My apologies, Slayer is an obnoxious heavy metal band.  An interesting
discussion on the etymology of a certain homonym for "murkin" and its
connotations when used as a humorous pejorative referring to Americans
('mericans) appears in "Why Do Men Have Nipples? Hundreds of Questions
You'd Only Ask a Doctor After Your Third Martini" Written by Mark Leyner
and Billy Goldberg. Suffice it to say that the word refers to an item of
apparel that one would not want to encourage interns to visibly
incorporate into their dress code.

tcb


-----Original Message-----
From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On
Behalf Of L Dewey
Sent: Tuesday, November 29, 2005 12:22 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [MUSEUM-L] intern dress question

tcb,

those two paragraphs are two distinct points of information that are 
related to the fact that many U.S. museums tend to serve a narrow 
audience. obviously the presence or absence of a museum dress code does 
not _determine_ attendance.

However, an intern applicant might be anyone IF they think they are 
welcome to apply. the larger question there is: would they think the 
museum is FOR them? the demographic data indicate who considers the 
museum to be theirs.

I have worked with volunteers who were college students as well as 
those who were retired doctors and architects (for example), among a 
range of persons of ages and backgrounds in between. I think the larger 
question is: how diverse are the socio-cultural backgrounds of the 
persons who are volunteering?

Thus the question of demographics in relation to the socio-cultural 
audience of the museum and the interpretive/narrative intent of the 
museum as a whole.

-L.D.

('murkins' was coined by William Safire, but what is a 'dirty Slayer 
t-shirt'?)


On Nov 29, 2005, at 12:50 PM, Tim Bonow wrote:

> While it may be a sad fact that museum attendance is not typically in 
> direct correlation with community demographics, it is a stretch to 
> suggest that dress codes (implicit or as a matter of policy) are at 
> fault.  That is like saying that the army's uniform is responsible for

> the United States' involvement in Iraq.
>
> Interns are students, learning how to behave in the museum world.  
> Dressing appropriately is necessary for acceptance in the real world 
> (as opposed to the world of stereotypical conformist "murkins [sic]").

>  Don't believe it? Go ahead and show up to your next job interview in 
> a dirty Slayer t-shirt.
>
> tcb
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On 
> Behalf Of L Dewey
> Sent: Tuesday, November 29, 2005 9:59 AM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: [MUSEUM-L] intern dress question
>
> ahhh, but you've put you're finger on a key problem with museums in
the
> U.S.
>
> Isn't it the case that many museums and cultural organizations
function
> as 'country clubs', not to promote inclusion or cultural diversity?
> This whole discussion about 'dress code' is about a 'code' that
belongs
> to the upper middle class. (As well as a matter of 'conformity', which
> is another contemporary 'murkin' cultural trait.)
>
> According to the data collected by the NEA and by the US Census
bureau,
> U.S. museums mainly attract an upper middle class audience, which is
> very unfortunate, but hardly a coincidence.
>
> - L.D.

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