The Dark Shadow Shrine

embrace the darkness; that you may see the light nestled within it......

Tuesday, January 31, 2017

Project shames selfie-takers at Holocaust memorial

Click HERE
Think back on the concept of dark tourism, where tourists visit places like Fukushima nuclear site, concentration camps in Auschitwz, the killing fields in Cambodia.....One of the purposes of dark tourism is the education potential, where the confrontation with site of horror will jolt one into reflection and hopefully walk away with some insights, esp pertaining to the mistakes made by our forefathers....
But in the situation depicted in this article, this educational objective is not fulfilled, as the sacred memorial was treated with disrespect by the tourists; and obviously, they were too intent on taking selfies that the educational purpose became secondary or even oblivious to them....
"a stinging example of how record numbers of global tourists - particularly the young - have stripped revered sites of their gravitas."

Note also this:
'an instant example of the power of the Internet to generate shame.'
Compare with our local STOMP, that regularly shames people by uploading clips of their offending behaviour...Think social media's ability to influence and correct/educate public behaviour...