May 03, 2007

Random Commuter Observation

So the Metro recently has been plastered with posters for something called BODIES: The Exhibition currently on display somewhere in the wilds of Rossyln. It's supposed to be a detailed display of the inner workings of this mortal coil, and I believe has generated some controversy for its use of actual cadavers. As a matter of fact, it does look rayther interesting.

But back to the posters. They're of sort that contain what is conceived to be eye-catching trivia. You know the sort of thing, "Snot comes out of your nose at 100 mph when you sneeze." Just the thing to get your loutish teenager interested in slogging out to see the show. (Of course, once he's there, all he'll want to look at are the naughty bits.)

The one that gets me, however, reads, "It takes 17 muscles to smile, but 43 muscles to frown."

Let's just say that as a general rule I prefer the more comprehensive facial workout, thank you very much.

Indeed, this poster is nothing more than, "A smile is a frown turned upside down," dolled up in medical terms and is of a sentiment that immediately makes me want to reach for a large brick. Particularly first thing in the morning when I haven't had any coffee yet.

Oh, and speaking of things to make Robbo cranky of a morn, the tag line to the exhibition reads:

Celebrate the wonder of the human form in the World Premier of BODIES … The Exhibition—a phenomenal look at the phenomena we call the human body.

It could be that the copy writer sought to acknowledge that the human body is really an interdependent set of extremely complex systems and processes. On the other hand, it could also be that said writer doesn't know the difference between "phenomenon" and "phenomena".

I know where I'd put my money.....

UPDATE: Mr. P sends along a post reviewing the exhibit that raises some seriously troubling questions about the bodies used therein:

A local newsaper, New York Newsday, reports as to the exhibit's ultimate source: "The bodies are unclaimed or unidentified individuals from China." That disclaimer appears next to a Newsday photo of the polymer-coated corpse of a 32 week old unborn child. All 16 Newsday photos from the exhibit can be seen here. Caution: they are not for family viewing.

At the exhibit itself, there is no statment whatsoever about the derivation of the corpses, and the New York Times greeted its arrival by publishing questions from human rights activist Harry Wu. Mr. Wu noted that the bodies of executed prisoners had been exploited by this same universtity in the past. It is clear that no one in the United States really knows who the dead individuals are, much less how they died. To the relief of the exhibitors, no one seems to care. No local politicians have objected or raised questions, and a similar display by the same exhibitor in Tampa has not drawn any notable complaint at the national level. Katie Couric on the Today Show, while cracking jokes last week as she sat next to one of the dead bodies, did mention that the exhibit is "controversial."

Sigh....Robbo's naivete strikes again. My last encounter with a cadaver was with the one my brother used in med school. He explained that his school only used bodies voluntarily donated and also that a blessing was said over all of them at the beginning of the term in a very dignified ceremony. I frankly hadn't given much thought to the uglier side of corpse-trafficking. Needless to say, this revelation changes my attitude toward the whole business considerably.

UPDATE DEUX: However, as to the main point of my post, which is a rant about enforced cheerfulness, I remain firm. So much so that I steal this pic sent over by the Colossus without the slightest reservation:

smiley_sniper.jpg

Heh. Indeed.

Posted by Robert at May 3, 2007 09:38 AM | TrackBack
Comments

I posted on the smile/frown thing not long ago -- you'll love the graphic, which I stole from Miserable Donuts.

http://www.colossusblog.com/mt/archives/2007/04/now_this_made_m_1.html


Posted by: The Colossus at May 3, 2007 09:08 AM

http://jacksonville.typepad.com/patum_peperium/2005/11/unclaimed_unide.html

Posted by: Patum Peperium at May 3, 2007 09:08 AM

If that link does not work, try the archives under:

November 28, 2005

Unclaimed, Unidentified, Unforgiven

Posted by: Patum Peperium at May 3, 2007 09:11 AM

We have this exhibit in Las Vegas. I went throught it a few months ago and it really is fascinating. I did wonder at the time where they obtained the, uhh, "specimens". I suspected they came from China.

Posted by: Enas Yorl at May 3, 2007 11:32 AM

Several friends of mine have seen either that exhibit or a similar one. They generally thought it was interesting, but having someone along who was fairly knowledgable about the human body was helpful.

Posted by: owlish at May 3, 2007 10:57 PM

Indifference = It takes 43 muscles to frown and 17 to smile, but it doesn't take any to jsut sit there with a dumb look on your face.

Bwah-hah-ha!

Posted by: robohobo at May 3, 2007 11:57 PM