Saturday, August 21, 2010

Learn or stay home

Apologies in advance, but this will likely be a rant in disguise.

Here's my idea for a working museum or observatory or any other amenity of a civilization that honors its past and plans for its future. The entrance of such a structure will be wheel-chair accessible and very, very long. Patrons will be admitted as the atomic social units (couples, families, what-have-you) that they are. During their journey from the outer entrance to the inner registration desk they will--unbeknownst to them--be secretly triaged based on their conversations and interactions as well as their ability to follow signage.

Upon reaching the registration desk, each party will be pointed to one of two entrances:
  • The first entrance leads to the actual exhibits, staffed by exhaustively knowledgeable guides/interpreters hired for their passion and ability to communicate.
  • The second entrance leads to a bunch of bogus--but flashy--displays, staffed by personable slackers who are allowed, perhaps even encouraged, to make up stuff.
On the surface, there seems to be quite a bit of redundancy in terms of both facilities and staffing. Yet I would argue that this setup merely outsources the morons who show up merely to be entertained--or, far more obnoxiously, to have their children entertained--to a lower-cost service, thereby maximizing the value of the experts. Southwest Airlines is famous for segmenting its customer base, why can't other institutions?