Controversy On Museums

Although the works of all museums are different, the common perception of museums is that they are education facilities striving to bring awareness and education (often surrounding a specific theme or moment in history) through a physical and full-bodied experience of whatever various theme or subject the museum is attempting to present. The pedagogical approach of physicality and experience-based education is what makes museums so remarkable. Although the perception of museums is that they are often elitist, the pedagogy in which museums embody has the capacity to reach far more people than other forms of media. In relation to human rights and the protection of human dignity, museums have the capacity to not only establish a fundamental record …show more content…
A significant controversy in human rights media is the balancing of grossly catastrophic human atrocity and the promoting and protecting of human dignity. It is commonly understood that exposure brings awareness, and awareness brings activism, but Purbrick presents a very realistic alternative: Does overexposure to human atrocity render awareness ineffective? Purbrick cites Susan Sontag, who makes the claim that “viewing such images encourages inaction: helplessness, apathy and even boredom” (Purbrick 168). The argument is that an overexposure to such catastrophic imagery renders the awareness ineffective because visitors feel it is too late and there’s nothing that can be done. Additionally, grossly devastating images may cause the visitor to turn away and ignore the human rights abuses being presented. Regardless, in order to reach maximum effectiveness, without reducing the true devastation of the abuse being presented, a fine balance is required. Lastly, museums of human rights must attempt to present historical information in a timely and effective manner, without leaving out significantly important events in history. The museum must decide what they deem essential to their