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I reenact French and Indian War 1754 to 1763, and the Rev War, So can someone tell me what a FARB stands for?

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Sgt_Rock_EasyCo

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Farb is a derogatory term used in the hobby of historical reenacting in reference to participants who exhibit indifference to historical authenticity, either from a material-cultural standpoint or in action. It can also refer to the inauthentic materials used by those reenactors.

 

Also called "polyester soldiers,"[1] farbs are reenactors who spend relatively little of their time or money maintaining authenticity with regard to uniforms, accessories, or even period behavior. The 'Good Enough' attitude is pervasive among farbs, although even casual observers may be able to point out flaws

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willysmb44

"Farbe" is the German word for color, but I truly doubt that had anything to do with it.

People will debate this word's origins forever as I've heard more than one plausible origin. Just like "Kilroy was here," they tried to find where that started and found several people who claimed it and decided on one. That in intself doesn't ensure it was the right one...

 

And now for some shameless self-promotion :rolleyes: :

FarbCover.jpg

Seriously, I do really have these! PM me if interested...

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Thanks for the info, reenacting for over 10 years, just never herd that one.

 

P.S. I know a few FARBs, you can tell them till your blue in the face, but they just don't care.

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Thanks for the info, reenacting for over 10 years, just never herd that one.

 

P.S. I know a few FARBs, you can tell them till your blue in the face, but they just don't care.

 

Fallacious

Accoutrements and

REprehensible

Baggage

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Dirteater101

Wow

 

 

As someone who started off as sight staff at a war of 1812 sight, I thought the term "farb" for the longest time was synonymous with the buckskinner "era".

 

You know or seen the type. Cannot decide what particular impression from 1720 to 1840 so borrows a little from each era....French jouscoat,buckle shoes, Buckskin breeches, top hat, percussion hawken. Claims he is french and indian war era, or rev war, or 1812, whatever event he is at that weekend....

 

They, my blackpowder friend are .........farbs

 

Like the guys wearing blue jeans and a cotton poly dress shirt with their civil war uniform......

 

 

I shudder to think of them.......

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I began reenacting during the American Bicentennial and have worked at living history sites such as Historic Fort Wayne and Fort Meigs.

 

Farb or Farbey as mentioned before are derogutary terms for inaccurate impressions. It was our understanding that it can from the phrase "Far be it for me to tell you that you are wrong, but........." It may have originated with the Civil War reenactors of the 1960s who ran the gamut of wearing everything from original uniforms to wearing flannel shirts and blue jeans with yellow duct tape running down the leg (symbolizing cavalry).

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I began reenacting during the American Bicentennial and have worked at living history sites such as Historic Fort Wayne and Fort Meigs.

 

Farb or Farbey as mentioned before are derogutary terms for inaccurate impressions. It was our understanding that it can from the phrase "Far be it for me to tell you that you are wrong, but........." It may have originated with the Civil War reenactors of the 1960s who ran the gamut of wearing everything from original uniforms to wearing flannel shirts and blue jeans with yellow duct tape running down the leg (symbolizing cavalry).

 

From:

http://wesclark.com/jw/forigin.html

 

"My Internet pard Floyd D.P. Oydegaard has in his possession a letter dated 1 April 1863 from A.R. Crawford in the 76th Illinois Infantry, Co D (here's only a portion):

 

Six children from the local village appeared wearing fallacious accoutrements & reprehensible baggage and thought they would put a sham battle on for our amusement. We laughed so hard at their imitation of soldiers that our sides were hurting for hours. Talk about poorly drilled fresh fish. These boys were made honorary officers starting with general down to private. They each got a penny or more tossed at them and ran off, no doubt, to delight others.

Floyd - tongue firmly in cheek - points out that the underlined phrase is unmistakably the oldest reference to the word "farb.""

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Though my vote would go to Caesar........Et Farba tu Bruti!........sorry wrong thread,this is the non-humourous one,nes pas?

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From:

http://wesclark.com/jw/forigin.html

 

"My Internet pard Floyd D.P. Oydegaard has in his possession a letter dated 1 April 1863 from A.R. Crawford in the 76th Illinois Infantry, Co D (here's only a portion):

 

Six children from the local village appeared wearing fallacious accoutrements & reprehensible baggage and thought they would put a sham battle on for our amusement. We laughed so hard at their imitation of soldiers that our sides were hurting for hours. Talk about poorly drilled fresh fish. These boys were made honorary officers starting with general down to private. They each got a penny or more tossed at them and ran off, no doubt, to delight others.

Floyd - tongue firmly in cheek - points out that the underlined phrase is unmistakably the oldest reference to the word "farb.""

 

Brilliant! I hadn't heard that before, thank you for posting it!

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  • 2 weeks later...

@Admin., I'm having some second thoughts here, I shouldn't have posted this Thread at all. :emba0005: The use and abuse of the American uniform, even one jerk with a MOH ribbon on his chest! :mad:

I didn't mean any harm, just thought it'd be good for a couple laughs, in some cases it is. Please do me and everybody else here a favor and delete it.

Once again, please accept my apologies.

D.A.T.

