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More Dead Bodies Believed To Be Political Prisoners On View
By
John Del Signore
Published Feb 4, 2011
Modified Feb 5, 2011
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By
John Del Signore
Published Feb 4, 2011
Modified Feb 5, 2011
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Step right up ladies and gentlemen, children of all ages, and behold the Genius of Capitalism! A magnificent new exhibit comprised of corpses believed to be political prisoners from China (our Benevolent Flowering Pimp and Protector) are on display for your amusement in Lower Manhattan. MARVEL at human rights victims displayed as tourist attractions! LAUGH at a bifurcated corpse high-five himself! IGNORE the hypocrisy that our vast debt with China engenders! It's fun for the whole dumb family, and this new version of the show has an added feature: an interactive exhibit that takes place completely in the dark—which, oddly enough, is where these once-living humans probably died at the hands of government executioners.
The additional exhibit is called "Dialog in the Dark," and according to the press release, it "replicates familiar environments and challenges individuals to perform tasks without the use of their sight. Visitors will be escorted through galleries in total darkness where NYC-centric scents, sounds, temperatures and textures will come alive and turn daily routines into an unforgettable experience." Your guides are local blind or visually-impaired New Yorkers, who lead visitors "through a variety of interactive environments... [leaving] visitors with a lasting appreciation of a full range of senses, which are often taken for granted."
It's guaranteed to make the corpses even more vivid! The company behind the spectacle, Premier Exhibitions, Inc. (NASDAQ:PRXI), has been criticized by human rights groups ever since 20/20 reported on a booming black market in China that supplies the bodies of executed prisoners to companies like Premier. Although Premier insists it's using unclaimed corpses of people who died naturally, the New York State Attorney General's office investigated the company. And as part of a settlement, Premier "had to issue a disclaimer stating that some of its bodies could have come from Chinese prisons via the Chinese Bureau of Police," the Daily News reports.
When the settlement was reached, then-A.G. Andrew Cuomo said, "Despite repeated denials, we now know that Premier itself cannot demonstrate the circumstances that led to the death of the individuals." In a statement, Dr. Roy Glover, Chief Medical Director of the exhibit, says, "BODIES…The Exhibition has partnered with a medical University in China to obtain all of the specimens seen in the Exhibition. All of the specimens died of natural causes. We fully trust the attention our partners and our own medical directors have given to ensure that the specimens were all obtained legally and ethically."
Last month, however, the company ended its touring exhibition after a Canadian human rights lawyer sought a court order to shut it down. In an interview, attorney David Matas said, "If the Chinese prisons and hospital system are killing people for their organs for money, they could be easily killing them for plastination, which is also a money-making venture. In my view it’s not up to us to prove that the sourcing is wrong, it’s up to them to prove that it’s right." But hey, sorry to be such a downer—by all means, enjoy the cadavers! It's only $27.50 for adults and $21.50 for children under 12!
Tagged
bodies
bodies exhibit
china
human rights
whatever
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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