I don't know why I am doing this, but here goes.
Dressing up? Really? First of all lets ignore the obvious comparison to the 7s, and the fact that it is premedicated wackiness - this absolutely reeks of a desperate attempt to get people along to games. It does nothing to the team or the atmosphere, and will more likely take attention away from what is actually happening on the pitch. In fact, if we are going to do this we should speak to the stadium about going the whole hog and putting music on every time there is a stoppage in play so we can have a sing and a dance. Maybe when can get a bouncy castle by Aisle 23 so we can all go and play on that when we lose interest in the game.
One game a season organise some dress up "fun" if you are that way inclined as it is a side note and not the main event. Do it every week and it becomes the Yellow Fever Dress-Up Crazy Gang who happen to plan their whacky fun times around some football that happens to be on at the stadium.
All we're talking about is quietly putting the word out on the forum that one week is a themed dress up week. It's a laugh, to promote having a bit of fun. Remember fun from your youth?
Incidentally, it's your 2007 decree that song books are "uncool" that means that none of the newcomers to the Zone have any chance at all to learn how to join in. I'm not a big fan of orchestrated chanting like the RBB, but now that almost all the Day 1 Crew are gone that decree is having a real impact.
Lighten up.
And I don't think anyone has a problem with a one off dress up game - in fact, the last paragragh of what you quoted above states that I certainly don't. If that is what the simpletons want to do, let them go nuts. My arguement was against dressing up every week which had been mentioned and I happen to think is a terrible idea.
I covered how new members to the zone can join in without the need for songbooks - very simple and constant chants. If a newcomer cannot pick up the lyrics to "who are ya" then they are probably only there for the dressing up anyway. I look around the zone on the couple of occassions I have been back and I see plently of the day 1 crew still there, not that it is in any way relevant or important. You look at the Ticketek thread to see the number of foundation members who are still renewing tickets. But your earlier comments about people who used to start chants not being there anymore just means that someone else has to do it, and having songbooks is not going to encourage people to start chants.
While I am off on one that no one really cares about, we have to get over this "the chants are stale and boring". We mainly look to England for inspiration for our chanting, as that is the background for most of us, and that is what we see the most of on TV. For all the games that I have been to there, most sets of fans will really only have 5 or 6 chants that they actually do, and anything that is introduced is generally to a well worn tune (Sloop John B, anyone?). Chants that are popular are still sung every game years after the player has left, just because it is a fun chant (West Ham fans still sing about Ludo, not because he was an amazing keeper in the 90's - he was though - but because his song is fun). We don't need 1,000 imaginitive and clever songs - we need a decent number that everyone knows and everyone will join in with. Quality over quantity.
Disconcertingly, I am in complete agreement.