Reading about some of the apparent beliefs of the more extreme corners of the Trump-is-great crowd, I am reminded of something that occurred some years ago. I offer this only as a personal experience.
My son, probably then in Middle School or Junior High, had some friends who got involved in a local Civil War Re-enacter group. As a long-time student of the Civil War myself, I was interested in what went on and what the kids were being exposed to. We had a couple of local get-togethers, where the kids made cartridges for an upcoming regional event.
We went to the event, south of Portland. It was a lovely weekend, and was quite interesting seeing the 'camps', with their 19th Century crafts, clothing, and everyday items. The 'battle' had the expected artillery, rifles, battle lines, and tactics (i.e. CHARGE!!).
There was lots of smoke and noise. Can't recall which side 'won'.
At some point I was chatting with other Dads, and one of them told this joke:
Dad1: My grandfather had a terrible experience at a Concentration Camp.
Me: Yeah?
Dad1: Yep, he got drunk and fell out of the guard tower.
Me (thinking): WTF?
Other dads: Haw, haw.
We never went back to another event, so I can't claim this is indicative of the mind-set.
But it happened, and I never forgot it.
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