Colonial House is Playing on PBS about now.

For Those Not All that Familiar, -It's an Early 1600's Re-Enactment of English Settlement in the New World. (1628 to be Exact).

People are Really Tuffing it Out, as They Authentically've Done Back Then. At Least that's Suspossed to be the Idea. They Keep to It at Least to a Large Degree. It Takes Place Up in Passamaquoddy Country, -Maine.

Once Again, -It's Showing on PBS About Now.

[color:"black"] [/color] [email]ScottRezaLogan[/email]

I don't mean to pour scorn on the re-enactment as I have never seen the program your talking about.
However, I have seen similar programs and have come to the conclusion modern day western man is just too soft to cope with the kind of conditions our forefathers had to endure.
There was a series on the BBC a while back, where a group of average working class men had to live the life of a Roman Centurion for a few weeks, supplied only with the clothing and equipment an average "private" would have had back then.
They didn't last the course.
The Romans wore nothing but sandels on thier feet - whatever the weather. Our boys feet didn't last 2 days before serious foot rot set in. They had to revert to modern footware.
It wasn't unusual for Centurions to march 20 miles a day, and then spend a further couple of hours building fortifications for their new camp - all on Roman rations.....
Sleeping bags had to be supplied to our boys within a week before they all died of hypothermia.
We couldn't even handle the basics. The problems the Romans must have experienced with parasites, disease, and battle wounds wasn't/couldn't be considered in the reconstruction.
Iife was hard then, the people were tough - a lot tougher than we are now.
I somehow doubt your modern day colonalists are really toughing it.
It should be noted the Romans never managed to conquer Scotland <img src="images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

joblot:

You are totally right!

Saw a part of it and already they were whining.

Another one is about a bunch of guys and a women rowing a "york" boat somewhere. They were breaking all kinds of rules, but they were working harder than the "Colonial House" bunch.

They are going to introduce Oprah as one of the participants soon. You gotta be in a different universe if you think she will be able to handle the work involved.

Bountyhunter

From the Substantial Portions of Colonial House that I've been Watching so far, -They're Doing a Whole Lot Better than your Centurions! But I Think I've Seen an Occassional Some of what you Mention.

It Seems the Romans were just Carrying their Meditteranean Ways up into the Cold Lands of the North! (The Sandals you Mention). Just Out of Force and Inertia, of their Customs and Habits. People Sometimes Unwisely just Don't Adapt to New and Different Conditions!

Within the Last Several Years, -I've also Seen Parts of Another Such Show. I've Read Posts about it on our Forums. It's the One which Involves that Karen Women (Raines?, Perhaps?).

Where Another Family has to Get their Horse or Cow Off their Grounds, -The Girls Have an Utterly Miserable Time Milking Out in the Weather, -Karen, I Think Remarks that if those Others would First Only Use so Much of a Bottle of Liquid, to then Dilute and Stretch the Rest Out with Water!, -They Could then Make it Last Much Farther! That Show! It's been Talked About here.

I Agree Much with What you've said there! Concerning at Least Some to Many of these Re-Enactment Shows / Experiments. And of at Least More Soft Modern Man in General!

It Seems however to be Substantially Less So with Colonial House, than with your "New Centurions"! [color:"black"] [/color] [email]joblot[/email]

In Addition to Ways Every Here and There, -Where they Weren't Being Faithful to 1628, and What They Really Had to Do!, -They Certainly were Whining a Fairly Good Amount! [color:"black"] [/color] [email]bountyhunter[/email]

i remember catching an episode of it on channel 13 (pbs in nyc) awhile ago.

i gotta admit i liked the idea, on a survival testing level.

but of course it was softened up because as everyone here has said, modern people couldnt survive that enviornment because we arent made as tough as we were.

i do recall a show in scotland,new zealand or maybe even sweden (not sure its been awhile), where the people were basically given basic essentials and HAD to build shelter, find food and survive.
it was alot more hardcore then our shows, i beleive the cast signed waivers incase of death on the show.

now that mgiht be more fun to watch, only because of the potential realism involved.


my idea would be based on the survivor concept, a group of people left on an island or some remote piece of earth.

each person is allowed a survival kit of their own making, up to a certain size/ weight limit and left to their own devices.

the rules are simple, you cannot harm, or intentionally kill the other cast members. but you CAN set harmless traps and loot their posessions if possible hehe.

i think that kind of isolation and constant defensiveness would be harder on them mentally and would definitly be more interesting to watch to see whos psychology tactics work best.

>>It should be noted the Romans never managed to conquer Scotland

Why would they want to? <img src="images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

aardwolfe (born in Glasgow, and still trying to live it down <img src="images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> )