Body Worlds: Art or Exploitation? Definitely Education
By: Keith
An undeniable truth of the Body World exhibit is that it’s educational. Call it anything else, on religious grounds or ethical, but you cannot deny it’s not also educational. If you aren’t aware of what the Body World exhibit is, it’s a traveling science/art show of bodies that are preserved in plasticine and struck in artistic and athletic poses to demonstrate the functions of the human body, leaving no detail to the imagination. In addition to the bodies there are plenty of body parts on display, carefully preserved, some diseased, some malformed and the majority perfectly healthy. Some may question the ethics of making money from the dead and our morbid curiosity that compels us to come out in droves to see them. I’m not deaf to that criticism and I agree almost completely with it – almost.
I’ll be honest. I didn’t want to see it up until now. The opportunities I’ve had in St. Paul, Los Angeles, Dallas and Milwaukee I skipped. My reasoning was that I know what a dead person looks like, I’m not a doctor and don’t want to be a doctor and the education wasn’t something I felt would be of practical use to me. I made the conscious decision to only see it if I could learn something that I wanted to know. Since there was no compelling reason for me to see it, I didn’t. Studying bodies is an important part of science and medicine, but it should not be a group gawk session, and I don’t want to be a part of it if I’m going to be just another gawker. The moment we lose respect for the dead is the moment we begin losing respect for the living and I lose respect for us. Simple as that. I don’t have a problem with organ donation or donating your body to science. I just don’t want the people who use your body parts and learn from you to take it for granted.
Why I Decided to See it Now:
Education. My boys are old enough that they can benefit from Body Worlds in an educational way. Consider that a few dozen years ago the only way to observe a preserved body or body parts was suspended in solution filled jars. Skeletons hung in science classrooms like vertically assembled archeology digs, but there was no way to see it all in context. Body Worlds changed that and brought science to the masses, even if the masses thought it was a circus – science disguised as a circus.
We made a day out of our trip to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science and saw the exhibit completely. I read almost every placard to the boys and tried my best to explain what they were looking at. At first they were more interested in the novelty of looking at the insides of people and with the idea that they were looking at dead people. But, as the descriptions of each display brought the show into context they began to understand that what they were seeing was the inner workings of themselves, not the gruesome diorama of a thing disconnected. With my guidance I think the net weight of the subject fell cleanly in their minds on the side of science rather than spectacle. Thus, the trip was worthwhile.
Not to Over analyze:
I have a habit of over analyzing almost everything I do. I even spend time thinking about the merits of analyzing things and whether it’s too much. I drive my wife nuts; I sometimes have a hard time just having fun because I’m busy spending time thinking about how to maximize my fun time. That’s why I also practice meditation, do yoga and drink a lot of green tea. I need some way to shut off my constant inner nagging. Well, obviously the Body Worlds decision had me turned in knots. I made the right decision in the end, that the boys are old enough for Body Worlds, but I probably didn’t need to think about it so much. The fact is that as parents we usually have a pretty good instinct about what our kids are ready for. More successful parents than I have done a lot less thinking. Perhaps next time I’ll just trust my gut.
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I’m touched by your respectful reasoning. You give honor to the purpose of the exhibit.
Mom: Thanks! I really honestly try not to overthink stuff, but in this case it was probably worth the extra effort. I wouldn’t want the boys running around thinking dead people are funny (there were kids in the museum laughing at the mummies in the egypt exhibit).
I’ve never considered seeing it for me, but my wife and mom have wanted to see this for years. I would probably take my son to something like this when he was age appropriate. I can imagine that it is an excellent learning opportunity.
.-= PJ Mullen´s last blog ..Birthday celebrations and burger bars =-.
PJ: Like Clint said. Kids just sorta have to be ready. Your guy is so small that I think you’ve got a while to worry about it
My boys are just old enough themselves at 5 and 7. It was a fantastic learning experience.
Great article Keith. I would go see it but without the kids at the moment. Archie (5) has just started asking about death pretty regularly and we’re being as honest and open about it as we can but adding this kind of visual might be just a bit much at the moment (I think).
Had to laugh at your last paragraph. “I even spend time thinking about the merits of analyzing things and whether it’s too much. I drive my wife nuts”
I’m the same.
.-= Reservoir Dad´s last blog ..Win A Free Mentally Sexy 2011 Calendar =-.
Thanks Clint: I was concerned about taking the boys to the exhibit before they were ready. Neil, 7, is definitely ready for it. Alan, 5, is too, but I was a little concerned he might not be. In the end it worked out. I do drive my wife nuts
That’s the duty of every knuckle dragging male I think.