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George Washington re-enactor
From the New York Times of all places, here’s a nice story that combines American history, Christmas, and a special kind of practical traditionalism: a profile of George Washington re-enactor James Gibson, who this year re-enacted along with seventy other men Washington’s Christmas Eve 1776 crossing of the Delaware. Though the author of the article, Chris Hedges, is something of an anti-war crusader who reduces all wars to a sick desire for violence and power, he puts his own pre-occupations in the background for once and tells Gibson’s story straight without undercutting it. Posted by Lawrence Auster at December 28, 2003 12:53 AM | Send Comments
While Mr. Auster and I may admire re-enactor Jim Gibson’s devotion to history, this piece probably was intended as a left wing irony hit on people like Gibson, suggesting that they are carried away with an expensive hobby to the exclusion of the needs of life in the present. Re-enactments are probably a poor way to learn history, but the spectacle may just cause some young people who see it to want to learn more. Thus re-enactments may serve to offset to some extent the anti-historical bias of the educational culture of the left. And they are obviously an enjoyable avocation for the participants. They also serve a worthy ceremonial function of reminding us how much we owe to those who have gone before us. Posted by: thucydides on December 28, 2003 11:27 AMI didn’t get the impression of a hit on Gibson. In fact it was the surprising absence of any subversion or condescension in the piece that made me want to post it. Posted by: Lawrence Auster on December 28, 2003 12:41 PMThere were hints here and there of a little good-natured humour at Gibson’s expense, but if a hit had been intended, it would surely have been executed with more force. Even people who enjoy re-enactments can find the idea just a little funny…like stamp-collecting. Posted by: paul on December 28, 2003 4:22 PM |