As we’ve previously shown here, reenactment groups and hubs are growing wider and wider and have become quite a thing. But nothing marks the transformation of a popular activity into a whole subculture quite like the emergence of its own specific memes. And we can definitely rule that the verdict here is culture, since there are so many wonderful memes of reenactment culture that the internet is showered with. Behold ample proof, together with some insider explanation in the title, just in case you’re not geeky enough to get the joke on your own.
1. Reenactment is a chick magnet
Of course, there are plenty of female reenactors and there are plenty of guys who are into reenactment purely for intellectual reasons, like a passion for history, or simply because they enjoy the experience of brotherhood. But besides all this stuff, reenactment has been known to also have a strange effect… of the fair sex. Must be the whole “man in an uniform” thing. Or the bravery. Or the “knight in shining armor thing”.
2. Sometimes, the historical accuracy can be way off
As with any other activity, even if it’s an officially organized one, things can be prepared and stages with various degrees of accuracy. And sometimes that accuracy is so off, that if you would send a reenactor from that event back in time to the actual period and place he’s trying to reenact, fitting in would be a major problem. In reenacting terms, a group that provides a poor historical imitation and usually focuses more on the glamor and the show than on the accuracy of data is called a group of farbs. The name comes, probably, from the German farb (color), an allusion to the fact that these lesser accuracy-concerned peeps are usually sporting way brighter colors than the “true” reenactors.
3. You’ll adapt your looks to better fit the part
The events you’re planning to attend as a reenactor will become the main reason you alter your appearance. And it will be fun as hell – the meme might not explicitly say it, but anyone who tried it once rarely goes back.
4. Unless you’re a farb, a lot of time will be spent fretting about accuracy
As mentioned above, farbs are below nothing, they’re bottom of the food chain in the reenactment culture. So, in order to avoid being labeled as one, you and your buddies will spend a lot of time worrying whether your costumes as historically accurate enough.
5. Even more time will go into making kits and costumes
The bad part – or the best part, depends on who you’re asking – about reenactment is the fact that all the costumes and props are hand-made by dedicated members. And the temptation to add just one more little detail is overwhelming. Look at the bright side – great costumes! Along with skills you probably wouldn’t have acquired elsewhere.
6. Of course, hoarding materials for crafting will be time-consuming as well
Ok, so once you start working on a costume it will almost never be done. But preparing to start working for a costume can take almost just as long…
7. Not all will be fun
If reenactment will be done seriously, it also involves a lot marching through the mud or spending lots of time in unsavory conditions – under the hot sun wearing heavy armor or freezing as a poorly-clad WWII soldier.
8. Sometimes, it can even get dangerous
Reenacting actual historical activities involves fire, handling weaponry or even firing cannonballs. Yes, really.
9. Mash-ups of various reenactments can get hilarious.
This is what happens when someone impersonating a famous musician wounds up at the scene where other people are staging a battleground.
10. To go all the way, leave the comforts of your world behind.
Yes, you will march through the heat for many hours if the script says so. No, there will be no freakin’ marshmallows.
The source of all the memes: https://www.facebook.com/TheBestOfReenactorMemes
