Some of the world’s most important museums are confirming what we’ve suspected all along but didn’t dare say: selfie sticks (自拍杆) are stupid.
The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) has banned the sticks from their exhibition halls to prevent damage to the artwork. If you’ve ever set foot in MoMA you’ll know what a difficult experience it can be. Not because it isn’t an exceptional art institution that’s given the mind-expanding exhibitions, but because of other people. The MoMA is one of the world’s busiest museums—add selfie sticks among the crowds and you’ve got a recipe for disaster.
The same situation can be found at many famous tourist landmarks. Like seat belts, the selfie stick problem doesn’t hit home until someone gets hurt. An increasing number of sites have seen the potential hazard and put a stop to things before a “tragedy” occurs. The Australian Open has banned selfie sticks. Sports and music stadiums around London have banned the stick, as well.
Yet the real issue behind the selfie stick is the selfie itself. It’s somehow become socially acceptable for us to take the narcissism (自恋) of adolescence and extend it through adulthood, manifested in selfies. I admit that I do enjoy the occasional guilty pleasure of a selfie, so I can’t and won’t be a hypocrite about it.
When it comes to traveling, though, when it comes to once-in-a-lifetime visits to sacred landmarks and world-class museums, I’d hope that we could all turn the lens away from ourselves.
Or simply put the camera away. Travel writer Paul Theroux once told his readers: “I never bring a camera—because taking pictures, I’ve found, makes me less observant and interferes with my memory.” How much do we rely on photo graphs to remember our vacations? Does it really matter that we have a permanent documentation of every moment of our travels?
What if we entirely let go of documenting and just simply experience? I tried it for a day. It is what I imagine skydiving would be like: terrifying at first, then exciting and finally, when I got my mind to stop subconsciously framing every street scene, I became more present than I’ve ever been on a trip.
1.What do we learn about MoMA?
2.As mentioned in the passage, selfie sticks have been banned in the following events EXCEPT （ ）.
3.According to Paragraph 4, the author considers selfies as（ ）.
4.Travel writer Paul Theroux is quoted to（ ）.
5.In “I became more present than I’ve ever been on a trip” (last paragraph), the author’ feeling can be summarized as（ ）.
