Eric Siegel, if you'll look after your punctuation, I'll be more careful to
pay my sin tax.  (Seriously, I think you'll find some examples of
misspellings and barely literate punctuation from the last few days' worth of
Museum-L messages that are more egregious than my awkward syntax.)

Yes, I do think it really is human nature to take "free" things for granted,
but I agree that much human "nature" is learned and is not intrinsic.  I
think it's important to maintain museums as bulwarks against creeping crass
commercialism.  I don't argue that an admission fee will make a museum
visitor value the experience more, but it's healthy to face economic
realities occasionally.  (Don't worry if I seem to contradict myself; life is
full of contradictions.)

My example of the fascination of museum visitors with museum shops merely
serves to underline the fact that shopping and spending money is the prime
recreational (and educational) activity for many people.  Museum shops are
important adjuncts to the museum experience if they encourage the visitor to
purchase something that enhances that experience, but it's pretty tricky to
avoid lapses of taste and aim that compete with the avowed educational
objectives of museum exhibitions and activities.  (Sorry for my rambling; I
suddenly realize that I'm not likely to pull a coherent thought out of this
stream of consciousness.)

That being said, however, I guess my main point is some healthy skepticism
about how you propose to move kids away from that "spot" and get them to
appreciate museum "values."  I'm inclined to think they need to learn this
before they enter the museum.  If you can devise an exhibition that
accomplishes these lofty goals, I hope you'll send me an invitation (free) to
the opening.

--David Haberstich