Charge!

I've been so horrible about writing lately! I really must get back into the habit. But I've been far too lazy to even convey a coherent thought. So I'll just rant about war re-enactments.

I do not understand them. They look so horribly hot and boring, especially the guys that get shot outside of the small relief created by shady trees. I saw one guy die expertly in the creek. That was smart.

And what do they accomplish? Why do we need to redo the war? Why do people need to watch? I guess it's human nature to revel in the violent, but there's not even fake blood in war re-enactments.

Also, they were redoing a fake Civil War re-enactment on the 4th of July. Shouldn't it have been a Revolutionary War re-enactment? I guess nobody wanted to be the British, or the red coats were more expensive? I'm pretty sure these Civil War soldiers were using Revolutionary War style muskets though. This thing isn't even historically accurate.

But the thing that bugs me the most is that the South won this battle, and all of the audience was pulling for the South! I understand that we live in the South, but they lost the war! Thankfully! They were fighting for slavery and secession and all sorts of things that probably would make dear old North Carolina a much less habitable place had they won. Yet, we're pulling for them! This is an inexcusable ignorance or denial of American history, I'm not sure which, that is kind of frightening. After all, it was taking place on the 4th of July. I'm sure the founding fathers way back then would've loved if we'd re-acted the Revolutionary War but had the British win.

All the little kids were surrounding the battle scene, using those toy rifle things that shoot out a cork on a string to get into the action. People eating picnic lunches and funnel cakes and ribbon fries while a battle raged on around them. It's so funny if you just step back and look at it.

I wonder if in like fifty years, there will be Iraqi war re-enactments. The thought seems kind of morbid and appalling right now, while the war is still raging. Why do two hundred years make it okay to make the war a form of entertainment at a street festival?

Perhaps I'm being a bit severe, but it must be admitted that humans are very strange creatures.