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There is a huge fascination for horror in movies. Nazi memorabilia still sells like crazy.
How about a museum that tells the stories of the world's most despicable humans and organizations?
It could tell about the rise to power, the tricks used to fool the public, strategies used to consolidate power, abuses, offenses,crimes against humanity, destruction, damage, pain caused to individuals, nations, cultures, the world.
Like a museum that adds new celebrities every year, the museum could review ancient and modern history, adding new people and corporations, organizations and groups.
Start with the basics-- Hitler, Stalin, Ghenkis Khan. Nazis, the Mafia, KKK, Slave Traders, child pornographers, mass murderers, rapists, Pol Pot, al Qaeda, Jim Jones, George W. Bush, Charles Keating.
Oh, you noticed. I'm including contemporary criminals who hurt a lot of people.
The museum could be far more than entertaining. It could show how the public is fooled, how the worst real monsters use similar strategies.
Perhaps there could be a wing of the museum for traitors, quislings, Kapos, collaborators and other sell-outs. I'm not sure that Democratic sellouts like Zell Miller or Joe Lieberman would make it, but certainly, Benedict Arnold.
There might be another wing for the worst, most toxic polluters and people who ran businesses with the least human caring.
If you're thinking that the museum might be sued, you may be right. Part of the job of the curators of the museum would be to be sure that, particularly for living dishonorees-- the subjects of the museum-- any wording describing them would be well documented and defensible. Part of the budget of the museum would be for defending the Museum against defamation suits. It might be wise to place the museum in a place where such suits do not often succeed, ie., not in England.
The museum could be quite graphic in some of its attractions, for example, importing some of the skull creations done in Cambodia, or showing pictures, horrific pictures from concentration camps, video stories of families from Love canal who lost loved ones, re-enactments of Idi Amin's worst moments...
And then there could be a library which stores reports and evidence, or which provides ready links to web resources documenting the subjects of the museum.
Of course, the holocaust museum already exists to tell the story of one collection of monsters. It has proven to be a valuable addition to society. A museum that tells the story of many monsters could also play a valuable role.
We all have our shadows. Humanity's shadow has run dark and deep. Getting to know your own shadow is an important part of knowing who you are. Getting to know humanity's shadow seems like a good idea whose time has come.
To make it interesting, the museum could do a TV show. Viewers would suggest living and dead candidates and viewers would, using the wisdom of the crowd, from the bottom up, select which candidates would become finalists who would be featured on the show. A season of the show would feature a collection of candidates and finish with one living and one dead person and one organization or nation rated most monstrous, most hated, worst in the world. Corporations and CEOs, religious groups and leaders would definitely be included in the running. Maybe Keith Olbermann, who already has his own daily "Worst Person in the world" segment, could be an advisor to the museum.
Who would you nominate? Which organizations, groups or nations would you nominate?
btw, I wrote THIS article a half hour after finishing this one: Vampires in America
