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Explain me the apparent obcession America has with it's civil war. (sopuli.xyz)

submitted 1 month ago by qyron@sopuli.xyz to c/asklemmy@lemmy.ml

38 comments fedilink hide all child comments

My country has had a civil war, invasions by the french, by the spanish, more recently a revolution that threw a fascist government, followed by a very colourful period of internal squirmishes between anti-regime forces, but we settled those events and that was that: off to the history books.

What motivates so many people to re-enact battles from the American Civil War?

It sounds cruel. Re-enacting a war where so many died gruesome deaths.

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[–] CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org 5 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

In Canada, Vikings seem like the most popular subject, followed by WWII. You do see the errant American civil war guy too, mostly as an excuse to own a cannon.

[–] HiddenLayer555@lemmy.ml 3 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

Also in Canada, didn't know Vikings were popular to the point it beats WWII.

Hoping it's actually Nordic immigrants or people interested in Norse mythology doing it and it isn't the people obsessed with the blond hair blue eyes thing using vikings as a dog whistle?

At least with WWII it's Canada fighting the Nazis.

[–] CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org 3 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

I haven't caught dog whistle stuff at all, and the Viking reenactors I know best seem progressive. I only know my local area, but some of them talk about going everywhere, including of course the east coast and L'anse aux Meadows. So, I've kind of assumed it's a national phenomenon.

Leif Erikson is a big reason why the period is so popular, but there's also just appeal in berserk, mead-swilling sea warriors. Knights in armour are also a major thing. The WWII reenactors have guns and maybe some troop carriers, but it just doesn't have the same imaginative crowd appeal. Cost might also be a factor - a wood shield, an axe and a tunic is all you really need to play a Viking.