2w ago

Explain me the apparent obcession America has with it's civil war.

My country has had a civil war, invasions by the french, by the spanish, more recently a revolution that threw a fascist government, followed by a very colourful period of internal squirmishes between anti-regime forces, but we settled those events and that was that: off to the history books.

What motivates so many people to re-enact battles from the American Civil War?

It sounds cruel. Re-enacting a war where so many died gruesome deaths.

38 comments

I guess the civil war is a really bad conflict with a lot of suffering for their ancestors. This is why Americans still remember it.
We didn't do a good job in the aftermath of the Civil War cleaning up the people who caused the problem. We were too quick to pardon everyone and try to get back to normal.
That gave the losing side the idea that ~~it was only a temporary setback~~ everyone secretly thought they were right or else we would have been more angry with them and it's been a huge fucking problem ever since.
- Yeah we basically never stopped fighting that war, it just went cold.
  
  It's luke warm now.
- No need for the strikethrough. They have been saying "The south shall rise again" pretty much from the get go.
  
  True, but the second part was far more important. It's not that they think they are right, it's that they are CONVINCED that everyone else ALSO thinks they are right and are too scared to say so. So they are thrilled to force their racist beliefs on everyone because they are sure we are just victims of the "woke mind virus" or equivalent. They are sure they are saving us from ourselves and it makes them insufferable.
We didn't fucking hang the traitors who instigated the war and we gave them back their land and power so they have been running a propaganda campaign this entire fucking time.
Reenactors are history nerd larpers no shame on them but the obsession in general around it is manufactured to divide us again.
- We didn't kill off enough Nazis in WWII, we didn't kill off enough confederates in the civil war, and as a result they're practically running the world now.
America likes to romanticize the past even in the way they approach teaching history in schools. They don’t put in explicit words, the true nature of horror of war and death but instead make it palatable for children. Because we grow up hearing stories of war under the guise of heroism, and gallant men. We lose sight of the nameless and faceless dead in wars. They exist only as numbers in a page and nothing you actualize in your mind. I feel if we taught with honest and explicit recounting of events things would be better as there would be no appetite for war. One thing that always stood out to me is how we learn about the forced migration of indigenous peoples out west. In the US we learn of it as “The Trail of Tears” and my god if that isn’t the most saccharin romanticized way to describe a holocaust. Call it what it was the forced death march of indigenous people. See when you change the language even though we’re talking about the same thing the internal response is very different to those two characterizations.
USA have no history except genociding others so they obsess over the war that happened on ~~their own~~ already stolen turf.
- Oof. Harsh but not inaccurate.
  
  Care to put forth a reasonable point that disproves it?
It seems like you have two questions combined into one. First, is why do people do historic reenactment of wars? Second, why do Americans choose this war?
For the first answer, performing historic reenactment of wars isn't solely an American thing. It is common for Europeans to reenact Napoleonic war battles. I've also seen cases of people dressing up as Roman soldiers in military camp. Beyond that, historical reenactment of various forms of veracity are common in different parts of the world as a type of cosplay. Wars end up being a popular thing to cosplay because there is narrative conflict; it is a real life story.
Why the American Civil War? It is a very significant war in American history, one of the three most important wars. Compared to World War II, it isn't problematic to depiction both sides fighting; it is a lot more problematic for people to dress in Nazi, Imperial Japanese, or even fascist Italian uniforms. Compared to the American Revolution, the uniform matches more modern fashion, so it is easier to buy equipment to cosplay. Also, the equipment was mass produced, so it is easier to buy replica equipment, including firearms.
- Not questioning it but it is interesting how it is not seen as problematic to depict and dress as fighting for the confederacy when it was in favour of keeping slaves, but Nazis are too much.
- I've also seen cases of people dressing up as Roman soldiers in military camp
  Saw that at an SCA gathering once: apparently just a squad, but they were absolutely impressive.
  Spoke pig-latin amongst themselves because no one could speak real Latin and they wanted to sound "latin-y" when out with the provincials.
- Yeah, isn't there a French guy who's made a whole career out of looking like Napoleon in reenactments?
  Compared to World War II, it isn’t problematic to depiction both sides fighting; it is a lot more problematic for people to dress in Nazi, Imperial Japanese, or even fascist Italian uniforms.
  Honestly I'd rate the Japanese or Italians as slightly less problematic, and the Nazis on a similar level. American chattel slavery was deeply fucked up. Hasn't anyone watched Roots?
  Of course, way too many participants are denialists about that bit.
  
