Someone thinks we should grow up

[Harry]

The letter below appeared in today's edition (12/23/08) of the Key West Citizen. While it's not exactly clear that the letter writer is talking about our just-concluded event, one can make the logical conclusion that he, in fact, is "dissing" us and our event.

I have drafted a response, but want to gain approval from my captain before I send it off to the newspaper. Once I gain that approval, I will post my response. Among the items I talk about in my response is the fact that monies were raised for charity and the fact that we hosted a young man through the South Florida Make-A-Wish Foundation. I also talked about our living history components of the event.

Anyway, here's the letter to the editor:

Letter to the Editor

Key West Citizen

12/23/08

Piracy should inspire more shame than pride

Pirate reenactments, what a marvelous idea for making money. Now that we have determined Key West will do anything, no matter how inappropriate, for a buck, I have a few more good ideas.

How about mock Ku Klux Klan rallies? You know, we could rent the participants sheets and hoods, burn some crosses, and hang a few people in effigy. When I read the totally offensive posts online concerning the racial origins of our new president, I know we would get a much bigger turnout for this event than you can imagine. Racism is still alive and well in America, after all.

How about Slave Ship Days? You know, have people pay to be put in shackles and packed by the hundreds into the holds of the Key West schooner fleet, [which] on a hot July day sail out to Sand Key Light and back? No food, water or toilet facilities. Or, the deluxe package: a day sail to the Marquesas. What great fun to see how the ancestors of 10 percent of the

American population arrived on our shores.

One of my personal favorites would be Spanish Inquisition Week. Whips, chains, thumbscrews, the rack, maybe even an iron maiden for the big spenders. Prizes awarded for the loudest screamers.

We could also try that much loved event, The Crusades. A recreation of the taking back of the Holy Land from the “infidels” by the Christians. No, wait a minute — George Bush is already doing that under the guise of his war on terror, in a country, Iraq, where there were absolutely no terrorists until his bold statement: “Bring it on.” See, that one is working great — Halliburton, Blackwater Security, Bechtel, et al. are getting rich from it. Maybe he will sell Key West a franchise of the concept?

My point is, all of these things are part of history. And piracy, like all the other abovementioned atrocities, is a part of that history, and a part of the present. But that doesn’t mean any of them were good, honorable acts of which we should be proud.

Piracy, a crime that is still occurring ... off the coast of Somalia and elsewhere around the globe, is an evil that shouldn’t be reenacted, praised or thought of as anything but appalling — and certainly shouldn’t be reenacted as a way to promote tourism and make money.

I personally find this childish celebration as offensive as the other moneymaking schemes I have proposed. But, absolutely anything for a buck, right? So, have at it, children, and when, and if, you grow up you will see what a malevolent thing you are celebrating.

Walk the plank, indeed.

Austin Gray Taylor

Big Pine Key

[Kate Souris]

...Ouch.

Good luck with this one, Harry. :)

[William Brand]

I think this person's inner child is on a milk carton somewhere.

[Lily Alexander]

Oh my. How can you even begin to argue with that kind of stupidity?

[Patrick Hand]

Pirate reenactments, what a marvelous idea for making money.

But the only ones who made any money offa me were some of the local merchants the airlines, and the Key West shuttle....Oh yeah... and the Dead Mans Chest auction for charity....

[Dutchman]

gonna have to stew on this one a while........

[RustyNell]

How do you even begin to argue with someone like this? Sounds like he's on a crusade of his own. I guess we shouldn't remind people of their ugly past.... it makes them mad. I find the people most angered by their past are the ones who've never faced it.

wow - look forward to reading your response Harry.

