How would you react? Other culture weirdness

[darin]

While at a Fasching Parade yesterday me and the kids saw bands and people and all that - loved it.

Couple of notes:

In front of us was a woman in her mid 30s, and likely her teenage daughter. As the parade passed those in the floats threw candy and goodies to the masses. This woman - and other adults too - would literally push, shove and thrust others out of their way as they scavenged for the "food" and candy. I was embarrassed to be human. I think about the nature of man - I think about the 'end of the world' and if we were in a apocalyptic situation, people like this lady would horde around the Government Food trucks and drive the riots we've seen anytime weak or impotent people live their lives at the hand of TheMan.

Also - see attached pics.

DOUBLE-YOU-TEE-EFF are those folks doing? About 20 of them - kids, moms, dads, etc. Imagine this parade downtown Detroit? What would happen?

Mass. Killing.


Was a GREAT time, however. My kids got into things - Alaina had a few cute boys/young men on the floats hand her stuff specifically - including booze and a fake flower on separate occasions. She liked the booze best.

Oh - and she tried Jägermeister for the first time. Wasn't a fan. I told her "Wait till you're in college..."

:)

[Drummond]

While at a Fasching Parade yesterday me and the kids saw bands and people and all that - loved it.

Couple of notes:

In front of us was a woman in her mid 30s, and likely her teenage daughter. As the parade passed those in the floats threw candy and goodies to the masses. This woman - and other adults too - would literally push, shove and thrust others out of their way as they scavenged for the "food" and candy. I was embarrassed to be human. I think about the nature of man - I think about the 'end of the world' and if we were in a apocalyptic situation, people like this lady would horde around the Government Food trucks and drive the riots we've seen anytime weak or impotent people live their lives at the hand of TheMan.

Also - see attached pics.

DOUBLE-YOU-TEE-EFF are those folks doing? About 20 of them - kids, moms, dads, etc. Imagine this parade downtown Detroit? What would happen?

Mass. Killing.


Was a GREAT time, however. My kids got into things - Alaina had a few cute boys/young men on the floats hand her stuff specifically - including booze and a fake flower on separate occasions. She liked the booze best.

Oh - and she tried Jägermeister for the first time. Wasn't a fan. I told her "Wait till you're in college..."

:)

They're well into their carnival season, evidently. The Germans do get enthusiastic about such things. They certainly did at a beer festival I once attended, at Bingen-am-Rhein ....

I've been wondering what 'cultural significance' might be in play here .. maybe it's better to consider issues that may apply specifically to the area you're in ? I've dug this out ...

http://people.ucls.uchicago.edu/~mzemil/4thgerman/Fasching_intro_english.pdf


Fasching (also known as Karneval) is a time of festivity and merry making - a time to break the rules, poke fun at those who make them and then to make your own new rules.

In Germany, particularly in the Rhineland area, the tradition can be traced to medieval times where many countries existed under harsh rules. Kings, princes and even smaller potentates maintained their own courts. In doing so, they flaunted before each other their own pomp and splendor at the expense of their population.

During Karneval time, the common people took a chance at 'living it up" and "talking back to their rulers". They would make a mock government of eleven people, as well as other officials. A prince and princess were selected to rule the country during the
Fasching season. Political authorities, high placed persons and sovereigns were the target of ridicule, and featured in humorous and satirical speeches. To avoid persecution and punishment, these antics were played out from behind masks and costumes.

Parades, dancing in the streets, masquerade balls and comical skits filled the days and nights.

Karneval festivities have become annual events around the world. Also known as Fasching, Carnival and Mardi Gras, the most famous are located in the following places:

Köln (Cologne), Germany
Nice, France
Trinidad
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
New Orleans, Louisiana

Although Carnival in Rio is probably the craziest of all, Germany is undoubtedly the most enthusiastic Karneval center in Europe.

I don't know, maybe the 'scavenging' acts have their traditional, history-rooted, significance .. harping back to 'harsh times', when times were difficult, and are in fact an integral part of the full significance of the carnival ? Just a thought.

P.S .. Are they doing anything significant for 'Rosenmontag' (Rose Monday), i.e today ?

[darin]

They're well into their carnival season, evidently. The Germans do get enthusiastic about such things. They certainly did at a beer festival I once attended, at Bingen-am-Rhein ....

I've been wondering what 'cultural significance' might be in play here .. maybe it's better to consider issues that may apply specifically to the area you're in ? I've dug this out ...

http://people.ucls.uchicago.edu/~mzemil/4thgerman/Fasching_intro_english.pdf



I don't know, maybe the 'scavenging' acts have their traditional, history-rooted, significance .. harping back to 'harsh times', when times were difficult, and are in fact an integral part of the full significance of the carnival ? Just a thought.

P.S .. Are they doing anything significant for 'Rosenmontag' (Rose Monday), i.e today ?


