Why Banning Civil War Re-Enactments Will Only Increase Ignorance And Prejudice

Sir,

Every reenacting unit I've been associated with for over 25 years (US or CSA), the bylaws were very detailed on not allowing political or racial issues be put out by the members of the units. I was in a CSA unit in TN and had a member start with racial slurs and personal beliefs. He was warned by our SGT. He repeated the slurs at another event and he was promptly ask to immediately leave the event by our unit. He was voted out of the unit at the next meeting. That was the only case I've witnessed, not to say it doesn't happen in other units/events. I would hope not. To me its a hobby and not a political statement. To me, one day I might be CSA and the next US depending on what is required to even out the numbers. I would hope that spectators or others would understand that. Being lumped in with racist and ****s for being interested in history and what was called for years a "civil war buff" is a vial thing to endure.

Again, this goes to the point I was making about the article. The article seems to be saying that reenactments are places where we can learn about the various issues surrounding the war in a "nuanced" way. I don't see that. But I do think, as said earlier, that reenactments do teach us stuff about military history, material culture, and about the stories of the soldiers. Which has some value.

- Alan
 
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The sad truth is that we could not agree on most issues ourselves---Just like folks in the day. History is how one perceives it--with all the faults that entails. Many perceptions are debatable and we explain how we feel about them among our group with much passion---and sometimes we even change our mind---but most of the time not. Folks not into history will not understand anything but the basics---reenactments will be tough for a while---but this too will pass. Bee is right about security issues--It will be a modern day issue. When I was in the army and was ask for what I considered was a political issue I would answer with you will have to talk to the officer sir---I have no opinion as one was not issued.
 
People can boycott anything they want. It's not wrong, it's their personal choice. You may disagree with their choice, but it's still their choice, and it's still not wrong. What would you do--would you have the government force someone to go to a reenactment they don't want to see because you think it's wrong for them to not go to a reenactment?

When I said boycott I didn't mean simply not go but meant to say actively try to get the reenactment canceled.
And yes its my opinion but I do believe that trying to get a reenactment canceled simply because it has to do with the Confederacy is wrong.
 
When I said boycott I didn't mean simply not go but meant to say actively try to get the reenactment canceled.
And yes its my opinion but I do believe that trying to get a reenactment canceled simply because it has to do with the Confederacy is wrong.

That's not a boycott.
 
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Why Banning Civil War Re-Enactments Will Only Increase Ignorance And Prejudice
It's a mistake to ignore the complexities of history in the name of social justice. Obscuring the past will not make our country better or more just.
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By Anna Mussmann
August 29, 2017

If “Gone With the Wind” is too insensitive for public viewing, and memorializing Confederate generals is racist, perhaps Civil War reenactments will be the next to go. After all, the hobby triggers discomfort in many Americans. It’s not just that seeing adults roleplay in expensive costumes is weird. The really awkward part is all of those Americans who dress up like Confederates or, say, unveil “the largest Confederate flag in Tennessee” at a living history event so that descendants of Confederate soldiers can place their ancestor’s name and unit on the flag. If the South was wrong—if the war was about something as ugly as slavery—isn’t it degrading to keep its memory so very alive?

Wilbert Cooper, a young black man who traveled across America for VICE in the lead-up to the recent presidential election, sees reenacting as an attempt to fantasize about living in a bygone world of ****. He described his encounters with rebel reenactors and said, “I realized that it was the gulf between these backward-looking fantasies and this modern moment that has made America such an ugly and angry place to be recently.” It is clear Cooper would prefer the war to be filed away forever.

More: http://thefederalist.com/2017/08/29...se-ignorance-prejudice/#.WaX9yOfb6nI.facebook



Looks like mindless click bait to me. The constitution would bar any such prohibition.
 
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