chicago history museum

Chicago History Museum: The beautified version of history. Everything is finished, modified in the museum. The dioramas are beautiful: the Chicago Fire of 1871 is art. The history is made of skyscrapers, fashion, design, and brief descriptions of the tragic times. I think the most interesting part was the tension between the rich and the poor. The fabulous parts of Chicago, the buildings and people that people still associate with the city, are great achievements. But, this place, with all of its great attributes, is still a place where the big man wins. The government has the power and some group will always be marginalized. But this is not museum material. No, the closest a museum gets to the marginalized is to say that life was difficult. Immigration is seen as a struggle, but reading the caption at the museum is not like reading The Jungle. And racism is made to seem like a problem of the past. All in all, the museum is quality, but I am beginning to be cynical.