SALUTE: WAS IT JUST ME OR.....

[Atheling]

What's next, ethnic cleansing of DBA gamers???

Erm..... no..... no..... I couldn't possibly entertain the idea .

Darrell.

[Atheling]

but nothing could beat 3 or 4 years ago when I saw the utterly abhorrent sight of a fat SS stromtrooper from Pinner or somewhere buying a latte from a young Polish girl serving at Costa Coffee... what was going through her mind at that moment I dread to imagine. These guys are really the pits....

Just because they've researched the correct Nazi badge emblems for their jacket buttons and armbands they think that just makes them enthusiastic students of history, but unfortunately most of them have no real sense of historical awareness what so ever.

(at least not the ones I've met)

Quite so! Otherwise the question "why?" hovers like a dark cloud over their respective heads. Personally I think that they simply dont think!

Darrell.

[barr7430]

The lack of social awareness that would lead you to believe being a paunchy middle aged man you would look ace in an SS camo smock is exactly the same lack of social skills which would see nothing wrong with approaching a young Polish girl in the uniform and asking for a mocha-latte (do stormtroopers drink mocha latte?)

I heard a supplementary tale form that year in which another of the 'be-smocked' had the following exchange with an Asian coffee vendor..

Capitals denote 'British shouting at foreigners because they are stupid voice'

vendor:There is your coffee sir £15.99 (Exel prices! )
dress up fascist: NO! THAT IS NOT WHAT I ASK FOR!
GIVE ME A XXXXXXX(whatever)

lovely people!

[Atheling]

The lack of social awareness that would lead you to believe being a paunchy middle aged man you would look ace in an SS camo smock is exactly the same lack of social skills which would see nothing wrong with approaching a young Polish girl in the uniform and asking for a mocha-latte (do stormtroopers drink mocha latte?)

Sadly I fear you are right.

I heard a supplementary tale form that year in which another of the 'be-smocked' had the following exchange with an Asian coffee vendor..

Capitals denote 'British shouting at foreigners because they are stupid voice'

vendor:There is your coffee sir £15.99 (Exel prices! )
dress up fascist: NO! THAT IS NOT WHAT I ASK FOR!
GIVE ME A XXXXXXX(whatever)

lovely people!

Quite.

Darrell.

[Antioch]

Sorry been reading this for a while & not being anywhere close to Salute I wanted to add a few words... been that kind of day.

Re the gaming critics... Maybe they should start there own minatures company... Who cares if a crank is on a gun or not... A scale competition war gaming is not...

Re the dress up fascist crowd...I guess the sad truth is that attitude lives all over the world these days.... It's been enough time go by where newer generations seem to work by the "if I never saw it, it probably never happened like that" attitude.. The chance to actually talk to someone who was there (WW II) fades away every day.. Doubt many would believe them as to what happened, even if they did.

IE: Years ago I tried to talk to an uncle (Canadian army) about the war... He never really wan't to talk about it... At the time I never understood why.

The only thing I remember was him describing sten guns as less then usefull... They used them to clear rooms in built up areas....by cocking them & throwing the gun through a window...after the gun stopped randomly firing they went through the door. Years later when I went back & looked up his regiment & where they were, being older, I finally understood when I read there first action was at Dieppe & then got worse.

So I guess the point of this ramble is....it can take some years to realize one may have been an idiot... AND some people will never know they did anything wrong and have no clue why anyone would possibly think Ill of them ( SS costume..harmless fun)!!

[azeroth]

Well as a paunchy (read very overweight) middle aged man, you will doubtless be relieved to hear I am leaving my camo smock in the wardrobe for Falkirk.

The sad thing is these people join these societies and dress this way to "escape" their humdrum lifestyle, and monday they are back behind the bank desk or in macdonalds serving burgers.

IanB

[Atheling]

Well as a paunchy (read very overweight) middle aged man, you will doubtless be relieved to hear I am leaving my camo smock in the wardrobe for Falkirk.

The sad thing is these people join these societies and dress this way to "escape" their humdrum lifestyle, and monday they are back behind the bank desk or in macdonalds serving burgers.

IanB

Sorry for butting in but I'm just letting you guys know that I may be at Falkirk assuming our car makes it up the A1 that is (after that we can rely on the AA to get us home )! It'll be my first show since Partizan this time last year!! Sad but true.

Back OT then chaps....

Darrell.

[yar68]

Well I bumped onto a well dodgy looking character at Salute, its the 9th pic in my post!

http://onelover-ray.blogspot.co.uk/2012 ... -2012.html

[Churchill]

Ray.

[Cheriton]

My God Ray, you do look different, but then again so does Barry must have been the lighting...NOT!!!

Here I was ruing the 6,000 miles (and airfare) very strongly mitigating against "dropping in" for a look. After Barry's exasperation, which I would fully share, now I don't know.

However the people in Ray's photos mostly look like good people to "pub with"

Make mine a Sam Smith's IPA if you please...

Michael

[sharnydubs]

Now guys I really do have to jump in her and defend the Texas Renaissance Festival which is a wonderful event and one I took many friends and family to when they visited us in Houston.

I defy anyone to prove to me that the young ladies dressed in their chain mail bikinis were not historically accurate. True, some of the kilts were of tablecloth quality and weight and various people dressed as trees were slightly unusual but it was fun !

Peter