Of the People
Completely zoned. I couldn't figure out what I wanted to do, where I wanted to go, or if I wanted peaches or nuts on my toasted almond crunch. I ended up walking to the newly reopened National Portrait Gallery with the fellow, only to leave because they:
a) said "Mam, you can't brink water in, so y'ull have to drink it." I did and dribbled a little on my shirt.
b) searched my bag and sub-bag with a conductors stick, making me drag out the latter and,
c) told me I actually can't bring my teeny tiny back pack in and have to put it in a roller skate style locker. It's only a quarter and I get it back, but by then, I just wasn’t in the mood for painted portraits.
On my ‘while that will show you, but really no one in security cares’ walk,
I vaguely recall seeing dockers, twin sets,precise hair styles and a crowded Hard Rock Cafe. Bricks and cranes, flirting. And a lot of little while men dancing at the crosswalks.
FBI is now closed to tours. They also have their own orange traffic barrels and cones. I wanted to linger and take photos, but my arm hairs straitened and my paranoia kicked in.
KMPG has expanded their consulting business
We went to see Half Nelson at the E street theater. I disappeared for over two hours and returned a day later in mental time.
Ok, my apologies. It’s 10:04 and I have had a few Mixtec margaritas. Sorry, I will have to finish this day in the morning.
a) said "Mam, you can't brink water in, so y'ull have to drink it." I did and dribbled a little on my shirt.
b) searched my bag and sub-bag with a conductors stick, making me drag out the latter and,
c) told me I actually can't bring my teeny tiny back pack in and have to put it in a roller skate style locker. It's only a quarter and I get it back, but by then, I just wasn’t in the mood for painted portraits.
On my ‘while that will show you, but really no one in security cares’ walk,
I vaguely recall seeing dockers, twin sets,precise hair styles and a crowded Hard Rock Cafe. Bricks and cranes, flirting. And a lot of little while men dancing at the crosswalks.
FBI is now closed to tours. They also have their own orange traffic barrels and cones. I wanted to linger and take photos, but my arm hairs straitened and my paranoia kicked in.
KMPG has expanded their consulting business
We went to see Half Nelson at the E street theater. I disappeared for over two hours and returned a day later in mental time.
Ok, my apologies. It’s 10:04 and I have had a few Mixtec margaritas. Sorry, I will have to finish this day in the morning.
at
6:54 PM
6 Comments:
Are portraits at that much risk that security needs to be so tight? I just don't get the point of checking your bag AND then making you check it.
If I go to the portrait gallery, I'll go naked so they don't harrass me. I'll just walk right on in.
By
Reid, at 8/29/2006 4:52 AM
Eh, hem. As a previous member of museum security at two different museums I will stand to their defense. First of all, one of the main reasons for not allowing backpacks on the back is that people spin around and unknowingly crash into paintings with them. Sounds silly, but it happens, often (regardless of their size). Secondly you should know better than to bring any food or drink into a museum. Thirdly, they are minimum wage employees who are simply trying to follow the rules set forth my the authority of the museum so that they may keep their job. Finally they are treated poorly by a ridiculous number of the public and really can't do anything about it. So for all the "what? It's my dripping umbrella, I'm not going to check it", "I didn't touch that painting", "it's a purse!", and basically the look of "how dare you tell me to do anything, you" and the threats of "while I know so and so on the board", you can imagine it is a disempowering job. And when something goes wrong in the gallery, they're the first to get fired.
So, though museums have different policies depending on the whims of their boards and the ever-fear-weilding current administration it's important to simply keep in mind a couple rules to ease the entrance into the galleries:
1. No food or drink (there are drinking fountains for the thirsty).
2. Check all bags/backpacks. Most museums even have small plastic bags for valuables (so that you can keep them with you) if you don't have a smaller purse/satchel and question their safety.
3. Depending on the museum, no flash photography. It can be both a light and copyright issue (there can be an exception for works from their permenant collection.)
