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Friends and all,
After consulting several close friends about this issue and having major issues with this situation myself, I decided to go public with my feelings on the eBay junk/trash/crap threads that have been popping up month after month and sometimes two or three threads a day garnering lots of views and comments. PLEASE UNDERSTAND THIS IS NOT AN ATTACK ON ANYONE!! NO OFFENSE IS INTENDED TO ANY FORUM MEMBER/READER. However, after finding at least eleven (11) threads with eBay junk in both the military and civilian forums; I must make my opinion known, even if others disagree and end up spitting on me later.
It was said by Paul Calloway in the "We got Rules here!" sticky/thread posted 2-02-04 at 10:33 P.M. that rule number two is:
"2. No Farbism - All discussion here must strive toward authenticity - this is not the forum for status quo reenacting or status quo thinking. Don't come here to argue with hardcores about what they are doing 'wrong.' "
I totally agree with this rule, but we seem to be constantly breaking it with this new trend towards posting at nearly any available opportunity the trash that is found on eBay marketed/sold as "Good for Civil War reenacting/reenactors." We want those less authentic to respect the no farbism rule, but it's being corrupted by longtime authentics by these eBay junk posts, don't you think?
When I go to eBay and look for antebellum and Civil War clothing, furniture, artifacts, etc. I expect to see some less than real/authentic items. And it seems I am not the only one who expects to find some trash while searching for good items as Curt Heinrich-Schmidt stated in the "Been There-Done That" thread posted on 4-15-04 at 9:20 P.M.:
"Kind of like bogus items on EBAY... Considering the Nature of the Beast, can one expect anything different there? Sure, fraud detection and artifact analysis is a positive learning experience, but the S & G Items?"
Next, a photo came up and after some discussion I don't know if the original poster thought it could have been real or what and to be quite honest I didn't read the thread. But I found this post my search to gather some data as I sat to write this and so now I quote Mike Chapman from the second page of the "Start Bidding @ $50,000,000 please" thread.
"All,
I think the intent of this folder was to save for RESEARCH, any LEGITIMATE period photos. It is not the place, nor is there any place on this forum, to rag on obvious phoneys.
Please use this space only for documented, researchable photos."
This I feel doesn't just apply to photos, but I believe with us being the people who attempt to look, act, and recreate the era as much as possible we must nix this posting of junk. We have a lot of people who are signing onto the Authentic Campaigner now as there is a thread with us having like 2000+ members. While all these junk posts are filled with humor or sarcasm, what does it do to post this crap? It's not authentic and this is the "Authentic Campaigner" is it not? I am truly not trying to stop anyone from having a good laugh. It is funny to see what people put on eBay (like the dress once that a friend showed me that could fit a woman with a waist size up to 72 inches!!); nevertheless, it really doesn't better us or the authenticity of us by these posts. I again implore you not to view this as an attack upon a single individual or any group of people, but take our purpose of the forum and rethink that before you consider posting your eBay junk finds.
Respectfully and with no hard feelings,
After consulting several close friends about this issue and having major issues with this situation myself, I decided to go public with my feelings on the eBay junk/trash/crap threads that have been popping up month after month and sometimes two or three threads a day garnering lots of views and comments. PLEASE UNDERSTAND THIS IS NOT AN ATTACK ON ANYONE!! NO OFFENSE IS INTENDED TO ANY FORUM MEMBER/READER. However, after finding at least eleven (11) threads with eBay junk in both the military and civilian forums; I must make my opinion known, even if others disagree and end up spitting on me later.
It was said by Paul Calloway in the "We got Rules here!" sticky/thread posted 2-02-04 at 10:33 P.M. that rule number two is:
"2. No Farbism - All discussion here must strive toward authenticity - this is not the forum for status quo reenacting or status quo thinking. Don't come here to argue with hardcores about what they are doing 'wrong.' "
I totally agree with this rule, but we seem to be constantly breaking it with this new trend towards posting at nearly any available opportunity the trash that is found on eBay marketed/sold as "Good for Civil War reenacting/reenactors." We want those less authentic to respect the no farbism rule, but it's being corrupted by longtime authentics by these eBay junk posts, don't you think?
When I go to eBay and look for antebellum and Civil War clothing, furniture, artifacts, etc. I expect to see some less than real/authentic items. And it seems I am not the only one who expects to find some trash while searching for good items as Curt Heinrich-Schmidt stated in the "Been There-Done That" thread posted on 4-15-04 at 9:20 P.M.:
"Kind of like bogus items on EBAY... Considering the Nature of the Beast, can one expect anything different there? Sure, fraud detection and artifact analysis is a positive learning experience, but the S & G Items?"
Next, a photo came up and after some discussion I don't know if the original poster thought it could have been real or what and to be quite honest I didn't read the thread. But I found this post my search to gather some data as I sat to write this and so now I quote Mike Chapman from the second page of the "Start Bidding @ $50,000,000 please" thread.
"All,
I think the intent of this folder was to save for RESEARCH, any LEGITIMATE period photos. It is not the place, nor is there any place on this forum, to rag on obvious phoneys.
Please use this space only for documented, researchable photos."
This I feel doesn't just apply to photos, but I believe with us being the people who attempt to look, act, and recreate the era as much as possible we must nix this posting of junk. We have a lot of people who are signing onto the Authentic Campaigner now as there is a thread with us having like 2000+ members. While all these junk posts are filled with humor or sarcasm, what does it do to post this crap? It's not authentic and this is the "Authentic Campaigner" is it not? I am truly not trying to stop anyone from having a good laugh. It is funny to see what people put on eBay (like the dress once that a friend showed me that could fit a woman with a waist size up to 72 inches!!); nevertheless, it really doesn't better us or the authenticity of us by these posts. I again implore you not to view this as an attack upon a single individual or any group of people, but take our purpose of the forum and rethink that before you consider posting your eBay junk finds.
Respectfully and with no hard feelings,
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