While on a trip in Washington D.C. last week visiting the Holocaust Memorial Museum, our class started talking about all of the disrespectful people we saw inside. A group of teen girls giggling amongst themselves and talking on cell phones. A person taking a flash picture of an exhibit, while standing next to the sign that said "Out of respect for the subject matter, please no flash photography." Two little boys laughing because there were naked bodies on the screen (even though they were being tossed into the crematoria). A couple walking quickly through the museum, not even stopping to glance at the exhibits. A person spitting their gum into the pile of prisoners' shoes? The list went on and on. After we all shared our stories, our professor asked if we would have been just as annoyed and offended if this had occured in, say, the Art Museum. And we all answered honestly, "No." If I had seen a person walking briskly through an art museum, without stopping to look at a Picasso, I wouldn't think twice about it. So what makes the Holocaust Museum so different? The fact that people died? The level of horror in which they were killed? The fact that it happened only 70 years ago?
I don't know. I would say death certainly plays a large role in this. But what sets it apart from, say, Ancient Rome? People were slaughtered every day in the Colosseum. And the expansion of the empire also caused massive casualties in the territories that were taken over. But do we hold the same reverance in a History museum? No.
Why? What do you think?
Another thing. In class I heard for the first time that the Germans did not persecute the Jews alone. They also killed Gypsies, the Handicapped, Homosexuals, Political enemies, and so forth. Call me naiive, but I had heard nothing through grade-school about this. Anyway, in the Holocaust museum, I saw virtually NO representation of these groups. There was a small exhibit about the mentally handicapped children. And I heard there was a short 1 minute video on all of the other groups smashed together, but I never saw it. I'm not saying the Jews don't deserve all of the reverance we can give them, and more, but to not even include the other groups offended me a bit.
Overall though, the museum was a good experience, well...as "good" as a visit to the Holocaust museum can be, and I'm glad I went.
The ponderings of a college student on Life, Love, and Faith.
1 comment:
What can I say, Americans are known for their level of disrespect. In my opinion, the actions of these who stood in the museum without care of who they offended, was just as bad if not worse than the Nazi's themselves.
I am horrified.
I would, however, like to hear more about your personal experience in the museum and what different areas of it made you feel, on a personal and historic level.
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