[Capt. Sterling]

Isn't it funny how them that complain the most are those that never even come to the event in the first place and check it out..was this one even there? Did he even see the folks defending the fort? gee if he had just spent two minutes in the camp when we were doing living history, he would have learned there was more to this event then just "playing pirate"... not only that, I don't know any one of us that would not have turned around and agreed that pirates were and still are dangerous criminals... especially funny since we play pirate hunter, the law and order guys, and some historians claim they were worse than the pirates themselves... still in all he also might be interested to know there were a number of colonial governors in co hoots with the pirates, their income helped establish some of the colonies (gee just talk to historians in Newport RI) and if he really wants to get down to the nitty gritty, hell, everyone of the so called patriots that fought in the American Rev. War were technically breaking the laws of the day...

As for slavery, again send him to our camp and have him talk to me, Sterling having been a slave in Algiers knows about both sides of the trade and can easily teach on the problems of it, he is one character that does not glorify it... (not that any of us do)...

Folks like this character are dangerous, even more so than real pirates.. wasn't it folks like Stalin and Hitler who were more than happy to "bury" certain aspects of history... gee wonder if he's ever sat down and spoke with a holocaust victim... Oh yes let's pretend it never existed and it will simple go away and never happen again...obviously he knows nothing about history...

Gee wonder what kind of letter he sent Disney when the POTC movies came out...but then again, knowing this type, he was first in line at the ticket booth..

Edited December 24, 2008 by Capt. Sterling

[Capt. Sterling]

HEY I have an idea... maybe we should hang....** Maddogge jumps on Sterling to shut him up**

[Silkie McDonough]

Wonder how he feels about "Fantasy Fest"

Perhaps he forgets that pirates and privateers are one in the same ...just depends on who writes the history books. That some pirates were be freed slaves? Funny, the writer doesn't see how closed minded he is being. Just thinks we are being crule for trying to teach some part of history. I suspect that the writer has no objection to your Civil War reenactements. Does he realize that many people died at those battles and someone somewhere was oppressed by those soldiers? This is history also. Perhaps we take a bit more liberties with our presentation and maybe we have fun doing it. I could go on but I think I shall refrain ...for now.

Harry ...I think we need a public hanging.

[Silkie McDonough]

Come to think of it Silkie was a slave long ago also. Redlegs they were called ...the Irish who were shipped to Barbados to work on the sugar plantations.

[callenish gunner]

Seems to me that everyone in the world could take offense to history! There has always been someone who was being slaughtered or enslaved exploited by another more powerful neighbour or nation with enough atrocities to go around for everyone white, black, christian, jew, muslim, oriental, occidental, slave, freeman, indentured. could go on and on but this fellow seems to forget that every society has skeletons in their historical closet. Yes we should all be aware of the positive and the negative aspects of the history we portray but to the "other side" we were thought to be villains, to those being exploited by tyrannical corporate and governmental Pyrates were a source of reduced/untaxed goods

[Mary Diamond]

*sigh

Don't get me wrong ~ I do not support lawlessness. I wonder, though, if Mr. Austin Gray Taylor, typing from the comfort of his La-Z-Boy, a cold beverage at hand, the football game providing background noise, knows why the Somali's are turning to piracy? It is not just a whim, I assure you (I know, I am preaching to the masses). I am sure they would rather be at home, with their family, in a warm house, in a safe neighborhood, grousing about the price of toys for Christmas.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from...ent/7754622.stm

[RustyNell]

Callenish and Mary...much agreed!!

I think people get so disconnected from their own past that they loose any point of reference. Its why I think, not just remembering history, but exploring historical perspective is so important!! I think thats why we do this. I know its why I do! Even though I consider it theater in may ways, I still approach this whole thing as a learning experience, isn't that what arts supposed to do, provoke us to THINK??!! Whats more, re-enacting provokes us to examine who we were, who we are now and who we might become should we learn or choose not to learn our lessons from the past.

Edited December 24, 2008 by RustyNell

[silas thatcher]

from what i understand, fort taylor's upkeep benefitted, along with a host of other charities..... key west itself ( as i was told ) would not be involved.... "higher standards " or something like that...

childish ???? first time i ever did anything of the sort and had a blast doing it...

i also have a blast silding down gigantic waterslides.... am i still childish ???

what a sourpuss !!

