I came up with the phrase “education through entertainment” .
That would be great if it applied to more than a handful of people. Sadly, most of the people who use places like Hendon as a playground won’t learn a thing – nor would they want to. They’e mostly there because their parents thought it might keep them occupied for an hour but of course it doesn’t as stuffy old aeroplanes in a hall don’t do anything exciting.
As Bruce mentioned earlier, maybe the days of free museums might end eventually and in some respects I think it might be a good thing. It would allow the museums to get back to their primary purpose instead of being obsessed with entertainment and getting bodies through the doors.
Oh, and as for any notion that I was accusing Hendon of making profits unreasonably, that’s precisely the opposite of what I think they’ve done with regard to the photo archives in particular. Evidently, someone thought that charging ridiculous amounts of money to use whatever they bother to make available would be a good idea. Of course it isn’t as it’s simply ensured that virtually nobody has the slightest interest in using their photos any longer so they’ve created a sort of double whammy – they don’t make any money out of them and nobody gets to see them either. Sad business.
But that’s the world we live in I guess. All about figures, ticks in boxes, presentations, public relations, and absolutely nothing to do with history, preservation, education or information.
Sign In
