The public debut of the 9/11 Memorial Museum, positioned right next to Ground Zero, has been met with both anticipation and anxiety, and now after the revelation that it contains a gift shop, outrage. Families of the victims and other like-minded individuals have spoken out against the presence of a "gift shop," and its actual contents.
The shop is basically your average museum gift-stop, only in this case that means everything from clothing accessories adorned with WTC column patterns, snow globes featuring the Twin Towers to NYPD and fireman regalia for both you and your pets. (Stuffed animals are available for those without a furry member of the family.) So far only victims' families and survivors have been admitted in the museum following a dedication from President Obama last Thursday, at which point the gift shop was already open and ready for business.
A mother who lost her son in the attacks toldthe New York Post, "Here is essentially our tomb of the unknown. To sell baubles I find quite shocking and repugnant."
“To me, it’s the crassest, most insensitive thing to have a commercial enterprise at the place where my son died,” she continued.
The museum, which will run on a $63 million budget and live off of admission fees and donations, has this statement up on their website: "All net proceeds from our sales are dedicated to developing and sustaining the national September 11 Memorial & Museum. Thank you for helping to build a lasting place for remembrance, reflection, and learning for years to come."
So what do you think? Does selling souvenirs with a World Trade Center motif cross the line? Or does the fact that all proceeds go towards maintaining the memorial justify this move?
[via Daily Mail]
