Photo: Piotr Müller
How do people from other countries view Americans? While it varies from person to person, one group is giving us a good idea of American vibes. A group in Poland called 4th of July LARP (LARP is short for live-action role-playing) dresses as Americans and acts out various scenarios that they imagine happening in the U.S. during the summer holiday.
The experiences of Americans are vast, but 4th of July LARP has an overarching theme that informs how they dress and behave. “LARP 4th of July is a drama about the wasted American dream,” the group writes on Facebook. “It is a story about hope, about a small homeland, about finding one’s place in the community.”
Expanding on the idea, they speak to wealth inequality as a driving force behind their costuming and acting. “More than 200 years later, many Americans are living under different conditions than the nation’s founding fathers imagined. Barely making ends meet, they strive to be family members and worthy Americans, despite poverty and exclusion. Though they live on the margins of society, their home—a small town cluttered with caravans and windswept cabins—is for them the essence of ‘the land of the free and the home of the brave.’”
The Polish folks cosplaying as Americans don the patriotic trappings of being in the U.S. They wear American flag shirts and hats while decorating their homes with flags. (It is the 4th of July, after all!) Even if there aren’t flags visible, the color palette of red, white, and blue is consistent throughout the images. But, that’s not all. The LARPers are dressed in tank tops and plenty of plaids all while kicking back with some Kentucky Fried Chicken and cold beverages.
According to comments made on the group’s Facebook page, Americans think that 4th of July LARP more or less has it right. “You’re getting there with the flags.” One person wrote. “Only another couple thousand,” they say, ending their comment with a couple of laughing emojis.
A group in Poland called 4th of July LARP (LARP is short for live-action role-playing) dresses as Americans and acts out various scenarios that they imagine happening in the U.S. during the holiday.
Photo: Piotr Müller
Photo: Klaudia Zdanowska
Photo: Piotr Müller
Photo: Piotr Müller
The experiences of Americans are vast, but 4th of July LARP has an overarching theme that informs how they dress and behave.
Photo: Maciej Margielski
Photo: Klaudia Toruń
Photo: Maciej Margielski
Photo: Maciej Margielski
“LARP 4th of July is a drama about the wasted American dream,” the group writes on Facebook. “It is a story about hope, about a small homeland, about finding one’s place in the community.”
Photo: Maciej Margielski
Photo: Maciej Margielski
Photo: Piotr Müller
Photo: Piotr Müller
Photo: Piotr Müller
The Polish folks cosplaying as Americans don the patriotic trappings of being in the US with hats, t-shirts, and plenty of flags.
Photo: Klaudia Toruń
Photo: Piotr Müller
So, what do Americans think of 4th of July LARP? Many think that the group is spot on with their dress and set design.
Photo: Maciej Margielski
Photo: Klaudia Toruń
Photo: Piotr Müller