The scavenging thing - I think it's rooted in "OMG lets GET FREE SHIT!!". The kids? Sure. Do that. But the older lady LITERALLY took a piece of candy from under my daughter's foot - she was partially standing on one, the lady reached down and pulled it out. It's a sad commentary on people relying on stuff like this. Sure it's "Free" but at what cost to basic human dignity?



The Rosenmontag - the biggest one - parade in Mainz was cancelled I think, due to dangerous winds. :(

[Drummond]

The scavenging thing - I think it's rooted in "OMG lets GET FREE SHIT!!". The kids? Sure. Do that. But the older lady LITERALLY took a piece of candy from under my daughter's foot - she was partially standing on one, the lady reached down and pulled it out. It's a sad commentary on people relying on stuff like this. Sure it's "Free" but at what cost to basic human dignity?



The Rosenmontag - the biggest one - parade in Mainz was cancelled I think, due to dangerous winds. :(

I stand corrected, then !

Dangerous winds ... an effect of a storm called 'Imogen', I think ? Yes, we've got the same problem in my part of the world. A mix of rain and high winds ... reports of gusts up to 90mph in parts of the UK in recent hours. They say it'll all lessen by this evening.

[NightTrain]

Reading through and then seeing what Drummond posted, is it possible that the mad dash to grab food being tossed to the masses is part of the parody of the 'Rulers' throwing table scraps to the 'Peasants'?

[Drummond]

Reading through and then seeing what Drummond posted, is it possible that the mad dash to grab food being tossed to the masses is part of the parody of the 'Rulers' throwing table scraps to the 'Peasants'?

Yes, this is what I was getting at, before. However, reading dmp's account, looks like I was wrong. Instead, apparently a 'let's grab this while it's going .. something for nothing' mentality ruled the moment. Product of a State dependency mentality .. ?

[darin]

But the blackface??

[Abbey Marie]

...
Was a GREAT time, however. My kids got into things - Alaina had a few cute boys/young men on the floats hand her stuff specifically - including booze and a fake flower on separate occasions. She liked the booze best.
...
:)

I expect that will be happening to her a lot in the coming years.

[darin]

So a question is - those black-face folks. Do I put those on facebook? Do people in the states want to see that kinda stuff?

For what it's worth - parade crowd was chock-full of 'folks of color' and nobody stopped cheering when the 'natives' walked past.

[fj1200]

So a question is - those black-face folks. Do I put those on facebook? Do people in the states want to see that kinda stuff?

For what it's worth - parade crowd was chock-full of 'folks of color' and nobody stopped cheering when the 'natives' walked past.

Perhaps blackface does not have the same stigma/history as over here. Post it; see what people say.

[Drummond]

For what it's worth, I can tell you that in the UK, people blacking up their faces (as in the photo) would, these days, be regarded as committing a racist act.

Decades ago, before the UK became as painfully 'PC' as it now is, there was a popular BBC TV show called the 'Black and White Minstrel Show' (it also toured, giving theatre performances, and the like ...). See:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Black_and_White_Minstrel_Show


The show's premise began to be seen as offensive on account of its portrayal of blacked-up characters behaving in a stereotypical manner and a petition against it was received by the BBC in 1967. In 1969, due to continuing accusations of racism, Music Music Music, a spin-off series in which the minstrels appeared without their blackface make-up, replaced The Black and White Minstrel Show. It failed badly, was cancelled after 10 episodes and The Black and White Minstrel Show returned to win back viewers.

Since its cancellation, The Black and White Minstrel Show has come to be seen more widely as an embarrassment, despite its huge popularity at the time.

This is an example of the British public being 'educated' to turn away from a show which, in its heyday, enjoyed considerable popularity .. where a politically-contrived 'sensitivity' actually succeeded in dictating to people what they were allowed to like or dislike ...

Then again, there's THIS ...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/law-and-order/10525121/Discussing-Robertsons-jam-golliwog-label-is-racist-judge-rules.html


Discussing Robertson's jam 'golliwog' label is racist, judge rules --

A chef who used the term 'golliwog' in front of a black colleague was guilty of racial harassment, judges at the Court of Appeal ruled as they agreed the term was inherently racist.

Lord Justice Floyd, sitting in the Court of Appeal, said that saying the term in front of a black person, whatever the context, was “offensive", as he upheld a ruling that chef who discussed the image was guilty of racial harassment.

Mark McAleese, a chef at London School of Economics, used the term while he discussed food labelling in the presence of his black colleague Denise Lindsay.

An employment tribunal found him guilty of harassment and three judges at the Court of Appeal upheld the finding.

Here's an example of the 'offensive' label involved ... once a household item on British dining room tables, where it appeared on jars of jam and marmalade ...

http://www.debatepolicy.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=8379&stc=1