Scottish Festival Peeves?

[beloitpiper]

The worst part at our games are the LARP people being brought in to do historical and cultural demonstrations and calling themselves reenactors. What the hell are they reenacting?!? The "battle" they had last week? And to add insult to injury, the UW-Milwaukee Department of Celtic Studies had a booth at the Highland Games. Why weren't they asked to do a history lesson?

No wonder people dress up like Braveheart, that is what we're telling them IS Scottish history. They show up in Renn Fair costume because we tolerate it.

[Vegan Scot]

But the thing that turned me off of the Bakersfield CA Games completely, is the appearance of the White Power, White Supremacist types who have decided to make the annual Scottish Gathering their annual Summer meeting place, removing their shirts and displaying their White Power neo-Nazi tatoos. There's a time and place for everything and everyone, I suppose, but leave our Gatherings as they used to be.

Oh yeah? Someone ought to supply the local S.H.A.R.Ps, anarchos and Brown Beret chapters with kilts and tickets...

[Tobus]

Now, don't get me wrong, it's fun and the organisers do it because it's what brings the money in for it to happen at all. But it's not like home at all and, while I'm getting better about it, sometimes I just find it kind of insulting to my country and heritage to see people use 'Scottishness' as an excuse to wear absurd outfits, get drunk and say it's almost as good as St. Patrick's day.
I can forgive the outfit malfunctions and the badly made tablecloth kilts and even the Sport Kilts worn over shorts and athletic socks. But the idea that all Scotland really amounts to is booze, fat athletics, Celtic Rock and Irish dancing is kinda insulting.

I'm glad you mentioned that. I'm not even from Scotland, and I feel a little insulted by it too. Not that I think these people are intentionally mocking Scottish culture, but at the very least it shows that they don't take it seriously. I don't know whether to blame Hollywood or American ignorance or both, but the simple fact is that a good chunk of the American public seems to have a gross misunderstanding about Scottish history and culture.

None of us wants to be snobs about it, but at what point do we stop saying, "hey, they're having fun, it's all good" and try to reclaim a Highland Games or other Scottish cultural celebration for... you know... Scottish culture?

I just hate to see the whole idea of Scottish culture and tradition being watered down and transformed into a cartoonish depiction of Ren-fest. There are venues for that sort of thing that should remain separate, IMHO.

[artificer]

The worst part at our games are the LARP people being brought in to do historical and cultural demonstrations and calling themselves reenactors. ... And to add insult to injury, the UW-Milwaukee Department of Celtic Studies had a booth at the Highland Games. Why weren't they asked to do a history lesson?.

That was particularly sad. On the up side, we did get to see the huge sweaty guy roast in his own furs in the 90* heat

[Chas]

BUT, my biggest pet peeve.....

is to go to the Pub Tent and not find any decent ales! I don't much care for lagers (and lite-beer isn't real beer), and I'm never sure why a German or Belgium style wheat beer is served at a Scottish function, but why can't we get a decent Scottish, British, or even an Irish ALE?

Unfortunately, really good British ale just doesn't travel well.

Regards

Chas

[TheNaughtyScot]

When you see someone wearing the kilt poorly, it burns you up because they will affect how other people perceive the kilt. This is particularly true of a guy buying a kilt for the day as a souvenir, wearing it down on his hips so that it hangs far below the knee, not wearing a sporran because it costs too much and he thinks the kilt is enough for the day, and then wondering why people think it looks like he's wearing a woman's skirt.

If the kilt is worn properly, it looks good and is always complimentary. But when it's done badly, you open yourself up for a huge amount of flack.

-Ian

[macwilkin]

Unfortunately, really good British ale just doesn't travel well.

Regards

Chas

True, but here in the States, many local microbreweries turn out some great brews in the tradition of British beers. Schlafly Bottle Works in St. Louis, for example, used to offer an 80 Shilling Ale at the St. Louis Games.

T.

[thescot]

I chose the Jack Sparrow option, but that would probably include anyone in costume that is totally unrelated to the event itself. Although, I really don't care if they want to show up looking like the catina on the back lot of a bad B-grade movie. I really find it somewhat amusing, and it allows several of us who think ourselves quite proper to feel quite superior.

I think of the line in the movie: "Ah, it's great to be young and insane."

[Andy Proffitt]

The RenFair kiddies absolutely kill me. One kid at our games had a Renaissance Hat, the ubiquitous poofy shirt, tartan plastic tablecloth kilt, sword (non-Scottish of course) and moccasins. The worst thing was he was running around talking to everyone in an extremely poor, fake Elizabethan-English, and generally behaving like the drama student he probably was If you want to look like an idiot, ok that gives us something to talk about, but don't run up to everyone you see and blather at them.
Absolutely intolerable are the NeoNazi types. A few came to the Gatlinburg Highland Games one year, and were basically told by everyone where they could go (hint, it wasn't the beer tent), and we haven't seen anymore of that trash.
Last is the music. Albannach/Clann an Drumma, Flogging Molly posers and the like; I don't like punk music, or the same bagpipe and drum song given different names and played 10 times in a row. Less of this crap and more music like Silly Wizard, greatest Scottish music EVER.

[Andy Proffitt]

Also, for anyone who attends the Gatlinburg games, mud.