Not that I agree with extensive advertising in exhibits, but here are two
thoughts. Blair has a point. Would we be so critical if a ton on money was
laid on a museum by an artist, noted or otherwise?

And, regarding this comment, >        Do museums with exhibitions appealing
to children feel
>there's any particular responsibility to those young enough not to
>be able to distinguish advertising from other content?
>
>        Grace Seiberling


We should pause and ponder this: what kind of a society are we in the USA,
while probably justly criticizing museums and their responsibilities to
young children, but blithely ignore the fact that so many USA school systems
are now accepting advertising in the schools, especially for Coke and Pepsi,
so they have money to buy computers because the adults in the community
won't pass school tax levies to improve school budgets? (Not to get into an
extensive discussion over whether or not the schools are being properly
administered, etc.) Literally millions more students will be affected by the
advertising in the schools than in museums (not that I advocate museums
should "crassly" advertise their sponsors, which I suspect is a case by case
decision for each museum.) But which exactly is the bigger problem here?

By encouraging children and young people to consume tons of soft drinks,
which leech calcium from the bones of young girls just when they need to
build those bones for life, and to cause other muscular/skeletal problems
for boys as well, we are mortaging our children's future and laying the
ground work for a future health disaster in osteoporosis and other problems
that could be as devastating as smoking and lung cancer.

This is one of my pet peeves, in case one couldn't tell.

Nancy Powell

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