Below is the context for the post that follows. Watch and be amused. Or unamused, as the case may be ….

There are so many things I could say about this particular advert, and the related one with our heroes singing about working in a pirate themed restaurant. I suppose I should begin by saying that I am not at all offended by either of them, so that will not be the crux of this post.

What I am is very disturbed.

Befre you go the route of thinking I’m making a mountain out of a molehill, consider the following. It has been well documented throughout the years that television has been a force on the planet that most (not all, mind you) people who partake of it on regular basis will accept what is presented through it as fact, no questions asked, no further skepticism or inquiry needed. So it stands to reason that people seeing the ad above will now “know” that all of us who work Ren Faires do so because we are forced to by bad credit. That it is a parody makes no difference in this case. This has been established in many, many communication studies. Bad credit, television tells us, is due to irresponsibility and therefore this ad by context tells us that Ren Fair employees are irresponsible. They have no one to blame but themselves for their “predicament”.

Really? Which Faires would these be that employ these people? Not the ones we work. The last event we worked, the Greater St. Louis Renaissance Faire, is a 501c3 with dedicated education days, to which school age kids from HOURS away are bussed so they can learn a few things in an environment that’s fun and interactive.  The acts we work with at this event, and many others, are high caliber entertainers, world record holders, some internationally known. These are acts that support families with what they do, and I don’t mean check-to-check, just-getting-by. The are raising and educating children and doing a darn fine job of it. And I could go on for hours about the dedication of those who cook food for us and the public, work the lanes as characters, take tickets and provide information, and the parking attendants who see that everyone who makes the drive gets to come and play.

I don’t think any of us described above see ourselves in this ad. We laugh about it a bit, but after that’s done, there’s the unsettling realization that for the majority of viewers, this is now their worldview on what sort of person works at the Renaissance Faire. It is sad to me that so little recognition is given to the validity of one the last vestiges of sideshow style entertainment outside of Coney Island. It is sad to me that the hard work of a volunteer staff goes unrecognized. It is sad to me that a tip in the hat of a performer might be given out of pity rather than appreciation.

It’s my hope that the last two statements will hold mostly untrue in this world, but I’m a realist about the power of television.

Never mind the fact that I worked on completing my second college degree while working Ren Faires, generating credit for my time spent working Ren Faires and graduating Magna Cum Laude with Ren Faire income helping to pay for it all. Never mind the fact that Alex works for many places on the Historical Register and is one of the most popular acts on the grant-driven Historical circuit for his attention to detail and accuracy for the time periods in which he performs. Never mind the fact that one of the acts we work with every year is one of the highest paid performers in his genre in the world. Never mind the fact that the children we know raised on the Ren Faire circuit are well-adjusted and well-behaved. Home schooled, you know … and perfectly well-socialized, thankyouverymuch.

We have mortgages, leases, vehicles to pay off and maintain, and we do so with the same struggles the rest of you out there have, I’m certain. While there are certainly some who fit the profile of the ad above, they do not comprise the majority. Look at any blue-collar trade and you’ll see very much the same dynamic at work.

And, unfortunately, the same prejudices.

Ask those of us at the Faire if we are working there because we have no other choice. Really. Ask us. The answers you get may just change your worldview.

It is my hope other performers and Ren Faire workers will chime in on this one. I’m just so completely sick of those of us who choose to work in the variety arts being vilified and mocked for what we choose to do for a living by those who have no understanding of what it entails. Listen to Chris McDaniel’s episode of NPC’s Conjurers, Carnies & Collectors for further exploration on the topic.

Okay. End of rant. Let the flaming commence. I just had to get this off my chest ….

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