I don't quite get what you're saying.

"HURRAY!!!!!  A voice with a little compassion.  I
hope that I never get to a point where worrying over a
possible, maybe, could happen lawsuit, would surpass
the compassion felt for the family and the girl
herself."

What makes you think that it is impossible to view the
situation clearly, and yet still feel compassion for
the family?  I can't even conceive of the pain and
heartache this is causing the family and friends, but
I didn't read anyone saying directly or indirectly
that their grief is unimportant.

"What has happened to make so many of you so bitter
and cynical?   As a parent, I would hope that you
would not look upon every child that enters your
museum as a little dummy who may end up causing you
problems."

Well, worrying about whether or not every child is a
little dummy is what legal counsel requests that we
do.  Therefore, when we're in the process of building
exhibits and thinking about programs, yes, we do need
to say, "Would little Susie take this paint and eat
it, or this sharp object and poke herself, or ..."  As
a parent, I would hope you *would* do that.

"Why should we not be expected to make our museums as
safe as possible for those we invite there.  They're
our guests, aren't they???  They put bread on our
tables, don't they???"

We should make our museums safe.  I don't see anyone
saying we shouldn't. The issue at hand here is that
when tragedies like this occur, lawsuits often follow.
And therefore anyone who's got a similar set-up will
have to take precautionary measures.

I've visited the MSI so many times over the years, and
yet I don't think I've once looked at that staircase
and thought someone would try to slide down the
bannister.  It's an obviously dangerous idea,
especially to a teenager, whose frontal lobes should
have grown together by that point.  (And yes, I can
still see why a teenager would think it's a fun idea.)
Does that mean that we shouldn't have stairways like
this in public places, or that totally preventable
accidents like this one should then be fodder for
legal action?

Finally, this forum is one of the few in which this
discussion can take place, and taking a group of
people to task for asking difficult questions seems
counterproductive to me.  Perhaps a little sarcasm
breaks the tension around the tragedy, but it's not
necessarily inappropriate.  It's not meant for the
girl's family and friends.  It's meant for the
professionals who will probably have to implement new
procedures if there is fallout.


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