Made in China

I came across an article while doing summaries for museum admin about the gift shop at the new 9/11 Museum and Memorial. Apparently, there was initially a bit of an uproar at the notion of including a gift shop at all. After this hurdle was cleared, more drama ensued as a result of the manufacturers of many of the items being sold. It was interesting because it made me think back to the "Objects and Memory" video and how important the objects people saved or kept from the actual day became. So objects are creating feelings again, just on the opposite end of the spectrum.

Short version: first, people were offended at the notion of an American tragedy being commercialized. Then, people were offended that many of the items that ended up being sold were produced in a country (China) that doesn't respect freedom (their words), when there are a number of companies in the US that would be able to produce similar items.

To point one, I see their 9/11 and raise them a Gettysburg Battlefield and USS Arizona Memorial. Two, of many really, historic sites or museums that chronicle some sort of tragedy that also happen to offer book and gift shops as a part of their institution. Two historic sites that are also clear reminders of dark days in the American conscience. Maybe it's the lack of distance that makes people more sensitive to this particular tragedy. It would make sense. While we were watching O&M, I kept wondering how the historians working through the debris and rubble didn't feel like vultures, taking advantage of their positions, when in reality they were just doing their jobs and trying to document history as it was happening--lack of distance. After a decade plus of war following the attack, it's hard to feel removed from it, even after 13 years. But the museum shop is so ingrained in the museum structure, it'd be hard to imagine a museum without one. You'd probably be hard pressed to find even a handful. Heck, even the Pennsylvania House managed to have a gift closet/nook/cabinet thing.

To the second point, I don't have any real solutions or answers. Production is expensive. In a perfect world, yeah everything would be made by American companies. But the reality of globalization doesn't allow for that. Some of the companies, such as one that prints postcards, are based in CA where they design the cards, but they have them printed in Korea. So it's the company itself making that choice, not the museum. The museum is a non-profit, so they rely on admission tickets and shop sales for a large part of their revenue, so I'm not sure if they can really be faulted for trying to cut costs. It's an issue that I think goes beyond the realm of just public history and requires looking at economics and business practices as well.

Link: http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/features/2014-11-20/at-911-museum-gift-shop-the-tchotchkes-are-made-in-asia