Share your "bad history" questions from events or reenactments

...If the tourists would just STOP AND THINK before they ASK, it could avoid a lot of embarrassment...

I almost get it, and would almost agree, except that it seems this is referring more to your embarrassment rather than the tourists'.

You know, there is no requirement for the specs to stop and think before they ask. That is us putting that on them. And what really is gained by doing that? If the answer is that we establish how very knowledgeable we are, well imho that seems a pathetic victory.

At some point in this field we each learned what seems so painfully obvious to us now, just as we learned how to tie our shoes. We merely learned it at an earlier age. If you think people should know better by the age they appear to be, well that's judging them. Anymore I say resist it, though I've been no saint in that regard.

Perhaps time better spent is to challenge the false and agenda-serving things you hear other reenactors say; if you can pull that off in a nice way, that is (some of us struggle with that).
 
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According to the weird battlefield chivalry of the day, musicians were considered non-combatants, so you weren't supposed to kill them deliberately, regardless of what they were wearing. Military uniforms of that era were varied and colorful--some British musicians even wore green or yellow coats!
I have seen yellow quite a bit! I just know if I was a Yankee drummer, I would prefer a yellow over a red coat!
 
My best are just from conversations. Once, my boss at another job, a very intelligent woman, asked me which side wore the blue uniforms.
And once I was asked to supply a childhood hero for a website. I told the young lady it was Robert E. Lee. "Hmmm...I'll have to google him," she responded, obviously never having heard of him.

I haven't gotten to do any reenacting or interpretation, but I do find opportunities for teachable moments in conversations with friends or family. Some of my friends are from Central America, where the people have suffered from civil wars in very recent times, and many are interested to hear that a war was fought in this country not really so long ago, and what it was like.

Roy B.
 
You know, there is no requirement for the specs to stop and think before they ask. That is us putting that on them. And what really is gained by doing that? If the answer is that we establish how very knowledgeable we are, well imho that seems a pathetic victory.

At some point in this field we each learned what seems so painfully obvious to us now, just as we learned how to tie our shoes. We merely learned it at an earlier age. If you think people should know better by the age they appear to be, well that's judging them. Anymore I say resist it, though I've been no saint in that regard.

That sounds like a sensible approach. I wonder if sometimes there is a need for a combination of a "teachable moment" and maybe a "think-about moment"? Some of the dumb questions might be just a result of foggy-brain syndrome from sensory overload, sleep deprivation, boredom, or medication. Maybe the visitor's fog might be dissipated a bit by starting out with, "Well, let's think about that for a minute...." Then ask some leading questions or use a prop to offer a lesson. Just a thought...

Roy B.
 
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I haven't gotten to do any reenacting or interpretation, but I do find opportunities for teachable moments in conversations with friends or family. Some of my friends are from Central America, where the people have suffered from civil wars in very recent times, and many are interested to hear that a war was fought in this country not really so long ago, and what it was like.

Roy B.
It's been years, but I remember being at a birthday party years ago--a costume party. I wore a reasonable approximation of a Confederate uniform with a CBF as a cavalry type scarf. A Hispanic girl from, Puerto Rico, I think asked me about the flag. She seemed to think I was an unreconstructed rebel till I pointed out to her that all the mini CBFs decorating the the walls were crossed with US flags. "Oh, Okay!" was what I think she said.
 
Back in the early 80's I was a member of the 1st Virginia Cavalry. Co K doing a living history at Dunker church on the Antietam battlefield for the N.P.S. We had a family asking us questions about soldier life, camp life questions about our weapons ect, ect . The father was acting rather arrogant, being a know it all trying to impress the crowd that had gathered with his knowledge of the war on and on being a real jerk. They finally turned to leave when he came back and said " there's something I always wanted to ask you Civil war guys " what's that I said ? "Do you guys use real bullets in your battles " I was dumbfounded after all the arrogance and smirking that he would actually ask me something like that and he was serious, what could I say ? I know what I wanted to say but the park ranger was there so I had to be nice ! Bwaaahahahaha......True story !
 
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Not Civil War related, but history: Recently, a young friend told me she was studying the Middle Ages in school. I let her know how cool that was. She said, "We learned about the Black Death." I said, "Oh, that was a terrible thing. A lot of people died." She cocked her head and said, "Were you alive then?"

Roy B.

That made me think of another one--not Civil War era, but close. I was talking to a spectator about how uncomfortable the Rev War uniform is in the summer (they never seem to tire of that topic, regardless of the era). The Rev War regimental coat is a wool garment with heavy lining that you can wear in the middle of the winter and feel comfortable, but they had to wear the same coat in the heat of the summer as well. He said, "Yeah, but it wasn't as hot back then." I really didn't know what to think of that, and just said, "Oh, it got plenty hot."

