They were all too common back in the 1800's when live concert bands were more prevalent. John Philip Sousa killed or maimed dozens during his career with his baton. Of course, all of this was before the internet so no one hears about it now...

Well yeah. Conductors should not be walking around with spiked clubs. That's the take-away there.

I think he just goes to escape the mundane and flow into the music for a couple hours every day. I do the same thing too when I'm there, though I don't twirl or scream to the beat. But I get out there and dance by myself, not really caring what anyone thinks of it. I'm not there for them. I'm there for me.

I just tried several google searches to find ANYTHING about this, even something that debunks it.

I tried
John Philip Sousa violence
John Philip Sousa maim
John Philip Sousa kill
Did John Philip Sousa assault anyone
John Philip Sousa baton

And got NOTHING.

Surely if this was a big scandal in the 1800's, it'd be somewhere on the first page of search results by now.

Anybody who thinks there is zero chance of injury to somebody has never seen folks at the square suddenly jerk around at the sound of his blood curdling scream as he thrusts his arms out into the space around him with baton in hand.

For reference and context, this is what his baton looks like:

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/...AC_SL1001_.jpg

He doesn't thrust his arms out into the space around him with baton in hand, as you imagine it (and if you had actually seen it, you would know that). His scream isn't a blood curdling scream. It's sort of a Sam Kinison shriek, in 3 short sharp bursts 2-4 times during songs that he particularly enjoys. He moves around the square so no one is subjected to it the entire time he's there, and if you're on the other side of the square when he does it, you might not hear it at all.

When he "uses" his baton, he stands still near the stage. He faces the stage. And he pretends to conduct the band with just a few swipes of the baton immediately in front of him, just like a conductor would. He's not "aiming" it, he's not "thrusting" it - I mean have you ever actually been to a live performance of an orchestra? That's what he does. But only for a few phrases of any given song, and then he goes back to steady twirling/dancing around the square.

It's really not a big deal, except to people who want to find a reason to be annoyed.

Sorry, this was my attempt at satire?:oops:

:welcome: You're fairly new here..... you'll learn most don't recognize or understand sarcasm here. I thought it was funny as hell. :1rotfl::1rotfl::1rotfl:

Wow. I’ll wager I’ve witnessed him at the squares more than you have.

He often does what you describe. But he also mixes in exactly what I’ve described. The fact that it’s intermittent and unpredictable is the problem.

Usually it’s not a “big deal”. But if a person happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, it will become a bid deal for them.

And again, the screaming IS blood curdling. That alone turns his antics from harmless to very annoying and startling.

Acknowledging the possibility of a problem is common sense for most people, unless they go out of their way to ignore reality.

It's tough on a blog like this, anyone who knows me knows to never take me seriously no matter what I'm saying or how believable I'm saying it!

Right on.
 

Just because it hasn't happened yet doesn't mean it can't or won't. And the scream or shout is, apparently, very startling to many. And the picture of conductors baton looks like the one I used to have. Giant bamboo needle. Capable of causing injuries, but not normally thought of as a weapon, like a letter opener.

Don’t you love the posts that have never witnessed his actions at a square are the ones who want to inflict the most harm?

Don't apologize... It was blatantly obvious... AND funny!

It's certainly is odd...

Please tell me you're kidding...

he's enjoying himself doing his thing...might not be everyone's idea of a good time, but he's having fun

There's a possibility of a problem even without Mark (I found out today that's his name, not Neil). There are dozens of drunk old people in the square every night, with two tiki bars available for them so they don't even have to go into a building to get their drinks. I'd be more concerned about them than I am of Mark.

I've actually watched some guy try to pick a fight with a woman who had returned to her seat from dancing, to find the guy sitting in her chair. Her pocketbook was under the chair, her drink had been placed on the chair and he took it off and put it on the ground next to her pocketbook. She was with a party of three, and they all came back with only two chairs available and HER stuff under the chair the guy claimed for himself. And he tried giving her a hard time about it, saying it was a free country and she shouldn't have gotten up if she didn't want anyone sitting in HIS seat.

People like that are much more likely to cause trouble than Mark.

Try talking to him he’s a very nice guy.

Hmm?
 

To my knowledge, I'm the only one who has actually not witnessed his "dancing". I read the posts. I saw two sides. One side made him sound "potentially" a danger to himself or others. The other side ( possibly family, friends,) just folks more tolerant of what others see as unusual behavior.
I take exception to your comment that I, or anyone, "are the ones who [B]want to inflict the most harm[B]. If you read that a shooter was at some village and knew others were going there, wouldn't you want to warn them of what you deem potentially harmful?
No one here is trying to inflict harm. We only want to warn others to be vigilant in that area since, as the news might say, we have reports of an individual acting in an erratic and possibly hazardous manner. That's all. No one wishes him harm, and no one wishes harm to anyone else.

He may be having fun but I find his antics creepy as all hell. Hubby and I stay clear of him. Something if off kilter with him, IMHO. No normal, self respecting individual acts that way in public. Again.....my opinion.

