Renaissance Fair

Back in September, my wife and I went to our first Renaissance Fair in Ohio. I was mostly interested in just seeing what all the fuss was about, but I was surprised by how much I liked it.

One thing that struck me the most was the sense of hyper-reality that was created and commonly maintained by all the people in attendance. Combining the costumes - which undoubtedly had an not-too-subtle sexual undercurrent - with the gourmet coffee stands, modern perfume and make-up and freshly-baked chocolate chip cookies gives you the distinct impression that everyone was creating a shared fantasy experience, rather than an accurate historical representation of the era.

Not that anything's wrong with that; I think it's quite healthy, actually. But I think it really speaks to how much America has replaced any culture of its own with pop-consumerism and overwork. Everyone just seems to want to escape it all...