4. Check umbrellas.
5. If you plan on writing and/or sketching, bring both a pen and a pencil and ask what the museum policy is.
6. If unsure of the museum's policy, call visitor services before going.
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For instance, this was on the Reynolds Center Website:
Gallery and Photography Guidelines
Gallery Guidelines
Please help us protect our artworks by not smoking, eating, or drinking in the galleries. Large backpacks and suitcases are not allowed in the galleries. Bag check is not available. Please limit the use of cellular phones when in the galleries.
Photography
Please help protect our artworks. Handheld photography and video for personal use are permitted in the permanent collection galleries, but not in special exhibitions. No flash or tripods are allowed. Commercial use must be pre-arranged with the museums' Public Affairs Offices.
Accessibility
Barrier-free access is available at G Street entrance. All areas of the museum are served by elevators. Wheelchairs are available. Please inquire at the Information Desk.
Security
Bags, boxes, and packages may be inspected for security reasons upon entrance or exit.
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During my m.security experience, one of the museums had decided to remove the signage informing patrons of both security policy and ticket sales to allow for a more visually pleasant lobby experience. If this is the case at a museum you visit and it causes undue stress and concern regarding your treatment by security personal please write a letter to visitors services.
By
Anonymous, at 8/29/2006 10:03 AM
Eeep. Dammmmn, I thought you were still on vacation! Busted.
Thanks for explaining the reasons, I see I do. I understood about the water, I did, and even the backpack, almost. The preferred order would have been, you will have to check that bag, etc etc..
That said, had I really wanted to go to the museum, I would have complied. I was cranky.
Maybe a frequently asked questions about security should be available at the info desk.
Or maybe people like me should not be so attached to their backpacks. See,the problem is stuff - and societies attachment to it.
By
L, at 8/29/2006 11:23 AM
In our society there is a high emphasis placed on personal material goods. Those goods are often prioritized over the treatment of strangers.
What I found fascinating is that at one museum, where we were all paid minimum wage, not one of the security personal would even consider stealing someone else's belongings. Yet if I were a visiting patron, I would probably assume that there was a thief somewhere on staff. Afterall, they're paid nothing, what do they really have to lose?
And of course those were the looks we received when we asked for visitors to check their precious designer umbrellas.
What I found fascinating is that somewhere lingering in my subconscious was a program to associate morality with monetary wealth, status or power. Think about how false and yet common that assumption is.
I bet there is an equal distribution of thieves amongst the social classes. Petty theft vs. White Collar Crime. I suppose in the former case it is simply more obvious, "they stole my umbrella". Instead of "they stole my pension, my health insurance and natural resources and they're making everyone pay for it by diverting taxes from other social programs to cover their bankruptcy, so in that way they also stole my prodgeny's access to education and an intact environment and my access to student loans or public transportation." Obviously in the later case the impact of the theft extends a great deal further then my examples.
Thus, from my experience, most security guards and/or coat check personal have little interest in stealing anyone's checked items. So our attention should be more focused on corporate theft which has a much more profound effect on our quality of life.
I suppose I woke up fiesty and on a soap box this morning.
By
Anonymous, at 8/30/2006 11:13 AM
Hey - that was my first guest post. Indirect and written in tiny comment font, but it counts. Thanks Laura! Others feel free to comment. She doesn’t bite, in fact, after her morning coffee she dances around like a grasshopper.
I think reversing the generalizations/anger toward the mass of the wealthy and privileged is just as dangerous. People can bad, and that bad can be crime or cruelty or other assorted ailments. Where do ignorance and fear fall?
I do agree that morality and crime shouldn’t be attributed to just the people that get caught (because their crimes are visible) and punished (because they can’t afford exceptional legal defense)
PS. I wasn’t worried about my stuff getting stolen, I just didn’t have a case for my camera or lens. Just sayin’
By
L, at 8/31/2006 4:21 AM
I agree. No reversal, just consideration based on impact.
By
Anonymous, at 8/31/2006 11:29 PM
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