Diversity in reenactment units

[Rob Weaver]

Uh, just to prove I'll go back and read a necro-thread: I DID say that our original unit, which was the 7th Wisconsin, had at least 2 persons of color in the ranks of a supposedly all-white unit. I even named a credible source...

[indguard]

I've always felt that this one issue is the toughest one to figure out what our individual unit policy should be in the whole hobby.

On one hand, this is just a hobby and we are all just history enthusiasts. Why not try to be as inclusive as possible?

On the other, we are interested in recreating history as exactly as we can and that means being selective and not allowing just anyone into the unit.

The two are heavily in conflict.

After all, for those that say, "we are hardcore authentics and we won't let women or ethnic minorities that really weren't in our unit during the actual war into our recreated unit"...

OK, great. So how far does your "hardcore authentics" go? Are all your men uncircumcised? Do they have a dearth of dental fillings? Are they all under 30 years of age and weigh less than 120 pounds? Do they leave all their modern medical supplies at home? Are those ridiculous questions? Many would say yes. But, then why allow the above things to happen in your unit if you are strictly authentic?

The fact is your decision to allow them or not to allow them is wholly arbitrary. You are willing to allow just this much inauthenticity among your pards. Why? How much is "enough"? How many violations of authenticity is "just right"? Remember, you will HAVE to allow some because complete authenticity unit wide is impossible.

You can't really be a litlte pregnant, right?

So, what we all have to do is decide just how much inauthentic activity within our groups is acceptable.

It really is just that simple.

The fact is that it's completely arbitrary. It's time we admitted this fact and just say, "listen, we know our standards for our unit are arbitrary, but this is how we WANT our unit to be. Join and conform, or go elsewhere with no harm, no foul."

All you out there saying that you are being strictly "authentic" are simply fooling yourselves in more ways than you wish to admit.

And those that allow just anything? Well YOU have to admit that being true to the history and the real existence of our ancestors is simply not important to you. Don't pretend otherwise. Sure you care about history, that is taken as a given as we ALL care about history, but admit you don't care about authenticity. Be honest with yourself and your pards (as well as your new members). Understand that you just won't fit in at any old event you want to attend. Realize that you will have just those events that will allow your rather wide interpretation of your unit mandate.

Me, I have come to believe that we should none of us try to actually recreate a real Civil War unit. It is a fool's errand. We just can't successfully do it with an ongoing basis. Our numbers make it silly, our ages, our weight, our ethnicities, our… practically our everything makes it impossible.

So, what should we do?

I say we just create groups of like minded fellows (yes, along the "mess" idea that became popular with the "hardcores" some 20 years ago) and dispense with the impossible-to-recreate unit designations. Then, for each event we try to conform to whatever is going on at the event.

This way, when we talk to the public at events (remember how we are supposed to do that?) we can portray to them a variety of Civil War scenarios. If a black guy has joined your unit, he can discuss that. If a woman joined your unit she can discuss that. (And if your unit goes to an event where they do not fit in, they should understand that)

Now we can be inclusive and not have to worry about this unit did this and that unit did that.

Anyway, it is a very, very difficult thing to decide among your members. It's the hardest one to think through in my opinion.


And don't even get me started on the fear of litigation! First, kill all the lawyers.

WTH
The WhenDoWeStartDrinking mess

[Spinster]

Tell you what folks, if you want to reframe any part of this wide ranging thread and focus discussion, go right ahead.

In a separate thread. This old bones of a discussion needs to be laid to rest.