Pretty much exactly, isn't it: let's do this formally racist thing as a way of looking at real racism. Which, not impossible to carry off, but a lot of potential for screwing up.
Put it this way, if in 1987 somebody in Georgia had proposed to celebrate the bicentenary of the US constitution by re-creating a plantation WITH REAL SLAVES, I can't help feeling that the publicity would have been overwhelmingly negative.
I'm not going to google, but I wouldn't me at all surprised that somebody did just that.
They're just jealous that the US re-enacts ours daily in our own reality-TV inspired way.
Colonial Williamsburg has re-enacted slavery, I'm pretty sure.
I like that 7 could be interpreted either as "has reënactments which feature historical interpreters who are slaves and slave owners" or "has once again enacted a statute allowing chattel slavery".
Ethnologic exhibits used to be practically as popular as zoos. Partially because they knew a lot more about how to feed and house humans than, say, tenrecs.
7: At the end of my senior year of high school, I had to choose between W&M and UVa, and I was leaning heavily towards the former. But after visiting, the thought of living constantly around Colonial Williamsburg just kinda freaked me out. Apparently, I find butter-churning and powdered wigs even less pleasant than DMB bros.
You wouldn't have to go back to 1787 -- when did Ishi die? 1910?
I find butter-churning and powdered wigs even less pleasant than DMB bros
Ants marching being less hygienic in the former case.
Colonial Williamsburg does re-enact slavery.
It's a rough job, unsurprisingly. But Ask A Slave at least finds some humor in it. I love the argument about becoming a horse thief and a runaway.
I was friends with a guy who's wife sometimes portrayed a slave in Williamsburg. She was a professional actress, and, from what I gather, considered it a good gig. Perhaps because steady, decent-paying acting jobs aren't exactly easy to come by - particularly for dark-skinned women past a certain age.
Reminds me somewhat of the Knightsbridge Japanese Village, which famously helped produce the Mikado. About 100 Japanese people lived for a couple of years in a replica Japanese village in an exhibition hall, and a quarter of a million Londoners came and had a look. Run by a guy with the splendid name of Tannaker Buhicrosan. I have no idea if Japanese himself or not.
From MyHeritage.com:
Tannäker Billingham Nevell Bühicrozen
immediate family:
Otakesan "Ruth" Bühicrozen (His wife)
Ohannason "Ohanna" Bapty (born Buhicrosan) (His daughter)
Otakesammer Blaver (born Buhicrosan) (His daughter)
Wallim Nevell Buhicrosan (His father)
Lancelot Reynolds Buhicrosan (His son)
Either these are refugees from the Iain M. Banks universe, or the British authorities had not a single, solitary clue about what Japanese names sounded like and how to write them down. (e.g. assuming that "-san" and "-sama" was a part of everyone's name)
The latter seems to be the case.
Nice find, ned. I wonder if there are still some Buhicrosans kicking around London?