Opening Weekend Recap

[KeeperoftheBar]

Did anyone see the young man dressed in full Natzi gear???

He was dressed in a Nazi SS uniform, and yes, myself, Laird Daniel and both our wives saw him. Laird spotted him first and pointed him out to me, just as I was trying to figure out why he was dressed in an airline pilot uniform because my brain simply could not process what it was seeing. My very British wife, who's father served in the Royal Navy during WWII, was nearly beside herself, in seeing this person. I went directly to the Sheriffs deputy at the front gate, and was very curtly told that NOTHING could be done about it and that I should simply keep an open mind.

My open mind is still considering various forms of attrocity that could befall such an idiot.

Like maybe a recreation of a scene from "Inglourious Basterds"? 
I could handle the German Uniform, even the nazi arm band, but when I saw the deathshead on his hat I was saddened that anyone could be that insensitive.  However, my Jewish friend just laughed it off so maybe I'm overreacting.

[PyroMaster]

Perhaps we should have some roving bands of Hasidim.  You know, to balance the karma.

[LadyElizabeth]

Rapier, you were by no means the only one offended!!  Some people can "open their mind" to all sorts of horrible things in the world, but personally I think horrible things should be offensive to everyone no matter how open they are!!  But the thing is that we can't let those horrible things or horrible people ruin our good times at fair, that would make it even more horrible!!!!

[Blue66669]

I don't offend easily. I do, however, believe that sometimes a brick to the face for either not realizing/not caring about certain PC things may be in order.

Horrible people suck, but there's worse things out there. Like, iono, sick and twisted individuals with no manners and a lust for wreaking havok...

*tucks her sick and twisted underneath her skirt*

[Laird Fraser of Lovatt]

I have your brick, my Empress... who'd you want hit with it? 

[Breandan]

Rapier, if I had seen him I would have wanted to crack his arse sideways, so trust me, you're not alone on being offended. That being said, his goal was not to get into the mood of reenactment, it was to purvey rampant asshattery, get attention, and try and disrupt the faire for his own ego, and I refuse to let him ruin the show for me. Still, if he slipped in a mud puddle repeatedly...
*whistles innocently*

[Zardoz]

After re-reading this thread, I'd like to apologize to all concerned if my posts about the 'SS guy' make it seem like I was defending the idiot, or in any way disparaging anyone's feelings about the matter. This was certainly not my intent, and it has dragged the thread off topic as well.

[Dracconia]

I don't know the meaning of "half way."

I agree....and please no one inform me I like all the way !

[Breandan]

Hopefully, I'll be MUCH more available this weekend, and will try to make the POW gathering on Sat. I'll need to wear leg braces, or I'll be laid up again Sunday, but I should be out and about more

[KeeperoftheBar]

Breandan, if the Meet & Greet get to you too badly, let me know and I shall be happy to lend you StudMuffin to get you back to the forge. 

[Singed]

Since the Nazi guy seems to be the dominant topic, I'm going to post on it and respectfully disagree with the majority opinion (including you Breandan, which is rare) and say that I believe some of the reactions are a bit harsh when you put things in context.  

Nazism itself and the acts committed by some of those who followed it are indefensible and I'm not going to claim for a second that the costume is appropriate for the setting or that folks wouldn't have a reason to be offended, just that perhaps some perspective on alternative views would help.  

I liken the issue to this: Being of Irish ancestry, I could choose to be offended by the constant glorification of all things British and Scottish at Faire.  British conquest and occupation did after all, cost the Irish untold lives and virtually destroyed the original culture of the island.  The average person's perception of Ireland now runs something like "generally British with a few quirks", but in history the truth is quite different.  Breandan could tell you a lot more about early Ireland and how it differs from modern Irish culture, but that would drag this even further off topic.

In my mind, both are deeply wrong, cost untold lives, wrecked cultures and I can't see getting any more worked up over one than the other.  The main difference to me is, nazism is just more recent.  

Now if you want to go on the tangent that it is inappropriate in a renaissance or fantasy faire setting, I am right there with you!  

* Singed prepares for the flames...  

[Zardoz]

I liken the issue to this: Being of Irish ancestry, I could choose to be offended by the constant glorification of all things British and Scottish at Faire.  British conquest and occupation did after all, cost the Irish untold lives and virtually destroyed the original culture of the island.  The average person's perception of Ireland now runs something like "generally British with a few quirks", but in history the truth is quite different.  Breandan could tell you a lot more about early Ireland and how it differs from modern Irish culture, but that would drag this even further off topic.

Putting on the flame proof suit and agreeing with Singed on this one.

[KiltedPrivateer]

Inappropriate faire wear could be a whole other thread in itself.

[Blue66669]

HAHA!!! I smell the effects of Snarky Biotch Wednesday afoot!

[KeeperoftheBar]

I liken the issue to this: Being of Irish ancestry, I could choose to be offended by the constant glorification of all things British and Scottish at Faire.  British conquest and occupation did after all, cost the Irish untold lives and virtually destroyed the original culture of the island.  The average person's perception of Ireland now runs something like "generally British with a few quirks", but in history the truth is quite different.  Breandan could tell you a lot more about early Ireland and how it differs from modern Irish culture, but that would drag this even further off topic.

In my mind, both are deeply wrong, cost untold lives, wrecked cultures and I can't see getting any more worked up over one than the other.  The main difference to me is, nazism is just more recent.  

Now if you want to go on the tangent that it is inappropriate in a renaissance or fantasy faire setting, I am right there with you!  

* Singed prepares for the flames...  

I don't mean to be argumentative or get too far off topic, but I have to disagree with you on this one.  I am not an expert but I believe the British mainly wanted to colonize Ireland.  At least in the beginning I do not think they strove to annihilate a race.  Possibly you could compare that to what the Nazi's did in Poland or Eastern Europe but there is no comparison to how they treated the Jews, Gypsy's, Freemasons and others.  They strove to wipe those people off the face of the earth, not just convert them to their way of life.  To me one was done in bloody ignorance, the other was pure evil.  

Soapbox replaced.