[JohnnyTarr]

If all of this is childish then I am one of Peter Pan's Lost Boys. Now I think that this person thinks that we portray a criminal sector of history. The real pirates were not good people, I mean let's admit that. What we do is selectively recreate them! We leave out the slaughtering and raping and stealing. He seems to be upset about the historical image that pirates were without taking in account how we look at what we do.

[hurricane]

Take pity on the gent, lads and lasses. The event has been going on for nearly 10 years in Key West and much longer in the Keys itself. And he just noticed.

I feel sorry that he finally ran out of Mogan David and Pabst Blue Ribbon long enough to sober up and notice. So sad, during the holidays. Wait until he finally notices that his wife left him five years ago and he's in foreclosure. :)

Perhaps he can start a "Clueless In Big Pine" festival to make some money for some more malt liquor.

-- Hurricane

[Mission]

Oh, come on you guys! That letter is funny! He tied us to slavery, George Bush, Halliburton, racism and the Spanish Inquisition! I've worked with city councils in the past and had to deal with the sorts of folks who show up to object to things (like new equipment for playgrounds, for example) and let me tell you...all the kookies are not in the box. And 90% of the folks who will read that editorial know it. Take the people with whack-a-mole games for brains with a huge grain of salt and you'll find them to be massively entertaining.

Just my 2¢.

[Quartermaster James]

Take the people with whack-a-mole games for brains with a huge grain of salt and you'll find them to be massively entertaining.

I love the image!

A troll is a troll; on a BBS or in a newspaper: Don't feed the troll!

Edited December 24, 2008 by Quartermaster James

[hurricane]

Exactly, Mission. He's a single naysayer in a sea of yea-sayers. Hardly worth the time to worry about him.

-- Hurricane

[Capt. Sterling]

The only problem being that the one naysayer managed to make the paper... and no matter what the paper, the media can be a powerful tool depending on how the media wish to play this... Looking forward to Harry's intelligent rebuttal to this fellow's pisspoor note and hope that Harry's makes the paper as well... and is not delegated to a 1" x 1" square hidden some where near the last page...

Perhaps next year we all spend more time in town meeting and greeting the locals and winning them to our side...maybe even going so far... as to us... ack... buying... groan... them drinks...

Edited December 24, 2008 by Capt. Sterling

[RustyNell]

And regarding defending what we do: As much as I love discussing idiots like this, and trying to unravel their psychosis. I mean they do serve the a purpose, they start a dialogue. Anyway, I usually avoid any actual debate with them. Its generally pointless.

Its kind of like trying to take a rabid dog to the vet, even if the vet had a cure that could save his mangy life, trying to get him there for his own good is only likely to get you bit.

I'm sure if anyone can do this well, it will be Harry. I think the guy is mad that pirates got top billing during Fantasy Fest he sounds like a politician.

ie Fantasy Fest this year was "pirates, pundits and political party animals"

Edited December 24, 2008 by RustyNell

[Capt. Sterling]

They remind of the Peta type person wearing leather shoes and eating a hamburger while they are yelling at you, while the human child that was hit by a car lies dying two feet from their feet....

and no, I realize not all people are like this...

Edited December 24, 2008 by Capt. Sterling

[michaelsbagley]

One saying I have always been fond of, is...

In order to effectively argue with an idiot, one has to reduce themself the the level of the idiot.

It hurts my brain to try and stop enough of it from working to relate to that sort of mentality.

[Mission]

It was an editorial; this is the playground of such hapless information bottom feeders. And The Citizen sometimes has some of the finest examples of mental instability in print. That and the police report are the most entertaining things in the paper. (Well, they used to be.)

I've no doubt Harry will acquit us quite handily if the powers that be pass on it. Don't get me wrong, someone sane needs to rebut such stuff, particularly when that someone has expert knowledge and a title in back of it, but you'll never convince the irrational that they are anything but right. Any hand-wringing on our part is to miss a wonderfully droll spot of amphigory.