Auschwitz Memorial and Museum is a former German Nazi Concentration Camp. It was the largest among the German Nazi concentration and extermination camps used in the transportation of prisoners, where over 1.1 million people were killed by Nazis.
According to the Auschwitz website, a visit to this unique place would be better done with an educator, so you can effectively understand the history of the location. But unfortunately, not every visitor who visits Auschwitz is guided through the premises and because of this, some tourists fail to respect the memories of the 1.1 million people who were killed in the concentration camp. And it can be seen in many of the social media posts today, wherein tourists are seen taking smiling “balancing” photos inside the camp’s premises.
This became a problem for the Auschwitz Memorial & Museum because it appeared to be disrespectful to the victims of the concentration camp. Because of this, the historical site was prompted by netizens to speak out against these inappropriate and ignorant poses.
On March 20, 2019, the museum tweeted a series of photos of people walking along and balancing on the rails of the train tracks leading to the “Gate of Death.”
Along with the photos, the Auschwitz Museum wrote, “When you come to @AuschwitzMuseum remember you are at the site where over 1 million people were killed. Respect their memory. There are better places to learn how to walk on a balance beam than the site which symbolizes deportation of hundreds of thousands to their deaths.”
When you come to @AuschwitzMuseum remember you are at the site where over 1 million people were killed. Respect their memory. There are better places to learn how to walk on a balance beam than the site which symbolizes deportation of hundreds of thousands to their deaths. pic.twitter.com/TxJk9FgxWl
— Auschwitz Memorial (@AuschwitzMuseum) March 20, 2019
The museum also quoted this regulation, “Visitors to the grounds of the Museum should behave with due solemnity and respect.” The staff then added that though “smiling is human”, there are “some things which are simply disrespectful.”
Smiling is human. There are also human stories from #Auschwitz that can make people smile. You do not have to be solemn and stern all the time. Yet, there are some things which are simply disrespectful.
— Auschwitz Memorial (@AuschwitzMuseum) March 20, 2019
Given this situation, we should always know when and where it’s appropriate to do a certain pose, especially when you plan to upload these images on Instagram and other social networks. Because even though it can give you likes, it can also cause unnecessary harm. /FM
InqPOP! Creator Community/ Geline R. Lumunsad
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