[Ansteorra] Kansas State historical society bans re-enactments of war or violence

[knotwork at juno.com]

AARRGGHHHH!  Revisionist historians do vex me!  Whether sanitizing the
violence out of history or saying the Civil War was fought to end
slavery, both these guys need to cash in their agendas and buy a clue!
History is the story of conflict and confrontation in the quest for power
and control -- and history is inherently violent.  Besides, who wants to
watch re-enactments of accountants and bureaucrats at thirty paces? :<)
Letting people learn how we got where we are and why some things are
worth fighting for does not promote or glorify violence.

Since most SCA activities are not intended to be historically accurate
re-enactments of specific battles,  I would think that Kansas should
allow events as martial arts demonstrations.  We shed less blood than the
stylized violence of games like football.

How will the hell of Sept. 11 be conveyed to Kansas school children 100
years from now?  In order not to frighten the children, maybe they will
say some unpleasant gentlemen bumped some airplanes into some big
buildings and they fell down, and some Americans had difficulty
controlling their anger.

Hey, Kansas, you're not in Oz anymore!

(Thanks.  I feel better now.)  And thanks to Burke for bringing this to
our attention.

Joanna





On Wed, 27 Feb 2002 13:33:40 -0600 Burke McCrory
<bmccrory at oktax.state.ok.us> writes:
> I received this from a friend in a civil war group.  Looks like it
> could
> apply to SCA activities as well.
>
> Sir Burke
>
>
> >Posted on Tue, Feb. 26, 2002 (Kansas City Star web page)
> >
> >State historical society bans re-enactments of war or violence
> >
> >JUNCTION CITY, Kan. - This might have been "Bleeding Kansas" in the
> 19th
> >Century, but visitors to properties managed by the Kansas State
> Historical
> >Society won't see any blood.
> >
> >The historical society recently banned re-enactments of war or
> violence at
> >properties it manages, and some state historians aren't pleased.
> >
> >"It is impossible to tell the story of Kansas without mentioning
> >violence," said Scott Price, a historian and former president of
> the
> >Friends of the First Territorial Capital at Fort Riley.
> >
> >Ramon Powers, the state society's executive director, said the
> decision
> >was based on "our general view of the kind of audience that we are
> trying
> >to reach out to. Particularly in light of events of Sept. 11, it is
> not
> >appropriate to engage in those kind of activities, or have them at
> our
> >facilities."
> >
> >The Historical Society's policy says there are some situations
> where
> >demonstrations of historical military tactics or weapons usage
> might
> >be an appropriate form of interpretation, but does not define those
> >situations.
> >
> >Beginning in 1855, bloody battles and political unrest ravaged the
> Kansas
> >frontier. The struggle eventually led Kansas to be admitted into
> the Union
> >as a free state.
> >
> >That history, Price said cannot be effectively taught without
> re-enactments.
> >
> >"We live in a visual age," he said. "Now, more than ever in our
> nation's
> >history, a picture is worth a thousand words."
> >
> >Good re-enactments go beyond the visual, Price said.
> >
> >During some of the two- and three-day re-enactments that are
> popular in
> >Kansas, visitors walk through simulated Civil War camps.
> >
> >"They see the fires, smell the bacon and hear the soldiers answer
> roll
> >call," Price said. "A good re-enactment brings history alive."
> >
> >Powers countered that there are other, more family-friendly ways to
> teach
> >history.
> >
> >"It really is not history itself," he said of re-enactments. "The
> real
> >gore of battle is not represented. You could almost argue that we
> make
> >violence appealing if we engage in it in this controlled way."
> >
> >Re-enactments do not glorify war, Price said, but focus on the
> stories of
> >those who fought for a way of life.
> >
> >"It is very important for people to realize that Abe Lincoln didn't
> sign a
> >piece of paper in Washington and free the slaves. Men and boys from
> all
> >over the country had to go put on a blue uniform, load muskets and
> fire at
> >fellow human beings across the field," he said.
>
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