Later, I figured he might have been thinking of the "Little Ice Age" which lasted from 1300–1850 and resulted in cooler winters and more precipitation in the summers, even drought in some regions, with annual temperatures across the Northern Hemisphere declining by 1.1 °F. So, there might have been something to what he said, but on the other hand, if you've ever worn a Civil War or Rev War uniform in the full, sub-tropical heat and humidity of a Virginia summer, it doesn't make much difference if it's 96 degrees or 95 degrees or even 91 degrees--you're still suffering.
 
That made me think of another one--not Civil War era, but close. I was talking to a spectator about how uncomfortable the Rev War uniform is in the summer (they never seem to tire of that topic, regardless of the era). The Rev War regimental coat is a wool garment with heavy lining that you can wear in the middle of the winter and feel comfortable, but they had to wear the same coat in the heat of the summer as well. He said, "Yeah, but it wasn't as hot back then." I really didn't know what to think of that, and just said, "Oh, it got plenty hot."

Later, I figured he might have been thinking of the "Little Ice Age" which lasted from 1300–1850 and resulted in cooler winters and more precipitation in the summers, even drought in some regions, with annual temperatures across the Northern Hemisphere declining by 1.1 °F. So, there might have been something to what he said, but on the other hand, if you've ever worn a Civil War or Rev War uniform in the full, sub-tropical heat and humidity of a Virginia summer, it doesn't make much difference if it's 96 degrees or 95 degrees or even 91 degrees--you're still suffering.
I guess he never read anything about the Battle of Monmouth 🤔
 
Looks like tour guides, historic site employees, museum workers, park service folks, zoo employees and others also get their share of "dumb questions" and inappropriate behavior.

Some of these are hilarious, and some just sad, like asking the Native American if he is, "a real Indian" and ever lived in a tipi. Some of them are from Civil War sites, there's one from a living history interpreter at Colonial Williamsburg, someone at a Renaissance Fair, and many others are history related:


Unfortunately, I have no trouble whatsoever believing any of them.
 
I nearly asked a really embarrassing question. Back in 1999 I was visiting Gettysburg. At the cyclorama, I was walking up the ramp to the viewing area. A group of schoolkids dressed in what I thought was 19th century costume were coming the other way. Their teacher was a young woman also dressed in costume. I was going to ask if they were dressed up for a school visit. I gave her a polite smile and "hello". She gave me a look a utter disgust. It was then that I realised they were Amish.
 
Good lawd who knew people were that history stupid!

I had a girl in my online class that I would love to see every day, but when she answered a question about Abe Lincoln with a WWII response, I've been more devoted to my studies. :rofl:


Side note: I could see why she thought the V Corps badge was a "nazi" symbol, but she is still wrong. She sees in her mind the German iron cross. That's been around for ages, long before the nazis, as an award for outstanding soldiers.


Side side note. As for those other people, I can't help ya.
 
I nearly asked a really embarrassing question. Back in 1999 I was visiting Gettysburg. At the cyclorama, I was walking up the ramp to the viewing area. A group of schoolkids dressed in what I thought was 19th century costume were coming the other way. Their teacher was a young woman also dressed in costume. I was going to ask if they were dressed up for a school visit. I gave her a polite smile and "hello". She gave me a look a utter disgust. It was then that I realised they were Amish.
It can be easy even for an educated adult to ask (almost) what might be considered a stupid question at the right time and place. You were in a "historical" venue with people in what we consider "historical" costumes. I don't understand the perceived attitude of the Amish lady. Without checking distances, I suppose Gettysburg is close to PA Amish communities?

It is not unusual in our part of Ohio to see Amish, conservative Mennonite and other various historic or conservatively dressed persons or families.
 
May I add something I just saw on a stand up comedy You Tube channel? It does have a connection with the thread's topics.

It's called "Dry Bar Comedy" and features comics and jokes that are clean compared to some comedy. The stand up I am quoting is called "Christian" and the title is "Don't be a Regular At Arby's. (He is 300 pounds, thus, the title.)

He describes being not too good at dating and being rude to people who are rude to him.
(Please just expose one line at at time while slowly reading this. It is stand up comedy.)



" . . .and that's not a good trait for dating.

"I was on a date with a girl . . laughter. . It wasn't great . . . . it wasn't fun . . . . but I'm trying, you know. . . .

She's buried in her phone the whole time . . . . I'm trying to make conversation.

She has a tattoo on her arm . . . . of Abraham Lincoln, . . . like the beard, . . the face, the hat . . . that thing?


So trying to make conversation, I say . . . . I love your tattoo. . . . I'm a big fan of Abraham Lincoln. . . .


Then she looked up from her phone like it was this huge chore (disgusting look) and said 'That's not Abraham Lincoln. . . . My grandpa was an Abraham impersonator, . . . . and when he died I got this tattoo . . . . to remember him by.'

Then she went back to her phone like it should have been obvious to me the entire time. . . .


So I said, 'I'm sorry to hear about your grandpa. . . . . Was he shot in a theater?

She said 'No.'

. . . . .
. . . . .

I said, . . . .

"Well that's not a very good impersonation then."


(raucous laughter)
I hope you can see the humorous connections to many aspects of this thread.
Have a nice day.
 
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