Quote:
Originally Posted by Gryphon
I'll admit I'm not wholly familiar with reenactors aside from the fact I rarely see any. Thanks for the correction Brian.
However I still fail to see how calling us reenactors is going to be any better than calling ourselves a sport. The scenario you mentioned above works in either situation although once you establish people are playing an actual game rather than weakly attempting a historical simulation that is ostensibly a game in disguise, I think the response will be far more open. Especially if we ride the coattails of paintball's commercial success and carefully associate with it.
Personally I have nothing against paintball or speedball. It's not my cup of tea but I no longer subscribe to the mindset that one sport is any better than the other. We're both accomplishing the same objective only using different rules and equipment. By establishing similarities and emphasizing them, we show that our sport has a lot in common with something that people already relate to and understand is socially acceptable. That is why we registered the MAA as a sporting association.
I also dislike the verbiage of "simulated firearm" for several reasons which is another argument on its own. I see absolutely nothing wrong with the term airsoft.
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I agree that re-enactor may not really encompass what we do... but neither does "Sport"
I think that many casual observers find that the fact that we have made hunting people a sport the most objectionable part of the activity.
This is exactly why paintball became long range tag. It was the proactive public manipulation of "optics" that allowed paintball to emerge from the shadows.
Many have already said that there is no way to wrap this thing up and make it look wholesome... and to that I agree, The "sportification" of violence is to the majority of people.. abhorrent.. and the people who do it.. intrinsically "different" than "normal people"
This is the catch... how do we manipulate the "optics" so that what we do has a context other than " a sport that involves hunting people with realistic imitations of lethal weapons" And keep the "game" intact?
I don't know the answer... maybe there is no answer... but I do know that continuing to "airsoft" with Airsoft guns is not the answer.
Context that can be rationalized by the uninvolved casual observer is what we need to acheive..
A tough task considering the barriers