Re-enactors on the Skids
Living history museums are in trouble, according to this news story form the Washington Post. To me, it is no surprise that attendance is in decline at these institutions.
Living history museums, to me, don't seem quite right. They are like a gimmick that has outlived it initial period of enthusiasm from the public.
Also, the people playing the roles are condescending. Supposedly the re-enactors are there to provide a flavor of a past era and its people, but I get more of a vibe of a geek (like those who haunt renaissance fairs) who wants to show me how little I know about his or her small area of specialized knowledge. I find this insulting. I may not be an expert on life in a frontier trading post, but I would like the opportunity to do some observation and learning on my own without some know-it-all telling me what I should think.
I'm sure another part of the problem is caused by the revisionists strain in today's teaching of history, which has turned away from teaching about great people and moments in United States history. This movement seems to be dedicated to squeezing the fun out of history, for example see The People's History of the United States, which is inspired by post-modern deconstruction techniques that sees America as just another struggle of power elites.
Let's get back to admitting that there were some great people in American history, and that while I would not want to live in 1830 the era still had much more to offer than being a peasant on a Prussian estate or in Czarist Russia.
Living history museums, to me, don't seem quite right. They are like a gimmick that has outlived it initial period of enthusiasm from the public.
Also, the people playing the roles are condescending. Supposedly the re-enactors are there to provide a flavor of a past era and its people, but I get more of a vibe of a geek (like those who haunt renaissance fairs) who wants to show me how little I know about his or her small area of specialized knowledge. I find this insulting. I may not be an expert on life in a frontier trading post, but I would like the opportunity to do some observation and learning on my own without some know-it-all telling me what I should think.
I'm sure another part of the problem is caused by the revisionists strain in today's teaching of history, which has turned away from teaching about great people and moments in United States history. This movement seems to be dedicated to squeezing the fun out of history, for example see The People's History of the United States, which is inspired by post-modern deconstruction techniques that sees America as just another struggle of power elites.
Let's get back to admitting that there were some great people in American history, and that while I would not want to live in 1830 the era still had much more to offer than being a peasant on a Prussian estate or in Czarist Russia.
posted by Steve at 11:34 AM
2 Comments:
I think most of these places survive only through mandatory school field trips. The other problem is the one that European towns, Napa wineries, and Civil War battlefield parks all share: you've seen one, you've seen them all, and you move on to a different type of experience. You're right about the geek observation: living history reenactors aren't merely annoying, they consider themselves to be actors in character--so now we're dealing with delusional uber-dweebs.
"Dost thou travel far to our fair blog?"
Good point on the once you've seen it you've seen them all.
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