Gentlemen,
I wanted to share some thoughts I have with you all (and y'all) and hear some feedback. Let me preface by saying that my "tone" should be read as positive, not as a complaint, a criticism or a response to another thread or an individual. This is not meant to be a lecture, but hopefully a way to spark some new ideas and dialog. This is my favorite go-to site whenever I have a question. The wealth of knowledge is incredible and I love discussing our shared passion here. I have always been treated well and with respect, even when some of my questions came with the stink of new fish. Thanks for that, btw. But what I most enjoy about these discussions is that they cause us to think more about the great and terrible war that holds our fascination, rather than our always lacking reenactments of it.
Always lacking? I'm afraid so. Regardless of how "authentic" an event might be, war is impossible to truthfully reenact because the key ingredients of terror, death and destruction is thankfully missing. Until we wash our friend's body parts off of ourselves, take the life of a terrified boy in a different color uniform, primal scream without hearing our own voice, smell bodies of horses and men decomposing and wonder if we will survive this day, how authentic can we be? Authenticity is a matter of degrees, and these discussions help us in our efforts to try to honor those who didn't get to go home after the weekend was over.
So, IMO no impression is perfect, and no two are exactly the same. All we can hope for is constant improvement and pray we aren't too ridiculously fat or old by the time we peak. That is why we all need to embrace the ignorant and especially the young, as we ALL once were. We should always try to help, not ridicule their impressions, and continue to lead by example. What more can we do? How can we possibly defarb the hobby?
Possible solutions?
I think too many of us are micro viewing the hobby and need to switch to macro view. Proper buttons and hand stitching is great, and I admire the eye for the detail, but most of it is lost on the average spectator. I'm not saying by any means to stop doing it, but to also pull back to see the big picture.
Let's focus on the whole, not on the individual for a moment. What really separates us from what actually happened?
The biggest problems I see with our overall battlefield impressions, are:
1. Absence of death, destruction and terror.
Not too much we can do here, although I have seen a few ground charges go off and some "houses" blow up or burn, which is always a treat.
Terror? We are reenACTORS. It's understandable that no one wants to throw down their gun and run from the enemy advance, but designating a few from each company to do so would give more credence to the panic and fear that all soldiers had to be feeling. At the very least, don't allow yourself or your pards to show how much fun this can be. If you see someone smiling or laughing in a battle, step on their foot or something.
2.The numbers are too few.
Okay, nothing new here and we probably all agree. Each of us represents at least 50, but why aren't there more reenactors participating?
3. The median age is way too high.
Losing weight and covering the gray helps quite a bit, but why aren't more young people involved? My joke answer has been that too many of us are firing blanks. But joking aside, perhaps part of the problem is exposure? Most of us baby boomers grew up basking in the victory of WWII, with films and television shows of the 50's and 60's that actually glorified our wars and showed service to our country in a positive light. Viet Nam darkened that tone but 9/11 seemed to re-instill pride in our country and in our military. Let's hope the media coverage of the 150th events helps introduce more youngsters to our nation's greatest conflict. The only time Americans were defeated in a war, was the the one we waged on ourselves. Last year I set up a one man cavalry camp outside my son's Junior High School, and gave a brief lecture-demo to each of the five different hour Social Studies (history) classes after they started the chapter on the Civil War. The kids loved it, the school loved it, and my son's "cool rating" rose a bit. Oh, and I really enjoyed it, too. If you've never tried something like this, it's very gratifying.
4. Costs.
Times are hard and I know many with excellent impressions are having to cut back because of costs. The trend seems to be getting worse as more events are now becoming "pay to play" and now events like B/G Shiloh, expecting each reenactor to not only to pay to attend, but to bring $200+ in rolled cartridges? Why is this happening? Where is the uproar? What happened to them paying US bounties, providing powder and or food? This hobby is way too expensive already without us having to pay to be allowed to provide the product that the promoters are selling. We are the product they sell. Giving them our service for free, well okay. Paying to give our services to cover their expenses, okay. Paying to give our services at events that are charging admission to the public? This seems insane to me. I heard some events this year are charging reenactors $40 each to participate. Where is this trend taking us? Does anyone know what Gettysburg is doing next year?
Here's some food for thought. Ask yourself how authentic your impression would be if you were an average 16 year old and just starting out? How badly do we REALLY want to raise the authenticity bar? Enough to put our money where our mouth's are?
Perhaps... We could be donating our used gear to needy newcomers, rather than selling it to each other? Sounds like a possible tax write off to me.
Perhaps... We could start a national emergency fund that can help pay for gas for those who otherwise couldn't afford to go? Maybe a carpool forum for those who have room for one more?
Perhaps... We could all become a mentor for someone who is interested but doesn't know where to start?
Many of us here are doing some of these things already, and that's great. If you're not, that's your choice. But trying to improve the hobby is sure better than just bitchin' about it. Just saying.
Anyone else have any ideas on how to improve the hobby? Please chime in.
Thanks for indulging me.
