10 Bad Reasons To Reenact

by Jonah Begone

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1. "To honor those who fought for their beliefs." (Visigoths, Vikings and Nazis fought for their beliefs, too.)

2. You want to find a use for that beloved Boy Scout canteen you used as a kid.

3. You think you have "the Habit of Command," and/or your tactics at West Point have been compared to Napoleon's.

4. You want to get away from your wife. (She may want to come along. She may want to be in the ranks with you.)

5. You want an outdoor activity in which you can lose some weight. (Sweating is only temporary water loss.)

6. As a child your Pappy or some other ancient filled you with stories about "damn Yankees" and now you want to "shoot" at them.

7. You want to actually try firing that rusty old thing that's been hanging up on the wall since time began.

8. You're in it for notoriety and/or the title "Prominent Reenactor" or "Noted Living Historian."

9. You want to educate your fellow reenactors about the Civil War. (This is very tiring to those of us who know it all.)

10. You want an excuse to use that ethnic dialect you've been boring friends and coworkers with.

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