Freaks ! Let's go to the circus !

A freak show is an exhibition of biological rarities, referred to as "freaks of nature". Typical features would be physically unusual humans, such as those uncommonly large or small, those with both male and female secondary sexual characteristics, people with other extraordinary diseases and conditions, and performances that are expected to be shocking to the viewers. Heavily tattooed or pierced people have sometimes been seen in freak shows, as have attention-getting physical performers such as fire-eating and sword-swallowing acts.

In 1851 the development of the "set-plate" technique enabled photographers to make many prints from one exposure. Human oddities would have carefully posed photos taken and often order thousands of reproductions. They would sometimes write about themselves on the back of the card bragging about their physical attributes or talents. These "carte de visites" were widely collected by Americans and made quite a bit of money for the "freaks" and the owners of freak shows.

Freaks were often perceived as apprehensive, docile and unhappy with their lot in life. In many cases during the Victorian era, nothing could be further from the truth. Many defended themselves against their managers, talking back and demanding raises. As early as 1851, it had become popular to sell trading cards of popular freaks throughout England and the US. Profits from these images went straight into the pockets of the performers themselves, as opposed to the showmen. 

Isaac W. Sprague, the American Human Skeleton, had one of the most successful trading cards. At 5’6”, Sprague weighed only 43 pounds. As he toured with Barnum in the 1860s, he made a good sum of money off of the sale returns from the card. Some of the more willing performers, like Sprague, even penned their own biographies to be published in freak show pamphlets.

http://www.disabilityhistory.org/

The Anti-Santa: Krampus! the evil beast.

Forget about the Elf on the Shelf !!! instead of having a gossipy elf at home, you should get Krampus! 

Your children don’t listen to you during the Christmas holidays and the elf story is not working anymore? Then tell them the story of the European demon and I assure you that you will have good children ( until Christmas day at least ).

Krampus, a half-goat, half-demon and beast who literally beats and scare  kids into being nice on Christmas.

: Bearing horns, dark hair, and fangs, the anti-St. Nicholas comes with a chain and bells that he lashes and sticks meant to hit naughty children; then the bad kids go down with him to the underworld.

His name derived from the German word krampen ( claw ), is said to be the son of Hel in Norse mythology. The legend is part of a centuries-old Christmas tradition in Germany, where Christmas celebrations begin in early December.

Krampus was created to be the counterpart St. Nicholas, who rewarded children with sweets for their good behavior. In contrast, Krampus would crush "wicked" “bad” “naughty” children and take them away to his lair.

The night before December 6 ( Krampus Night ) Krampus shows up in towns, sometimes with Santa and sometimes alone and he makes sure that every naughty boy or girl gets a rod of wood or metal inside the shoe or boot they'd left out the night before outside their door. Santa will make sure that the good kids get a special present on their shoes.

In modern times, countries like Austria, Germany, Hungary, Slovenia, and the Czech Republic gave a new spin on the tradition which now involves men dressed as devils, who take over the streets for a Krampus Run where people are chased through the streets by the "devils." Drunk, grown men dressed as the beast? Yep, sounds equally scary as meeting Krampus.

Krampuslauf:❝ A Krampuslauf is a run of celebrants dressed as the beast, often fueled by alcohol. It is customary to offer a Krampus schnapps, a strong distilled fruit brandy.[1] These runs may include perchten, similarly wild pagan spirits of Germanic folklore and sometimes female in representation, although the perchten are properly associated with the period between winter solstice and 6 January.❞  (Wikipedia)

The demon’s masks, look like rams faces and ram's horns, which are made with effort. After many years of tradition and also depending on the district where the demons go, the masks sometimes have different sizes and materials. Each Krampus has a thick skin (mainly sheep) and the bells worn on their backs are made of steel. Roles or clamps, the bells are called, can be heard from a distance and this means that the Krampus is near. This unique sound, along with loud roars (Screaming Demon) is in these two days in the Gastein area (Austria) what gives this place a strange and mystical atmosphere.

Countries like Austria are attempting to commercialize the harsh persona of Krampus by selling chocolates, figurines, and collectible horns. So there are already complaints that Krampus is becoming too commercialized. Oh well, as long as there is money in this world, everything will be commercialized at one point to the other.

When it seems you're the only normal person in the world

Have you ever lived in a place where 90% (minimum) of people are gossipers and liars?Well I do, actually poeple here call its a city but the people here live in a large village which has a very unique population.

Since I can remember, people always said one thing and did the opposite. Someone smiled at someone and then this person stucked a dagger in her/his back. I wondered, what caused this reaction in my friends but then you realize that that's what they learn at home, I did not have to wonder again. Over time I changed friends and met better people, but to this day whenever I meet people they are always lying, they can never tell the truth!. For example, 1: if you call someone to do something, they say they cant - her/his grandmother is ill-. But hours later you will find them elsewhere. 2: There are people who go out with you but you were use as an excuse to be with someone else 3: There are friends or acquaintances who always hide the real reasons why they do something, or hide facts of their lives from you when they dont have to, as always, you get to find out by many other people ... or at the end they tell you themselves!

I think they have no reason to lie, why no one cant tell the truth? or is it that when they tell the truth in this place it has bad consequences? Why do people so afraid to be honest? And I'm not the only one who has gone through the same things.

I wonder what's the point? I always told the truth and never hide anything, I dont use people with ulterior motives and above all, I do not take trick my friends to take advantage of something or even get to trick my friends to get extra $ $ $ than it should. "I will lower the price!" - (if I'm selling something )

Here, many may call me dumb, because for these people, the more you step on someone and the more you fool others you'll get some kind of profit, is the right and smarter thing to do. I do not want to include all people here in this post, but ... that these things happen a lot here,is "normal" The same citizens here feel the same.

Ever lived in a place like this?