Newsgroups: alt.drumcorps
Subject: Hitler comparison (was Re: The Star of Indiana, HATE)
From: cputnam@vax1.umkc.edu
Date: Thu, 20 Aug 1992 16:55:36 GMT
 <1992Aug18.161926.5924@midway.uchicago.edu> <1992Aug18.185848.8020@beaver.cs.washington.edu> <1992Aug19.162644.187@aimla.com>
Organization: University of Missouri - Kansas City

In article <1992Aug19.162644.187@aimla.com>, chris@optimla.aimla.com (Chris Angelli) writes:
> 
> In article <1992Aug18.185848.8020@beaver.cs.washington.edu> you write:
>>In article <1992Aug18.161926.5924@midway.uchicago.edu> xklh@midway.uchicago.edu writes:
> 
> .... bunch of stuff deleted here....
> 
>>
>>>Star does not let all people of all shapes and sizes into
>>>their corps.  You have to be a certain weight and height.
>>>And your ever so precious wonderful staff told me that!!
>>>Also, how much to Star members pay a year in dues?  Could
>>>it be only $200?  YES!  You don't work for the money
>>>you get.  Mr. Cook just hands it over.  That is not
>>>drumcorps.

[stuff deleted]

>>This may sound a bit racist, but I find it hard to believe that a white
>>person could make it big as a rapper.  I'll believe it, however, when I
>>see it.  This is where the "look" can make a difference in the final
>>product.  Maybe in drum corps, the "look" is not or should not be that
>>important.  But the staff and management has made that decision, and you
>>can disagree with it (I personally do not like the idea of selection
>>based on weight/height).  But to HATE them for it?
>>
> 
> .... blah blah blah....
> 
> 
> OK, I've never seen Star, I am completely ignorant about how good/bad/ugly
> they are.  I have been out of the activity for 10 years, so I don't know
> what the current judging criteria are.  So how can I possibly have anything
> intelligent to add to this discussion?  Well it really bothers me (I mean
> hair-standing-up-on-the-back-of-my-neck-type bothers me) to hear phrases
> like "have to have a uniform look for the right visual effect".  Am I the
> only one that is reminded of Hitlers Aryan ideal?  I mean, maybe I'm over-
> reacting here, but I find it hard to believe that a judge would say "Hey,
> that snare line's really tight, but that guy (or girl) in the middle is
> just too tall (or short or fat or skinny or dark-skinned or light-skinned or
> what have you) and it takes away from the effect."  COME ON.  Now I realize
> that this is not a utopian world here and that people are not always nice
> and accepting of diversity.  But to actively promote prejudice is something 
> I find reprehensible and, yes, HATEFUL.  
> 
[stuff deleted]

Well, I personally can't think of very many things that remind me of Hitler's
mass executions in the 40's.  Least of all Star's marching members.  James
"Hitler" Mason?  Let's be realistic.  Not accepting someone based soley on
their size (short, tall, fat, thin,...) is not what I would call a good
practice.  But, it is Star's perogative and they are the ones footing most of
the bill for these members to march with them.

I doubt to, that the judge just sits there and thinks, "Wait, I can't give them
a 9.8.  They had a fat person in the line!!"  But there are subtleties(sp?)
that the judge doesn't even know he's taking into account.  For example-I've
always thought that there is something about a top 12 corps (or there about,
the top corps in general) that makes them look different.  Even when they are
just standing there, they look better.

In shortStar isn't the Hitler of the 90's.  They have a reason for acaccepting
the people they do.  Let's not forget that there may be more reasons to explain
it, not the least plausible of which is that maybe Krista heard wrong,
misinterperted, or was told wrong.  Maybe, just maybe, what is intended is
that (for example) fat people can't move as quickly as needed for Star's drill. 
Or maybe, (for example) short people can't take big enough steps to comfortably
march and play Star's show.  Think about the other possibilities before you
compare a drum corps to the most criminally insane man in history.

IRC nick-BlueDevil    BTW-can anyone confirm or deny that Star rejects people
                          based on their size (fat, thin, etc...)?

> -Chris
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> -- 
> Christine Angelli						chrisr@aimla.com
> Philips Interactive Media of America	uunet!aimla!chris
> Sidewalk Studios
Newsgroups: alt.drumcorps