On Thu, 14 Sep 1995 10:10:23 EST,
[log in to unmask]  <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

>Eric Siegel says, in the context of museums and theme parks, "Really,
>museums are quite distinct from theme parks. For one thing theme parks tell
>sanitized lies."    I think he is being very much too harsh and is perhaps
>guilty of precisely what he is accusing theme parks for doing.  Theme parks
>do tend to overgeneralize and simplify but that is not the same as a
>malicious effort to misrepresent.  Some theme parks do consciously
>misrepresent, as some museums do as well, but to grossly generalize as Eric
>has done is simply not being constructive.

Kevin, It may not be constructive but I'm not sure it's wrong.  Whether or
not the intent of the sanitization, overgeneralization, or simplification is
malicious, the effect is a gross distortion of the truth, to the extent that
we ever know the truth, and I would accept that as a literal definition of a
lie.  In the cosmic scheme of things, whether one means to do harm or
simply does harm inadvertantly as the byproduct of doing something else
probably matters, but in the here and now the effect is the same.  Ken

Ken Yellis
Assistant Director for Public Programs
Peabody Museum of Natural History
170 Whitney Avenue
Box 208118
New Haven, CT 06520-8118
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(203) 432-9891/9816(fax)