dccorpsfan Posted August 23, 2007 Share Posted August 23, 2007 Clearly due to to their blatant endorsement of gun, sword, and spear violence the entire guard has to go. It makes me sick watching those hate mongerers out there waving their thinly veiled threats of American imperialistic violence. Don't even get me started on the "dancers" with their obvious flaunting that they can take you down bare handed with martial arts.They should all be replaced by the kind gentle giants, the low brass. Won't somebody think of the children!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobk9258 Posted August 23, 2007 Share Posted August 23, 2007 Whenever I show drum corps to anyone that is completely unfamiliar with the activity, two questions seem to come up pretty much every single time:1) Why are they wearing those funny costumes (usually from non-Americans)? 2) Why are they throwing guns? Given the fact that: A ) Rifles make absolutely zero sense programmatically anymore B ) Gun deaths among youth, particularly accidental, are the highest they have ever been Isn't it time to change? I am not suggesting that the activity outright bans them, but I am saying it isn't such a cool thing for young kids to potentially emulate (imagine the first news story of a young kid finding a real rifle, copying what they had seen, ending in tragedy). In addition, there are at least 3,782,469 other possible things out there to spin (how many of them haven't even been thought up?). So, why spin something that not only makes zero sense, but it modeled after something designed to kill? The activity has moved well beyond its military roots. It is time now to retire rifles in search of alternatives that are more creative, programmatically appropriate and socially responsible. I lost a brother by a accidental gun by a family member. I hate & loath guns. I still love to watch a rffle line. Always have and allways will. I think a good rifle line brings so much to a visual show. Please DCI Do not get rid of rifle lines. I love them. We as a country have become to politically correct. We have lost all sence of our selfs cause of what if's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BDMOM Posted August 23, 2007 Share Posted August 23, 2007 Clearly due to to their blatant endorsement of gun, sword, and spear violence the entire guard has to go. It makes me sick watching those hate mongerers out there waving their thinly veiled threats of American imperialistic violence. Don't even get me started on the "dancers" with their obvious flaunting that they can take you down bare handed with martial arts.They should all be replaced by the kind gentle giants, the low brass. Won't somebody think of the children!!! Thanks for making my evening! More reason to march contra next year Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MHSmirage Posted August 23, 2007 Share Posted August 23, 2007 Being that WGI only counts sabres, rifles and flags as "equipment", I don't see rifles going anywhere. Not sickle rifles, curved 2x4s or any other props are counted to the manditory equipment time required on the floor. I know DCI guard scoring and WGI scoring is different as far as timed requirements, but I really think that rifles are here to stay. Spinning rifles flags and sabres are apart of drum corps. If we take away rifles, then we might as well take away the contras...I mean tubas, or some of those pesky trumpets. The only damage to human life done by a *solid wood* rifle is some bumps and cuts to the forehead. And most of those done to the person spinning the equipment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LisaLisaMoMeesa Posted August 23, 2007 Share Posted August 23, 2007 I lost a brother by a accidental gun by a family member. I hate & loath guns. I still love to watch a rffle line. Always have and allways will. I think a good rifle line brings so much to a visual show. Please DCI Do not get rid of rifle lines. I love them.We as a country have become to politically correct. We have lost all sence of our selfs cause of what if's. Daniel lives in a place where the government decides for them what's best. It's why this makes sense to him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LisaLisaMoMeesa Posted August 23, 2007 Share Posted August 23, 2007 I have taken the time and wasted a good 10 minutes of my life reading this ridiculous thread.On page 9 someone wrote that "guards would just have to adjust faster" (or something to that effect) This would be like asking a brass player to change type/style of horn plus their mouth piece every year they marched. Maybe that would put everyone at the same ad/disadvantage As far as girls in leotards spinning (OMG) guns, this is not the 70's. Kids these days do not spend the entire show on one piece of equipment. They must be proficient (note, not superstar performers) on several pieces of equipment to even qualify for the weapons line. Even when they are good enough to make it, they spend less than half their time on any one weapon (points in the show when the designer wants the effect of things flying through the air.) These kids spend lots of extra time on the side to excel and keep their spots, and this is with standardized equipment. There are hundreds of items that guards have spun over the years, from rubber hoses to baguettes ( ) No one is stopping these groups from innovation. The reason why groups come back to the rifle is because it is an effective and standard piece of equipment. We spun rifles in the late 70's-80's because you could buy a rifle from the military surplus, take out the barrel and trigger, cut it down and do amazing things with it. Today's performance rifles are symbols for the symbol, nothing more. I have been hard corps military with the Kingsmen, danced and pranced with the Blue Devils and freaked with the Renegades. I have seen all sides of this activity and believe that there is room for anything one can dream up out on the field. To suggest that a field performance contributes to someone's delinquency is ludicrous. I think I'll switch to contra next year! This is why we love Deb. That and she's a TOTAL M.I.L.F. Woo hooo!!!! :P Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Boo Posted August 23, 2007 Share Posted August 23, 2007 Dancing with a rifle in a chiffon dress makes no sense. Marching with a rifle in a military uniform makes perfect sense. Pick one or the other and run with it. You can't have it both ways. It's a case of drum corps wanting to be progressive and "arty" yet still be a "corps." The end product just becomes a bizarre mix that doesn't make sense. This is drum corps. It doesn't have to make sense in the overall world view. Repeat: This is drum corps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LisaLisaMoMeesa Posted August 23, 2007 Share Posted August 23, 2007 Who cares what people who have no interest in drum corps think? Herein lies a suicidal statement. One in which, if we embrace will ensure that drum corps stays a cute little niche activity whose member corps will always struggle financially. It is this sentence that gets "Fat man pulling a VW with his teeth" contests on ESPN but DCI struggles to get on Public Television 6 months after the fact at 4 am between Bob Ross and happy little trees and Rick Steves and his travels through Europe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MHSmirage Posted August 23, 2007 Share Posted August 23, 2007 This is drum corps. It doesn't have to make sense in the overall world view.Repeat: This is drum corps. ^OO^ Indeed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LoveKathyG Posted August 23, 2007 Share Posted August 23, 2007 Funny you should mention this... I brought some newbies to finals this year, and for the first time in years I saw DC through fresh eyes. I kind of anticipated that they might find the rifles odd..but the just accepted it pretty unquestioningly as one of the things that makes DC unique. I actually distinctly recall the first time I saw a drum corps show. I was 13, and as much as the rifles did seem kind of like a weird piece of equipment, I was transfixed. I just thought it was the coolest thing even, especially all the tricks that were done with them. I have no problem with nixing the rifles, since I'm sure designers would come up with something fun. But they don't bother me either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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