wwii axis reenactment forum

I noticed at the NYMR Wartime Pickering / Levisham 2012 event NYMR published a "Public Health Warning" in their Wartime Special Edition Newspaper Chronicle and Timetable - something to the following effect:

"At Levisham Station there will be German re-enactors in German uniforms so if you are sensitive or offended by this please don't get off at this station..."

Thought this was a really good idea and would help to counter any so-called offended public criticism of Axis re-enacting....

Perhaps Axis re-enacting groups should ask all event organisers to provide a similar Public Health Warning...

It may also actually generate more public interest and help promote the events....

Just a thought and comments welcome....

Btw - I did mean to keep the Newspaper Chronicle to quote it exactly - but alas must have lost it perhaps in the assault boat crossing... If anyone else still has a copy it was on the Levisham station timetable section - so please quote it...

why do we all have to be worried about creating offence all the time?

I mean, its just rubbish nowadays, this whole getting the police in when there is something you don't like.

Actually it reminds me of somewhere in central europe 60 years ago ... lol

I don't see offending people as a part of re-enactment, we just re-enact a period of extreme hatred. Some will be offended by this, ironically mostly people born right after the war and therefore don't remember it.

I believe offending others will only damage the hobby, you just have to be a bit humble when you wear a uniform from the 3rd Reich.

Alex wrote:why do we all have to be worried about creating offence all the time?

I mean, its just rubbish nowadays, this whole getting the police in when there is something you don't like.

Actually it reminds me of somewhere in central europe 60 years ago ... lol

This for me too Alex.

FFS did people get offended when watching 'Saving Private Ryan' or other war films at the cinema?

Grow up! You can't eradicate something that truely existed and is well documented!

Why aren't Roman re-enactors criticised considering they carried out mass organised murdering of the Christians

or

Viking re-enactors considering all of their raids against un-armed villages and monastries etc?

I think the wording of the warning should be changed to;

'if you are easily offended F**K OFF and don't bother coming to a show that portrays World War 2!'

well said Carvallen


Ady

carvillan wrote:

Alex wrote:why do we all have to be worried about creating offence all the time?

I mean, its just rubbish nowadays, this whole getting the police in when there is something you don't like.

Actually it reminds me of somewhere in central europe 60 years ago ... lol

This for me too Alex.

FFS did people get offended when watching 'Saving Private Ryan' or other war films at the cinema?

Grow up! You can't eradicate something that truely existed and is well documented!

Why aren't Roman re-enactors criticised considering they carried out mass organised murdering of the Christians

or




Viking re-enactors considering all of their raids against un-armed villages and monastries etc?

I think the wording of the warning should be changed to;

'if you are easily offended F**K OFF and don't bother coming to a show that portrays World War 2!'

WELL SAID Just what ive always said, if you dont want to see German reenactors... then DO NOT attend........

never seen any warning notices at Great Central Railway on either of the two Germanised stations, they are normally the busiest on the line over the weekend.
graham

That's because GCR have their heads screwed on right!

The majority of the public , in my experience , are happy to see Axis reenactors and find out more about that side of the hobby , and take no offence in our portrayals ( often because of their ignorance of uniforms , units etc. ) . But if enough bad press gets into the papers , or if enough ' offence ' is taken by even a tiny minority , you can be sure that someone , somewhere in power , will decide banning something is politically expedient . So telling people to f***k off isn't going to help us any . Education is the best way to protect our hobby from that sort of petty minded legislation , and being carefull with what we do and how we do it ( in public at least ) , there is no point in giving someone the chance to point the finger and accuse us of " Glorifying " evil - you know the sort of thing they come up with
Having been a Gamekeeper for many years , I have seen how small numbers of people with an axe to grind have chipped away at people's pastimes by peddling lies about what they do - its not hard to imagine the same thing happening to this hobby .

Halle wrote: Having been a Gamekeeper for many years , I have seen how small numbers of people with an axe to grind have chipped away at people's pastimes by peddling lies about what they do - its not hard to imagine the same thing happening to this hobby .

Bonfire night is coming up...I think I will burn a few pieces of literature in my back garden

Why oh why, do we keep apologizing for re-enacting German troops ! we appear to be walking on egg shells all the time, anyone would think the public is dragged off the streets into the shows, Let's educate them ..? could we not give them a little goody bag or a little treat ? .. what a crock of Sh*t ! Have they had there heads in a bucket for the last 70+ years?? Its the same old story Most re-en actors won't stand together long enough to have there photos taken, and Its about time it was sorted ? or is it sack cloth and ashes yet again for another year, as a Pickering showground POW ? or Pickering town gets to treat us yet again, as leapers ....where's my bell ?? And while i am venting my my spleen..! Another thing is why in the whole of the UK ...we are not allowed to walk around the town of Pickering in a Great coat etc ?( No i am not talking of wearing SS) without having the Pickering Posse hunting down fellow re-en actors, with the help of the " I don't like German Re-en actors brigade" Posting mug shots of fellow re-en actors on forums ?

And these are the people who point at us as we try to innocently portray an accurate impression of the Axis side and scream "evil n*z* lover" while we're eating a tin of beans in uniform over a camp fire, yet they go watch the movie "Iron Sky" and call it a great movie and love the whole idea of Moon Nazis...

TBH i think we will always get grief, its still within living memory and its part of history that certain radical groups still try and allude too, I chose axis forces because of its kit and look, in full knowlegde I will get grief for it, and I use that grief and try and turn it around and educate people alas some wont be educated, I have a member of my family that looks at me as scum now and has openly called me a traitor, yet at my first event at Victory show I was approached in my trench by two para vets who knew precisly what unit i was and were full of praise at us showing the other side, I think we are always gona win some and loose some, but at all the events I have done the axis areas have always been the most popular, my current portrayal has caused many a confused punter come up to me whilst I am doing traffic duty/looking for deserters, and ask me what I am, 99% of the time they go away happy and interested in finding out more, I am sure I have had the odd bad reaction but non that spring to mind, its mainly people such as freinds, family and work collegues that give me the grief and not the punters.

Wow, only just noticed this post. They have put that in the paper every year. It's simply to say to people if u don't want to see it don't get off the station, so that if Joe P might want a moan they can simply say why did u look if u didn't want to see it.