Since in
class today we touched on the topic of Old South and the implications of
reenacting sensitive history subject matter, I figured these articles about a
private Christmas dinner party would be relevant. Gasthof Zur Gemutlichkeit, a German
restaurant in Minneapolis, was recently blasted by media and commentators because
it hosted a WWII themed dinner party in which the guests wore Italian,
American, and SS soldiers’ uniforms as well as hung Nazi flags and gave staff
t-shirts featuring swastikas. Photos
leaked by staff members alerted the community to the controversial affair.
Jewish
community members expressed their dissatisfaction with the restaurants choice:
“Glorification and/or celebration of Nazi Germany and its military would appear
to be incongruous with the nature of a family restaurant and its surrounding
neighborhood,” said Steve Hunegs – Executive Director of the Jewish Community
Relations Council of Minnesota and the Dakotas.
Other organizations stated that they would help the restaurant find more
appropriate ways to honor Minnesota veterans.
Scott Steben,
member of the private party, assured, “By no means do we glorify the edicts of
the Third Reich…I understand the sensitivity of the subject matter and
everything but it did occur and it is history.”
Steben also assured the Star
Tribune that all members of the party were history buffs who had been
screened with extensive background checks to assure that they are not
affiliated with neo-Nazis or ‘political racists.’ The group, WWII Historical Re-enactment
Society Inc., maintains that they do not support, nor glorify the ideologies
expressed by Hitler and his followers, but they wish to educate about a period
of history.
The owner
of Gasthof Zur Gemutlichkeit, Mario Pierzchalski, defends his choice in
allowing the Re-enactment Society to rent his restaurant. From his point of view, if the members did
nothing against the law, it was not his place, or anyone else’s, to step in and
punish them. The article appeared on my
newsfeed with the caption “I will never eat there again!” The owner did not believe that the group had
any ill intentions either. This calls to
mind what Professor McKinney said in class: if there’s a restaurant called the
“Kozy Korner Kitchen,” what is the community responsibility/reaction towards
said restaurant? What is our duty similarly towards Old South?
links:
The comments on the City Pages blog are very interesting to
read as well.
I found our discussion about KA's Old South tradition to be really interesting too, especially because it is something that happens right here at Rhodes. On one hand, those who participate in Old South might argue that they are not celebrating or supporting the behavior, choices, and mindsets of the Confederate soldiers from the Civil War era, but are simply recognizing the history and tradition that did happen in this country. On the other hand, by dressing up and having a party surrounding the theme of the Confederate soldiers, isn't that undeniably a celebration of those specific people in history? While I am certainly not one to encourage blocking out certain parts of history because they are painful, as even the painful parts of history offer us lessons to learn from and an insight to what life was like in the past, I do think it is rather insensitive to have events such as the one Leah discusses above, or even the KA Old South party, as innocent as they seem in context as a fraternity formal. I don't necessarily advocate that the members who participate in these functions mean harm by it, but I do find it to be rather mindless, considering the deeper meaning and ugly history that ultimately inspire events such as these.
ReplyDeleteI am saddened to say that I am not surprised by this article. I agree with Kendra that for the most part, members who participate in these functions mean no harm by it. However, is not realizing that they are harming others, an adequate excuse? We would not find this an adequate excuse for physical violence, so why should it be acceptable in this situation? It is also our responsibility as a community to voice our concerns and opinions in order for events such as this to not take place in the future. We seem to be doing a good job of this on a larger level, but when it comes to places such as college campuses, we seem to be dropping the ball.
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