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Sgt_Rock_EasyCo

 

 

Good link.

 

Don't be so serious. They're just having fun. It's just (insert definition here). They're not real soldiers and it's not the real military. Join the real military if you want realism. Seriously, because there's any leeway then who's to say what a minimum standard is?

 

History, Veterans, and military manuals are your guide to how to dress, how to behave, and how to fight. If you don't follow history because "it's to serious" then you end up with interpretations that are all over the spectrum.

 

Rock

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Good link.

 

Don't be so serious. They're just having fun. It's just (insert definition here). They're not real soldiers and it's not the real military. Join the real military if you want realism. Seriously, because there's any leeway then who's to say what a minimum standard is?

 

History, Veterans, and military manuals are your guide to how to dress, how to behave, and how to fight. If you don't follow history because "it's to serious" then you end up with interpretations that are all over the spectrum.

 

Rock

 

Hey Rock, thanks for the kind words. I also think they are NOT making fun of the American soldier, or the Americans, I guess it's just the way they see it, but you have to admit, there is some bad taste in there! As I have stated before, I'm not a Reenactor or Living Historian, (Living History maybe? :lol: ) just too darn old, I like to put on the old US ww-2 woolies, and kind of stand around in the background, I think that just about all the Events I've been to over here, I'm the only American around for miles, yup, it's kinda different. ;)

Maybe this picture is a good comparison.

kidsy.jpg

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greensquid68-69

I reenact French and Indian War 1754 to 1763, and the Rev War, So can someone tell me what a FARB stands for?

 

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Hello - I didn't read all the answers to your question here - but I was once told FARB came from an old english term that was " Far Be it for me to say anything, but..." In other words 'far be it' for me to say your not dressed correctly...but YOU ARE!

 

Then that was trimmed down to Far Be to Farb

 

Just thought I'd throw in my two bits!

 

Doc

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greensquid68-69
I reenact French and Indian War 1754 to 1763, and the Rev War, So can someone tell me what a FARB stands for?

 

---------

 

Hello - I didn't read all the answers to your question here - but I was once told FARB came from an old english term that was " Far Be it for me to say anything, but..." In other words 'far be it' for me to say your not dressed correctly...but YOU ARE!

 

Then that was trimmed down to Far Be to Farb

 

Just thought I'd throw in my two bits!

 

Doc

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Anyone else get the feeling that Rock might give himself an aneurism if he don't ease up?

The first time I heard the term Farby was after a couple of years of hearing the tirade against them prefaced with Far be it for me..........!And then at the 180th anniversery of Fallen Timbers one of the 1st continental uttered it to a militia man, "You are soooo Farby!".That was where I first heard it.

post-4746-1248104819.jpg

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Sgt_Rock_EasyCo
Anyone else get the feeling that Rock might give himself an aneurism if he don't ease up?

The first time I heard the term Farby was after a couple of years of hearing the tirade against them prefaced with Far be it for me..........!And then at the 180th anniversery of Fallen Timbers one of the 1st continental uttered it to a militia man, "You are soooo Farby!".That was where I first heard it.

 

I'm a Paratrooper. I don't ease up until I've won. ;)

 

Rock

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Darktrooper
I'm a Paratrooper. I don't ease up until I've won. ;)

 

Rock

 

Or get carried away by the MP's.

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See, NOW people ask.

 

Back in the 1970's I was the only one asking. I mean I actually went around talking to people asking where it came from.

 

I've said it before, but when I went looking for where the heck it came from and eventually (moving through different time perioss) I got pointed to a very old time ACW reenactor. He said it was from the German and a quiet reference to something being the wrong color- such a bright blue cooler sticking out from under a blanket or something and hence incorrect or an anacronism(generally a modern item in a period setting).

 

It was a word they could use quietly to one another to convey "look at that stupid out of place item" and no one would understand they were being called a derogatory word. Now everyone knows it and Farb's a "fighting word!"

 

Now People keep making up reasons by working backwards from the word, which to me makes no sense. But I have not heard of anyone actually trying to find the origin of the word before me. I never heard the the "Far Be" definition unil probably early/mid 80's years later.

 

Am I right? who knows. We probably never will. It dates at least from the great 100th anniversary ACW reenactments. To my mind the "Far Be it" explanation seems too contrived, and "overly clever" People tend not to think these things through too detailed.

 

But what does matter is that it one of the great words of our time- farb, farby, farbosity, farbulous, farbalicious, et al.

 

But it has taken on a new meaning since I first used it. It used ot be a simple commentary that something was not correct. Now it is closer to the meaning of "A**hole" in reenactment circles. It has jumped from meaning an item or impression, to a derogatory term for the individual themselves.

 

Which in a way is kind of sad.

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Dirteater101
I'm a Paratrooper. I don't ease up until I've won. ;)

 

Rock

 

 

Or get carried off on a stretcher, hooked up to many I.v.'s.... :blink:

 

 

I see farby people, the bad things is they don't know their farbs......

 

Isn't this always how it seems to work? And the true A##holes take grave offense to any constructive criticism!

 

So many black boots, so little time.........

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