From: dawson@willard.UUCP
Newsgroups: alt.drumcorps
Subject: Re: Nothing Left?
Date: Sat, 12 Dec 92 15:36:07 EST
Organization: Willard's House BBS, Atlanta, GA -- +1 (404) 664 8814

streuer_d@cubldr.colorado.edu writes:

> Did anyone catch the half-time performance of (I couldn't tell which band)
> for the the Florida/Georgia? game the weekend of December 5th.  They were
> doing SCV music and I just caught their color guard doing the knee walk.
> Had to look twice...

It was the Alabama/Florida game, aka the SEC championship game.  The band
you saw was that of the U of A.  I'm surprised that no one has bothered with
this aspect of your post, prefering to follow-up to your other comments.

> Also, the more I read this group, the more depressed I'm getting, particularl
> the stuff about the masked profanity, suggestive drills, etc.  My husband
> had run into some California corp folks on the road and was excited about our
> daughter's interest in drum corp, particularly guard.  Their comments were
> that most guard are considered 'entertainment for the troops.'

I suppose that attitude does exist in certain corps, but it is not universal.
As for "profanity," you'll find that profane, obscene, and other words are
subject to community interpretation.  What you consider "profane" is not
necessarily what others consider to be so.

> I thought he was exaggerating, but after reading the recent posts, I'm
> beginning to have my doubts about the value of the activity.   Are directors/
> managers aware of this stuff and are they just ignoring the issue?

What issue?  That you have a problem with where show designers get their
inspirations?  That you have a problem with the lack of guidance that
some corps provide to the children under their guardianship whilst on
the road?  Perhaps you need to voice your concerns to specific drum corps
management.  Accusations that improper behaviour is allowed to occur
should be substantiated.  Idle gossip doesn't count for much, IMO.

> Obviously
> the drill issue was a blantent example of a manager/adult encouraging this
> behavior and sexist attitude.  It used to be people who acted or thought
> like this were called pigs....now it's cool.   What ever happened to having
> a little class.

Oh, you mean the specific attitude that members of the horn or drum lines
have towards the auxiliary corps members?  The prevailing attitude of the
day (back in the '80s, when I was active in corps) amongst the horn and
drum lines was that the auxiliary corps members were good to look at, but
didn't really add much substantially to the rest of the show.  Call us
old-fashioned!

> And to think drum corp started with American Legions and CYOs.

Drum corps organizations left the AL and CYOs because they were too re-
strictive in regards to matters of artistic interpretation, and were too
militaristic, among other reasons.  What do you suppose would be the effects
of the corresponding loosening of morals that was sure to follow?  It's a
natural side-effect.  Why do you suppose that the microcosm society in the
corps should not reflect the macrocosmic society of the US at large?

The world is sexist.  Drum corps are ~very~ instructional, in many regards.
Of course, if I had a daughter, I'd never leave her alone in any drum corps
for a whole week, let alone a whole summer.  Call me old-fashioned!

-- 
dawson@willard.UUCP (Willard Dawson)
gatech!vdbsan!willard!dawson
emory!uumind!willard!dawson
Willard's House BBS, Atlanta, GA -- +1 (404) 664 8814