Controversial Katrina recovery model railroad

[eridani]

In my day job as a photo edtior, I have picked up a photo from AP on that models recovery from Hurricane Katrina.

The AP cutline says the model is in a Louisiana mall, built by a man hired every Christmas to build a modelrailroad there. The mall management has ordered the model taken down.

You will find the picture here

http://www.cbc.ca/news/photogalleries/

It is currently the number two featured photo, it may drop down in the queue as I add more pix later this week.

The AP photo wire has a number of different pix of the model RR, so your local paper may also run them.

[Anonymous]

I cant understand the delicacy of the situation but people need to lighten up and stop caring what one person like and the other doesnt i thought it was a good idea

[cwclark]

It's a nice layout but the blue tarps on the roof are a bit too much...we that live here on the Texas / Louisiana gulf coast were hit pretty hard by Katrina and Rita this year and making light of the disasterous situation a lot of us went thru is just wrong...I had to get a new roof on my house and my nice trees in the yard aren't nice anymore thanks to the hurricane...a lot of people lost everything they own not to mention some folks lost loved ones and bringing back or making light of these bad memories that we actually went thru and got a first hand look at, we can do without...I'm glad they made him take it down...chuck

[ndbprr]

I am the least PC person in the world but I agree with the mall. Here is the first chance for some hope and peace and some guy has to remind people of what is wrong. Not very funny in my opinion.

[Anonymous]

I personally find it upsetting that he would make such a light hearted joke out of such a horrific catastrophe. While I know I am somwhat outspoken in my own ramblings on many topics here, And I know that model railroading is fun and all that.

But if putting on a display for the public, one needs to thoroughly consider what the public will think while designing scenes.

On his own layout he can have what ever he wants. I know on my layout there will be lots of things that could very well be taken as warped and twisted, But public displays have to be upheld to a higher moral standard and such scenes would not be present on any that i build.

James

[vsmith]

Kinda in questionable taste, i do think the Mall had the right to ask him to take it down, i doubt many want to be reminded of whats right down the road,

Anyway at least he didnt have a turtlepond with 1/2 submerged houses and a figurines floating in it, then of course we cant see the whole layout in then pic.

[csmith9474]

I am sure the mall banned the word "Christmas" as well. Got to be careful these days.

[Fergmiester]

Had nothing to do with the above subject matter. It was a coup de'tat by the Anti Amtrak Lobby!

Seriously, I don't think kids need to be reminded of all the destruction they have endured this past year. Instead of hauling it down he should have changed it.
Do we really know the full story?

Fergie

[railroadyoshi]

While this man was obviously trying to do well, its better that a joyous time of year for many be kept joyous

[vsmith]

Should have shown rebuilding old and building new houses, not blue tarp covered ones and piles of debris. Give it a positive note.

[darkstar974]

Well somethings are done with the best intentions and poor judgement and taste I think that this could have been done with a little more taste like maybe dedicating it to the people who died in the hurricanes without all the blue tarps and hurricane debri. From the pictures I have seen I have to ask myself what was this guy thinking

dark

[MisterBeasley]

It made CNN.com:

http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/11/30/katrina.display.ap/index.html

From the story, most customers actually liked it, and some actually made the trip to that particular mall just to see it. They thought it was lighthearted and amusing. Unfortunately, the tiny tyrannous minority of complainers have no sense of humor. They wouldn't buy a stick of gum at that mall, but they're willing to shut it down to "protect" the rest of us from ideas.

[Virginian]

Forget it.

[dragonriversteel]

no comment.

Patrick

[tmcc man]

was and still is not the right time to do something like that. But, I do not think the entire layout should be gone, just those particular buildings.

[ereimer]

model railroading is an art form
art sometimes depicts things that some people don't want to see
if someone is offended by something it should be hidden or destroyed
freedom of speech isn't just about the words that come out of your mouth

get my point ?

[MisterBeasley]

My daughter's 8th grade class all went to Washington, D.C., last spring. When they got together for their end-of-middle-school ritual, they were asked about their strongest memories from those 4 years. Quite a few spoke about the Holocaust Museum.

Art, like life, isn't always pretty or full of sunshine. Sometimes, it is meant to disturb us out of our complacency, and to make us think. The suppression of ideas runs counter to everything this country stands for.

However, as I've said before in another not-related-to-much-of-anything thread, with freedom comes responsibility. A model railroad showing refugees arriving at Auschwitz would be a powerful statement, but it's not the sort of thing I'd put next to Frosty and Rudolph, either.

I mean not to anger anyone. But you've got to admit, I've sure made you think.

(just edited spelling, by the way.)

[Anonymous]

While I can understand the mall trying to show the world in a better light at Christmas,this display showed the real world, not your typical polyanna train layout, so the negative was taken, maybe this guy should have modeled a Walmart with a crowd of shoppers rioting over the last on-sale computer............

[rolleiman]

QUOTE: Originally posted by MisterBeasley
Unfortunately, the tiny tyrannous minority of complainers have no sense of humor. They wouldn't buy a stick of gum at that mall, but they're willing to shut it down to "protect" the rest of us from ideas.

[#ditto]

Jeff

[Southwest Chief]

Probably not the best thing to poke fun at.

But I'm more bugged at the lousy job of modeling. Is it just me, or is it fairly cheesy looking? Different era vehicles right next to each other! I hate mixing eras when it isn't appropriate. And those buildings are horrendous looking. What's with the windows?

[james saunders]

i think its a bit insensitive to do that so soon after the disaster.. just my 2c

OzJim

[Anonymous]

Here's the link to the story:

http://www.wwltv.com/topstories/stories/wwl113005malldisplay.245edeab.html

And the key quote from the story:

"Although most people did enjoy the decorations, a few customers found the display to be in poor taste," said a statement issued Tuesday night by Lakeside Shopping Center in Metairie.

Once again, we see an intolerant minority exercise their supposed Constitutional right to never, never, ever be offended by anything they see or hear.[V]

[Pruitt]

QUOTE: Originally posted by GrayLoess

Here's the link to the story:

Once again, we see an intolerant minority exercise their supposed Constitutional right to never, never, ever be offended by anything they see or hear.[V]

I don't know about that.

I'm pretty much an "if you don't like it, don't pay attention to it" kind of person who generally finds PC-driven language and such things ludicrous, but this isn't really in that vein, I think, though some would try to put it there.

Was it poor judgement to put up something like that? Probably. In very bad taste? In my opinion, absolutely yes.

But the complainers just complained about it. I might have told a mall official that I thought it was in bad taste, if I'd seen the display. But THE MALL OFFICIALS required that the display be removed. Maybe some of the the complainers did demand it be removed, but the mall officials make the final determination. They should be the ones chastised for forcing the display's removal, if you feel someone needs chastising over it.