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My first reaction was to be mildly bothered by the overwrought stereotypes on display. On second thought, having lived in rural America for most of my life, I c
by karaterobot 4y ago
My first reaction was to be mildly bothered by the overwrought stereotypes on display. On second thought, having lived in rural America for most of my life, I can verify that this is about as accurate to life in rural America as most LARPs I've been in are to life in medieval Europe. That is: fantasy unencumbered by research. As in all things, I hope it's done out of curiosity and not with a sneer at people's misfortune, but fair play.
- trgn 4y ago> sneer at people's misfortune, I wouldn't be surprised if this is mixed in. People love to see the mighty fall. I was surprised how much of the throwaway news filler in Europe is about random Florida-man stuff. Although, to me, it seems like the main motivational force for this is "nostalgie de la boue", a desire to participate in trashy low-life culture. It has positive connotations too; a temporary freedom from mores and responsibilities of civic life. Mardi gras, music festivals, St Patrick's day, ... they all are an opportunity to let loose.
- Toutouxc 4y ago> I was surprised how much of the throwaway news filler in Europe is about random Florida-man stuff. I'd guess that that's mostly because the Joe from Florida is both far, far away (so they can publish unverifiable bullshit) but also culturally adjacent and his exploits or misfortune more relatable than, say, a guy from Uruguay or Vietnam. Also you wouldn't believe how many trash articles start with "American scientists".
- morbicer 4y agoWell LARPing is about fun. The stereotypes displayed are pretty tame. Real life could be stranger than fiction. Pennsylvanian church worshipping AR-15s https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/03/01/589808670/ar-15s-are-biblical-rod-of-iron-at-pennsylvania-church?t=1653908733285 https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/03/01/589808670...