Is 'Dark Tourism' morally right?

Ianno87 said:

What sort of things was it selling out of interest?

I recall Auschwitz having a shop - but definitely one in keeping with the site (selling history books, that sort of thing).

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Presumably it's this place? https://store.911memorial.org/collections/gifts

If so, the majority seems to be a load of overpriced tat.

Darandio said:

Presumably it's this place? https://store.911memorial.org/collections/gifts

If so, the majority seems to be a load of overpriced tat.

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Summarised very nicely by the 9/11-branded NASCAR. Give me strength....

Ianno87 said:

Summarised very nicely by the 9/11-branded NASCAR. Give me strength....

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$60!?

Following the O.J. Simpson trial in Los Angeles in the mid 1990s, hoards of tourists used to visit the murder scene, Simpsons house and the restaurant where Nicole Simpson ate on the night of the murder. The tourists used to steal the crockery from the restaurant as a souvenir. There were organised coach trips from downtown L.A. to these venues. I don't know if they still run the tours.

JohnMcL7 said:

I was the same as I only visited the memorial and I was surprised the effect it had, I think it makes it a lot more real seeing it in person.

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Agreed - I figured I really didn't need to see the museum, as I knew what happened and remember watching with horror as the whole thing unfolded on live TV. Seeing the memorials, occupying the site of the buildings, and reading all the names, was extremely moving indeed.

Possibly the most moving place I've ever visited in my life was Anne Frank's hiding place, though. The fact that there's still pictures on the walls that she stuck there herself really got to me.

greyman42 said:

Following the O.J. Simpson trial in Los Angeles in the mid 1990s, hoards of tourists used to visit the murder scene, Simpsons house and the restaurant where Nicole Simpson ate on the night of the murder. The tourists used to steal the crockery from the restaurant as a souvenir. There were organised coach trips from downtown L.A. to these venues. I don't know if they still run the tours.

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Reminded me of a coach tour I took in Portugal a few years ago - the guide gleefully pointed out the holiday complex Madeleine McCann disappeared from as we drove past it. People got very excited by this.

Journeyman said:

Reminded me of a coach tour I took in Portugal a few years ago - the guide gleefully pointed out the holiday complex Madeleine McCann disappeared from as we drove past it. People got very excited by this.

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What is still an officially open missing person case too....

Open for so long Madeleine McCann, if she is still alive, is now 16 years old.

Ianno87 said:

What is still an officially open missing person case too....

Open for so long Madeleine McCann, if she is still alive, is now 16 years old.

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Nah. I reckon she died at the hands of her parents, and they got away with it because the Portuguese police were incompetent.

Whatever happened, I wasn't impressed by the site of her disappearance being deemed a site of interest.

Journeyman said:

Agreed - I figured I really didn't need to see the museum, as I knew what happened and remember watching with horror as the whole thing unfolded on live TV. Seeing the memorials, occupying the site of the buildings, and reading all the names, was extremely moving indeed.

Possibly the most moving place I've ever visited in my life was Anne Frank's hiding place, though. The fact that there's still pictures on the walls that she stuck there herself really got to me.

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I was in primary school on September 11, 2001 and watched the Channel 4 news special at 19:00 covering the terrible events of that day. At the time many TV networks showed on repeat footage of the towers being hit, in addition to shots of people trapped in the towers leaning out from the smashed windows gasping for air. I recall in the US TV stations were asked not to excessively repeat footage of the day as this would induce trauma. I didn't really understand at the time what was going on; it's only now as an adult I understand the horror of what happened on that horrific day.

I found the museum an emotionally intense experience - as soon as you enter you see artifacts belonging to victims such as wallets and other personal effects and debris from the towers themselves. Volunteer guides explain the significance of some of the larger exhibits, including the Survivors Staircase.

I was extremely annoyed one couple were talking loudly and laughing as though they were having a coffee in Starbucks.

Am I doing something morally wrong by visiting a 'dark tourist' site? No, because otherwise by visiting these sites you may not always appreciate what those who were directly affected had to endure.

Journeyman said:

Nah. I reckon she died at the hands of her parents, and they got away with it because the Portuguese police were incompetent.

Whatever happened, I wasn't impressed by the site of her disappearance being deemed a site of interest.

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From what I've read of the case there were lots of unconfirmed sightings of her elsewhere in Spain and in North Africa. I suspect she's either dead or is now living under a new name elsewhere, possibly unaware of her former life if she was abducted to order. I'm appalled the Daily Express turned the case into a complete circus.

Is 'dark tourism' morally right?
I've always thought of it as a form of sensationalism.

Drsatan said:

I was in primary school on September 11, 2001 and watched the Channel 4 news special at 19:00 covering the terrible events of that day. At the time many TV networks showed on repeat footage of the towers being hit, in addition to shots of people trapped in the towers leaning out from the smashed windows gasping for air. I recall in the US TV stations were asked not to excessively repeat footage of the day as this would induce trauma. I didn't really understand at the time what was going on; it's only now as an adult I understand the horror of what happened on that horrific day.

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I was working nights the week it happened, so when the news broke I was asleep. My wife woke me up not long after it unfolded, and I remember heading into the living room, watching it and thinking "this is going to start a war".

One of my colleagues lost his niece, as she worked in one of the towers. He was absolutely heartbroken by this, and passed away himself a couple of years later. Going to his funeral was a gruelling day emotionally for lots of us.

Drsatan said:

I found the museum an emotionally intense experience - as soon as you enter you see artifacts belonging to victims such as wallets and other personal effects and debris from the towers themselves. Volunteer guides explain the significance of some of the larger exhibits, including the Survivors Staircase.

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I can imagine that must indeed have been moving - like the pile of belongings at Auschwitz. Although I didn't see that museum, while I was in New York I visited the Transit Museum. It's fantastic and well worth seeing, but while I was there they ran an exhibit on the theme of resilience - keeping transport running in challenging situations. Part of it was about the post-9/11 recovery on affected parts of the Subway. Given that I was personally involved in London Underground's response to the July 2005 bombings, that had a lasting effect on me.

Drsatan said:

I was extremely annoyed one couple were talking loudly and laughing as though they were having a coffee in Starbucks.

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Sadly my visit to the Anne Frank House was similarly blighted, in the room where Anne's diary is on display in a glass case.