Its called Paternalism. If you study American legal history (which i highly recommend as a citizen and a scholar!!), you will see there is a long tradition in this country of regulations and 'protections.' As time goes on, we get more and more used to the government shouldering our personal responsibilities. If we, the museum community, give into the momentary stupidity of this girl and the unfortunate but foreseeable consequences of her actions, we perpetuate the paternalist police state and allow it to infiltrate our institutions even further!
beth
ps please, no name calling! just because i used the words "paternalistic police state" does not mean that i hate america! i love it! i just want our liberties back!
[log in to unmask] writes:
It never ceases to amaze me at how "protected" we think the American public
should be. In other countries, it is assumed that people are smart enough not
to slide down banisters, walk off of cliffs, keep back from ledges, not lean
too far out of windows or over walls and generally not go where they are not
supposed to in the first place. I'm constantly surprised at how few protective
devices are on historic buildings and other sites in Europe.
So why is it in America, we have to constantly protect people from doing
obviously stupid things - like sliding down a banister, while in other
countries, it's assumed that you have a modicum of intelligence not to do so?