Worst Reaction to Re-enactment?

[HanSagan]

I was at a family gathering the other night, and I took a few foam weapons along for my nieces and nephews to have a bash around with. They were having a great old time when a complete stranger came up to me and told me to 'take those weapons away from those children' because it was 'unchristian'

I ignored her of course, but she sat nearby for a long time afterwards, generally looking sour and unimpressed.

Has anyone else had any random, negative reactions from the general public?

[Carl]

[Bogue]

Negative reactions are often few and far between (Most people are just too blown away watching people look like they're killing each other)

Some of the best reactions are from the wee teeny peenies who yell from the semi obscurity of a parade crowd " What a bunch of Soft C***s I could take them out" All it takes is to look around and make eye contact while holding a 5 foot axe and an unfriendly smile and suddenly his ditzy slapper girlfriend or handitard mates are telling him to shut up. Happens at least once a christmas parade.

Funny on the Christian front, that reaction you had that is.

My brother in law is a pastor at a church in Rotovegas and he uses a sword I made for him in his sermons to the youth group. Says it makes a good prop and focus getter and he ties it all together into a caring christian message waving 3 foot of steel at them while preaching. Works for him.

cheers
Bogue

[Nathan]

Hey Bogue, what about that neighbour of yours across the road whose garden Doris kept "using", that was a laugh! still find his reaction when his girlfriend explained the facts of life to him funny.

Nathan

[Inigo]

[gt1cm2]

[David H]

[BigMac]

There was a school in Hamilton that wouldn't let us (KD) display fight at the fair they had invited us too because of a pacifist on the staff had complained. The other teachers were very apologetic.

We (KD) encountered a similer problem with a girls school in Auckland and the Hamilton St Johns asked us to tone down thee violence around the kids because they were getting scared. Though judging from the kids reactions I don't think it was them who were afraid.

More trouble with Pacifists than the religeous.

Mostly the response has been positive

OH and of course the Narrow Neck beach display (happened just before I joined KD) in which Maori Activists (terrorists? lol) attacked our people with Taiahas protesting a promo for a novel about what if the spanish had reached NZ first.

TTFN
Bigmac

[Jonanthebarbarian]

The Gladiator School, as part of the 2nd Legion Augusta's display team was at the Cambridge Armistice Day display earlier this month.

There was a crowd of over 12 thousand people over two days. As part of the display we warn the public several times beforehand that we use fake blood (as we did at Taupo). We advise them to not watch or remove them or their children if they find it offensive or too scary.

On the Saturday we performed in a roped off area in front of about 5-600 people. One woman complained later about the blood scaring their child...go figure!
On Sunday, having been the subject of mass approval, we were asked to perform in the main area in front of about ten times as many people!
In the "death" scene I asked the crowd for the traditional (Hollywood): "Those of you who wish to have the Gladiator live, raise your thumb up and say "live!". About maybe 30 did so.

When asked for the "thumbs down", it was a thunderous blood-lust roar of the remainder: "DIE!!"

Quite sobering to hear a crowd that size for the first time - it was impressive! And it led me to think of what it may have been like to hear 50,000 people in the Coloseum baying for real blood.

Maybe things haven't changed at a basic level for the majority who choose to be non-P.C. - although we always have the "killed" Gladiator get up afterwards and bow to the crowd. They LOVE it!

We do too.

[Jonanthebarbarian]

"OH and of course the Narrow Neck beach display (happened just before I joined KD) in which Maori Activists (terrorists? lol) attacked our people with Taiahas protesting a promo for a novel about what if the spanish had reached NZ first."

The aftermath to that event, was the the reenactor who was assaulted was lter prosecuted by the Police. The activist refused to recognise the court and asked to be judged on his Marae. The Ministry of Justice agreed to that.

At the Marae hearing the activist discovered to his dismay that the reenactor himself was of Maori descent through his father, and that his father was descended from a High Born family. The activist was Low Born.
Now that was an insult to the Family's Mana and for a Low Born to strike a High Born was punishable by death (in the olden days - where's the Maori Tikanga when you need it ???) The Marae punished him not only financially in $$$ but was also directed to visit the reenactor's family on a regular basis for some time, and pay homage, respect and apologise! Which he did - though I am told some $$$ are outstanding.

Moral of the story: Identify the Span in the Can before you hit it!
Arohanui
JTB

[Jonanthebarbarian]

Correction:

Oops! I meant to say the ACTIVIST (not the reenactor) was later prosecuted by the Police.....!!!!

Some good came from the aftermath - the the activist became a friend of the Family of the reenactor - and even called in socially at times.
But at the time of the attack it could have been worse in terms of injury to the reenactor.

I'm glad it didn't, 'cause LOTR would never have been the same without him!

JTB

[Scott]

[Carl]

[griff]

A few years back the NZN was given permission to build a hut at the back of a local Rudolph Steiner school, it all went well for about two years, did a couple of displays at the fairs did some classroom stuff as well for them,
But then a new committee came on board and we received a letter (wimps couldn’t even tell us to our faces) informing us that they wanted us gone.
Part of the letter said "although Rudolph Steiner schools are non sectarian we do like to live by strong Christian values and the Norsemen no loner fit within the school"
Oh and they also mumble something about building where we had built, after clearing all the gorse and scrub and rotary hoeing, sewing lawns.
Went back to the site about two months ago and its all back to scrub and gorse and my lovely lawn is gone.
Bastards

[stephan]

worst of all

being yelled at from cars names like jack sparrow and frodo
while wearing full harness and a white surcoat

dumb dumb dumb

also a parent who hired us for a birthday party and went round telling the kids to not touch anything and that we could not fight ,weird

stephan