Emma

Hey. I am the Illustrator in this project, and most of the photos found are credit of //moi.// You're welcome. Do the flayed flesh and exposed muscles not make you shudder, yet fascinate you? That's the basis upon which this this project is founded.

//Is Body Worlds a wonderfully real learning opportunity, or gross disrespect and exhibition of dead bodies?//

//( Note: any comments I make on this Wiki will be in purple)// ( Mine comment color will be red xD, Tristan) Melanie's color is blue. **//Keith's colour =D//**

**//May 16//** Yo. In case you didn't know, our group is starting a debate in the discussions on the **ABOUT BODY WORLDS** page. Check it out. Melanie and I will be arguing **for**, Tristan and Keith will argue **against**. That means I should probably get some information to support my arguments, so, goodbye.

Essay. Gross. (COMPLETED) It's on Body Worlds, in case you were wondering.

What is your biggest fear? Heights? Width? Spiders, darkness, open spaces, enclosed spaces. There are an infinite number of things to be afraid of (one of which is //pogophobia//, which is //fear of beards//). But recently we discovered another one. One that's so far out there, it's in another league. This is Body Worlds. Body Worlds is a very large company that has huge and popular exhibits in many countries, rather like a zoo or a circus. Only instead of lovable animals performing stunts and jumping through hoops, not to mention the cotton-candy, this circus has people. Dead people, to be precise. Not only that, but dead people who have been //stripped of skin,// preserved with a process called //plastination,// and //posed//. //**Cool beans, man.**//

The process of //plastination// was created by a man named Gunther von Hagens, a man of German origin. As a child, he almost died and went to the hospital. The care of the doctors and nurses there inspired him to be a physician. He did, eventually, and was reportedly "very imaginative and unorthodox in his methods". He got into protesting about politics and other like things, and was soon arrested. He was held in prison for 2 years before the government of West Germany paid the $20,000 bail. He finished his medical studies, got married, had kids. One day, when giving a lecture to students at a university, he spotted a kidney preserved with the (then) most advanced method, it was encased in a solid block of something-or-other. He wondered why it wasn't done so that you actually hold the organ. So he invented //plastination.// This includes ever-so-carefully stripping all of the skin away, often in one piece, posing it, and gradually encasing the body in a thin layer of silicone rubber, which takes a few days, and then, //voila!// A new exhibit!

Another thing to consider when considering Body Worlds, is rights. Most people choose to donate their bodies to this institution, rather than be be buried or cremated. But what about the bodies pilfered from Chinese prisons and health boards? Perhaps they didn't wish their bodies to be used this way. Maybe they had wives, children, families to be buried with. But no. They are exposed to the world, and everyone in it.

It is my opinion that the continued career and enthusiasm of Body Worlds is not only wrong, but sick. It's a gross disrespect to the bodies themselves, as well as their loved ones. What would it be like, instead of visiting a grave, to visit an exhibit? To see your son/husband/father/brother/friend stripped of their armor, of the skin that protected them from the harshness of the world, and posed for all the world to see, to gawk, as if he was just a toy for their enjoyment. Body Worlds strips you of not just your skin, but your humanity. You're no longer recognized as a person. Just a piece of meat, nothing more, nothing less.

In truth, Body Worlds is not all bad. It provides excellent learning opportunities, allows you to see the effects of cancer, age, and other physical ailments upon the human body. But is it worth it? We can learn these things without damaging the psyche of young children with these horrific exhibits. Without handing out nightmares like pamphlets, without scarring people for, if not life, a very long time.

In conclusion, Body Worlds is a gruesome establishment that: violates rights, basically destroys the natural grieving system, and degrades people to pieces of meat, or animals in a circus. On the other hand, it provides unique learning opportunities, though they are opportunities that could be reached in a less public and grotesque way. Things like this are fine (if questionable) in movies, but when encountered in real life, it could permanently damage someone. So take a stand. Unless you want your children exposed to these things, head to your local Human Rights office, where numerous campaigns are already in place to shut Body Worlds down, and help protect your family and others from this horror. I believe that children have enough fears as it is, without this poisoning their dreams. No one should have to live with these images in their minds, least of all children. Protect their innocent minds. Say no to Body Worlds.

End.

Emma Johns