Jason sent me this: "(1) Americans love the military
(2) sneaky, hidden-racist pro-Southern pride in the Civil War; it's just another excuse to put up Southern flags and so on
(3) the fact that the Civil War happened so long ago that, for most Americans at least, it's water under the bridge
And of course (4) hipster cynicism! One of my friends was confused that I would willingly wear a Vietnamese shirt (a gift from a friend who went to Vietnam) depicting a massive Vietnamese fist smashing an American B-52 bomber. She was all like "Why would you wear a shirt celebrating a military defeat suffered by your country?" But I think all but the most right-wing Americans would concede the loss of the Vietnam War and say "Sorry, Vietnamese people, that we invaded and occupied your country." I wouldn't wear the shirt in an area with a large Vietnamese expatriate community, though.
I don't personally like Civil War reenactments though, due to dislike of reasons (1) and (2). I'm more of a Renaissance Faire person.="
(2) sneaky, hidden-racist pro-Southern pride in the Civil War; it's just another excuse to put up Southern flags and so on
(3) the fact that the Civil War happened so long ago that, for most Americans at least, it's water under the bridge
And of course (4) hipster cynicism! One of my friends was confused that I would willingly wear a Vietnamese shirt (a gift from a friend who went to Vietnam) depicting a massive Vietnamese fist smashing an American B-52 bomber. She was all like "Why would you wear a shirt celebrating a military defeat suffered by your country?" But I think all but the most right-wing Americans would concede the loss of the Vietnam War and say "Sorry, Vietnamese people, that we invaded and occupied your country." I wouldn't wear the shirt in an area with a large Vietnamese expatriate community, though.
I don't personally like Civil War reenactments though, due to dislike of reasons (1) and (2). I'm more of a Renaissance Faire person.="