just subbed my self for my own great-great-grandmother, and went back from there.)

We then went on to chat about my rolling pin (which was huge--scares the noodles flat), pies, and other cooking topics. He really was fun, and not trying to be nasty--he just didn't know how else to spark a conversation. In the course of the discussion, I even got to bring up having read a story in a recent lady's magazine about the explorer Marco Polo, and his adventures in the Orient--had he read them? It was a challenge to stay in the period, but a lot of fun--for both of us.

Sometimes it does take a moment to figure out what the real question is... but when that moment is taken, it can work out to be a great experience for all concerned.

[DukeRPSC]

Re: Stupid Questions? Ain't none

I harken back to one of my best experiences and it happened to be to one of the worst events I've attended, Grant vs. Lee. Saturday late morning/ early afternoon, I happened to have a young lawyer from Richmond who brought his lawn chair along with him. He and I sat in the trenches and talked for 1 1/2 to 2 hours about the Overland Campaign. It was enlightening for us both, I think, in that he was very knowledgeable about the campaign and I could share what I knew of the experiences of the average soldier on both sides of that campaign.

I don't know how others gauge their experiences at events. This particular event had nothing to do with immersion, but alot to do with engagement with another human beings interested in reaching back in time and sharing what he'd learned. I found it very rewarding.

Duke