  I'd rate the Italians as less problematic, but the Imperial Japanese have a lot of blood on their hands as well.
  And as horrific chattel slavery has come out to be, there are still whitewashers of it.
It was a significant event where the good guys won. We like our revolutionary war too but there are fewer Americans victories in it and fewer places touched by it.
I can go visit civil war forts and battlefields any time I want. There is no other war I can do that to and I think the same is true for a lot of Americans. It touched everyone's lives at the time and I don't think there is any other war that so completely affected the mainland states.
It's also one where we're told that the good guys acted like good guys. Apart from Sherman the union behaved nobly and fought for a righteous cause of unification and freedom and after the war was over Lincoln was merciful and gracious in victory. His reward for humbly leading the States through their most trying time? Assassination. It's a good story.
we don’t have invasions by the french, by the spanish, more recently a revolution that threw a fascist government, followed by a very colourful period of internal squirmishes between anti-regime forces
- But we still could if France and Spain decide to help.
- This is kind of what I'm thinking. Our history only goes back a couple hundred years as opposed to a couple millennia of recorded history for many European countries. We have fewer historical periods to obsess over so, more of us end up on the same topic.
  
  I think the events op mentioned probably happened in the last couple hundred years too. It's more that the U.S. has been more stable over the past 2 centuries compared to most other countries. There's only been 3 mass wars in defense of the country, the revolution, the civil war and WWII. Compare that to say France which has had 3.5 revolutions and 3 giant continent spanning wars in that same time period.
Same reason why certain elements within Germany never stopped being Nazis
Pawpaw was an honorable soldier 🤡 Wermacht was a clean organization doing an honorable war, it was SS who did the war crimes. Pawpaw dindu nuffin, hans
Because we're a nation made out of ideology, but we have two. We believe in the freedom of all people, liberty and justice for all, all people are created equal and endowed with inalienable rights, etc all that shit we won't shut up about. But we're also a nation of domination, genocide, chattel slavery, and Christian nationalism.
The civil war was the closest we came to resolving that dichotomy. It was also one of the first two sided industrial wars, so you know, rivers running red, bloodlines ending in an afternoon. But mostly it was a war for the soul and substance of our nation.
Then right after the war the president was killed, reconstruction was botched, and the granddaughters of slavers erected monuments to their evil grandpappies while calling it the war of northern aggression. We never resolved the root conflict so we still are stuck on it
About 5% of the male population died in that war. Shermans march through the south was particularly guesome. The south is a different culture then the north then and now. The cival war is still part of the south. Then there is the racism piece.
- Sherman didn't go far enough.
In Canada, Vikings seem like the most popular subject, followed by WWII. You do see the errant American civil war guy too, mostly as an excuse to own a cannon.
- Also in Canada, didn't know Vikings were popular to the point it beats WWII.
  Hoping it's actually Nordic immigrants or people interested in Norse mythology doing it and it isn't the people obsessed with the blond hair blue eyes thing using vikings as a dog whistle?
  At least with WWII it's Canada fighting the Nazis.
  
  I haven't caught dog whistle stuff at all, and the Viking reenactors I know best seem progressive. I only know my local area, but some of them talk about going everywhere, including of course the east coast and L'anse aux Meadows. So, I've kind of assumed it's a national phenomenon.
  Leif Erikson is a big reason why the period is so popular, but there's also just appeal in berserk, mead-swilling sea warriors. Knights in armour are also a major thing. The WWII reenactors have guns and maybe some troop carriers, but it just doesn't have the same imaginative crowd appeal. Cost might also be a factor - a wood shield, an axe and a tunic is all you really need to play a Viking.
I mean it's roleplaying, and the civil war may very well be the only war that americans can roleplay without shame. Both sides were american too so its also easier to roleplay than say the world wars or the dozens imperialist wars after that.
We're very keen on ours in England too. Re-enactments are a big community and some take a lot of trouble to be accurate. (Apart from Derek who forgets to take off his digital watch)
I think it has a genuine part to play in bringing history to life, especially when done in old castles where kids especially seem to really 'get' it. History is often taught very badly - dry, dull and boring - sitting in a classroom being spoken at with a long list of names and dates. Anything that makes it more interesting has to be good.
The alternative is burying history, isn't it? And that's a dark path to tread, my friend. A very dark path.
Because the Revolutionary War was too easy

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