Yes, his name is Mark. He has AS, highly functional. Spoke with him a number of times. I agree that sometimes his screams catch me off guard. As for the baton, yup, weapon of mass destruction for sure.

Asperger syndrome (AS), also known as Asperger's, is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by significant difficulties in social interaction and nonverbal communication, along with restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior and interests.

Thank you for your post. Maybe some can understand that Mark has a Disability, that he try’s to enjoy his life the best he can.

But then again some think of you are not the norm, you should not be in public, as some have stated. If Mark scares you, it’s a big square, you have your space he should have his.

Hoping posters will take a little more patience, after all, a Disability may be in your future. Hopefully someone will be kind to you.

Thank you for a thoughtful post. I 100% agree with you.

Thank you for the information about Mark. I just knew there was a dysfunction with him.

Thank you. This is all I wanted to know in my original question.:ohdear::ohdear:

Thank you.
 

Thank you for your post. If your post had been at the beginning it would have ended a lot of curiosity and confusion.

Disabled or not, he can control his screaming and the wild swinging of his arms. He did so while talking to the police.

Just because he may be disabled does not mean he can behave wildly. Had he knocked my wife over that night, believe me, I would not view him as a victim.

He has not knocked anyone over. Just give him space.

I've almost been knocked over by children running around. Would you have treated them the same if they had bumped into your wife?

Me? I laughed it off... I was more concerned about not hurting them...

He is not doing any "wild swinging." It just isn't happening. It's controlled and intentional, and not swinging at all. Tell your wife to pay closer attention to her surroundings next time and she won't have to worry about being knocked over?

Mark pays VERY close attention to his surroundings, that's why he hasn't ever knocked anyone over.

I thought his name was Neil and learned it was Mark yesterday, as I posted. You know how? Here's how: I was coming out from behind one parking lot after picking up a take-out order, and heading to the other parking lot where I could cut through to the golf cart bridge. I saw him turning on his way to the square and immediately recognized him. I called out "Is your name Neil?" He said "What's your name?" I told him. He said "My name is Mark." He repeated my name, with an exaggerated Spanish accent, and then asked me in perfect Spanish if my name was Spanish, and if I spoke Spanish. I told him no, but I do speak "Spanglish" (which is a mix of English and Spanish, somewhat like Yiddish is a mix of Hebrew, German, and a few Slavic dialects).

He asked which way I was going. I told him, and he came over and said he'd enjoy getting a ride just down the block. I obliged, and he hopped into my golf cart. He told me how brave I was for allowing him into the cart. I told him no - I'm not brave, I recognized him, I knew he was "just another person" and nothing I needed to be brave about, and it was not a big deal to let him occupy an empty seat in my golf cart for a half-block of travel in the direction I was heading anyway.

He thanked me, I stopped the cart, and let him out where I was going to turn. And - it made ME feel awesome to have had the privilege of the moment when I could do a momentary kindness for someone else - with no expectation of reward.

It's called being a civilized human being. Some of you should try it some time.

Behavior is unacceptable regardless. Inform local security

He is not harming anyone. The unacceptable behavior is the Grandchildren running and bumping into the dancers. They are out of control.

He just ain't right. His physical and vocal actions constitute a public nuisance. It also ain't right that he is allowed to destroy the peaceful enjoyment of so many others. Why should his startlingly obnoxious behavior be allowed to take precedence over the needs of others?

Maybe my earlier post was missed. He was on the sidewalk in Spanish Springs on the perimeter of the square in a congested space. He went from no movement to a fast spin with his long arms fully outstretched. He nearly struck my wife who was walking beside me, holding my hand, and looking sideways at the band. That is nothing like grandchildren running around (poor parenting if they are banging into people).

This is not acceptable inside a crowd.

He has control over himself and he chooses to act out for attention.
He cannot use a supposed mental condition as an excuse to act this way or scream in public.

Just another Stranger in a Strange Land. Well said!

give him a break. If he knocked into me I would get over it. If my husband assaulted him I would be furious at my husband. My husband knows better then to assault people.

If he spun and hit you in the mouth or dropped you to the ground, I very much doubt you'd just get over it.

Your husband knows not to assault people? So does the man wildly swinging his arms into crowds.

Try and keep up here. I'll type it one word per line for ya:

He
does
not
wildly
swing
his
arms
and
he
has
not
hit
anyone
in
the
mouth
or
dropped
anyone
to
the
ground.


It's a nothingberder. As for people whining about disturbing the peace: he does this while the band is playing. You're talking about a nightly event where crowds of people block out entire portions of the dance area with their group line dancing, paying no never-mind to anyone who might want to be trying to find a space where they can dance as well. You're talking about high-decibel sound coming from electric instruments and amplified voices through big speakers. You're talking about a bunch of drunken old people "stealing" each others' chairs the second the occupant gets up to dance. What "peace" are you even talking about?

Maybe you’d like to prove that assertion by having someone poke you in the eye with one?

I didn’t think so.