Gary
I wanted to share some thoughts I have with you all (and y'all) and hear some feedback. Let me preface by saying that my "tone" should be read as positive, not as a complaint, a criticism or a response to another thread or an individual. This is not meant to be a lecture, but hopefully a way to spark some new ideas and dialog. This is my favorite go-to site whenever I have a question. The wealth of knowledge is incredible and I love discussing our shared passion here. I have always been treated well and with respect, even when some of my questions came with the stink of new fish. Thanks for that, btw. But what I most enjoy about these discussions is that they cause us to think more about the great and terrible war that holds our fascination, rather than our always lacking reenactments of it.
Always lacking? I'm afraid so. Regardless of how "authentic" an event might be, war is impossible to truthfully reenact because the key ingredients of terror, death and destruction is thankfully missing. Until we wash our friend's body parts off of ourselves, take the life of a terrified boy in a different color uniform, primal scream without hearing our own voice, smell bodies of horses and men decomposing and wonder if we will survive this day, how authentic can we be? Authenticity is a matter of degrees, and these discussions help us in our efforts to try to honor those who didn't get to go home after the weekend was over.
So, IMO no impression is perfect, and no two are exactly the same. All we can hope for is constant improvement and pray we aren't too ridiculously fat or old by the time we peak. That is why we all need to embrace the ignorant and especially the young, as we ALL once were. We should always try to help, not ridicule their impressions, and continue to lead by example. What more can we do? How can we possibly defarb the hobby?
Possible solutions?
I think too many of us are micro viewing the hobby and need to switch to macro view. Proper buttons and hand stitching is great, and I admire the eye for the detail, but most of it is lost on the average spectator. I'm not saying by any means to stop doing it, but to also pull back to see the big picture.
Let's focus on the whole, not on the individual for a moment. What really separates us from what actually happened?
The biggest problems I see with our overall battlefield impressions, are:
1. Absence of death, destruction and terror.
Not too much we can do here, although I have seen a few ground charges go off and some "houses" blow up or burn, which is always a treat.
Terror? We are reenACTORS. It's understandable that no one wants to throw down their gun and run from the enemy advance, but designating a few from each company to do so would give more credence to the panic and fear that all soldiers had to be feeling. At the very least, don't allow yourself or your pards to show how much fun this can be. If you see someone smiling or laughing in a battle, step on their foot or something.
2.The numbers are too few.
Okay, nothing new here and we probably all agree. Each of us represents at least 50, but why aren't there more reenactors participating?
3. The median age is way too high.
Losing weight and covering the gray helps quite a bit, but why aren't more young people involved? My joke answer has been that too many of us are firing blanks. But joking aside, perhaps part of the problem is exposure? Most of us baby boomers grew up basking in the victory of WWII, with films and television shows of the 50's and 60's that actually glorified our wars and showed service to our country in a positive light. Viet Nam darkened that tone but 9/11 seemed to re-instill pride in our country and in our military. Let's hope the media coverage of the 150th events helps introduce more youngsters to our nation's greatest conflict. The only time Americans were defeated in a war, was the the one we waged on ourselves. Last year I set up a one man cavalry camp outside my son's Junior High School, and gave a brief lecture-demo to each of the five different hour Social Studies (history) classes after they started the chapter on the Civil War. The kids loved it, the school loved it, and my son's "cool rating" rose a bit. Oh, and I really enjoyed it, too. If you've never tried something like this, it's very gratifying.
4. Costs.
Times are hard and I know many with excellent impressions are having to cut back because of costs. The trend seems to be getting worse as more events are now becoming "pay to play" and now events like B/G Shiloh, expecting each reenactor to not only to pay to attend, but to bring $200+ in rolled cartridges? Why is this happening? Where is the uproar? What happened to them paying US bounties, providing powder and or food? This hobby is way too expensive already without us having to pay to be allowed to provide the product that the promoters are selling. We are the product they sell. Giving them our service for free, well okay. Paying to give our services to cover their expenses, okay. Paying to give our services at events that are charging admission to the public? This seems insane to me. I heard some events this year are charging reenactors $40 each to participate. Where is this trend taking us? Does anyone know what Gettysburg is doing next year?
Here's some food for thought. Ask yourself how authentic your impression would be if you were an average 16 year old and just starting out? How badly do we REALLY want to raise the authenticity bar? Enough to put our money where our mouth's are?
Perhaps... We could be donating our used gear to needy newcomers, rather than selling it to each other? Sounds like a possible tax write off to me.
Perhaps... We could start a national emergency fund that can help pay for gas for those who otherwise couldn't afford to go? Maybe a carpool forum for those who have room for one more?
Perhaps... We could all become a mentor for someone who is interested but doesn't know where to start?
Many of us here are doing some of these things already, and that's great. If you're not, that's your choice. But trying to improve the hobby is sure better than just bitchin' about it. Just saying.
Anyone else have any ideas on how to improve the hobby? Please chime in.
Thanks for indulging me.
Gary
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