To feel uncomfortable about this school trip?

[TheHallouminati]

My son who is 14 and in year 10, is going on a history school trip to Whitechapel to learn about Jack the ripper and take a tour of the area.

I get that there is opportunity for learning about the era in which these crimes took place, such as the an exploration into poverty, the newly formed police force etc etc. But something about this doesn't sit well with me.

I'm finding it hard to articulate, but for me, the big business made out of the murder and mutilation of the most vulnerable members of society by a (likely sexually motivated) sadist is really unpleasant. There are so many sordid tours and museums etc which glorify and focus on the "mysterious" figure of Jack the ripper that it just seems to undermine the truth - that vulnerable women were preyed upon because their only choice was to sell their bodies.

Aibu?

For those studying Pearson Edexcel’s GCSE History Option 10 Anglia has created a tour which provides an engaging and relevant introduction to the the Historic Environment: Whitechapel c1870-1900, crime, policing and the inner city. This tour will bring the topic alive for students, helping them to visualise the environment in a way which a text book cannot.

The tour will consider themes such as

housing and overcrowding
unemployment and poverty
immigration and segregation
problems caused by alcohol and prostitution
protection rackets, gangs, and violent demonstrations
policing the slum area of Whitechapel
Focusing on the case study of Jack the Ripper, the tour will include a detailed examination of investigative policing in Whitechapel, taking in developments in techniques of detective investigation, including the use of sketches, photographs and interviews; problems caused by the need for cooperation between the Metropolitan Police, the City of London Police and Scotland Yard and the added problems caused by an unprecedented threat and its terrifying reality.
angliatours.co.uk/tours/whitechapel-crime-policing-inner-city/

YANBU. Those poor women. What wicked things were done to them. Now it's just entertainment. I've even seen police photos of their corpses displayed. No dignity.

alansleftfoot

Last time we were in Poland our kids were quite angry at a group of Israeli teens taking selfies by the 'Arbeit Macht Frei' gate

Really?

I would have thought that if anyone had a right to take photos it would be Israeli teenagers, and would be questioning those who thought they had the right to object (or had the arrogance to object?)

It's not about the right to take photos but the fact that they were doing duck face selfies and mucking about by the gate. Your nationality makes no difference, it's rude and disrespectful.

Fair enough - that aspect didn't come across with your original comment