MIND YOUR MANNERS 1

Mind Your Manners, Dark Tourists

Brianna M. Birney

Chandler-Gilbert Community College

MIND YOUR MANNERS 2

Mind Your Manners, Dark Tourists

As humans have learned throughout history, past mistakes will continue to repeat

themselves until our behavior and mindset change. Society has progressively been

accommodating the majority’s interest in entertainment. In the words of Tony Johnston (the head

geographer at Athlone Institute of Technology), “For as long as humans have travelled for

leisure, they have travelled to watch death, to view cadavers and relics” (Wills, 2021, para. 3).

Precisely. Although public executions and Gladiator games are no longer relevant today, humans

still hold a core interest for violence and death. For example, many violent sports are still popular

today- boxing, demolition derbies, etc. Not to mention the amount of murderous content

available on both the internet and tv; in the year 2021, the most popular show on Netflix right

now across multiple countries is an entire series based on murderous acts committed by the

participants of that television series. So, why not go a little further? Why not parade these

real-life tragedies and have them be accessible to the entire world? Well, that is called dark

tourism. Dark tourism is an approach well-ahead of its time, and is not treated with the respect

and care it genuinely deserves.

The term dark tourism was officially introduced to the public in the year 1996, yet the

actions and interests pertaining to it can be dated back to at least 264 B.C. in Ancient Rome

where participants known as Gladiators would fight to the death in front of an audience made up

of local residents and foreign travelers from all over the world (Wills, 2021, para. 2-3). Dark

tourism was constructed by academic scholars J. John Lennon and Malcolm Foley from Glasgow

Caledonian University (Hynes, 2021, para. 3). The two men wanted a label for the interest they

developed in the deceased while studying the assasination of John F. Kennedy and the sites

associated with the event (Zeek, 2019, para. 2 ). According to Suosheng Wang, dark tourism now
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“describes the phenomenon of people traveling to sites of death and disaster, man-made or

natural” (Zeek, 2019, para. 5). Over time, subcategories were added to dark tourism leading to

the controversial issues behind it. As of 2021, there are two types or subcategories of dark

tourism approaches: the schadenfreude approach and the thanatopsis approach.

The terms “schadenfreude” and ”thanatopsis” are used to describe the type of motivation

a dark tourist posessess. A schadenfreude tourist is intrigued by the commercialized experience

of a dark tour and finds enjoyment in others’ misfortune (Phelan, 2008, pg. 6). These tourists

flock to luxurious hotels in economically devastated regions of the world and eat expensive

meals near places of tragedy (Zeek, 2019, para. 13). Schadenfreude tourists are known for taking

selfies with suffering locals near or on the site, as well as other ethically questionable actions. On

the other hand, a thanatopsis tourist is interested in questioning the meanings associated with life

and death while on tour and does not support commercial activities regarding a dark tourism site

(Phelan, 2008, pg. 3-6) . Thanatopsis tourists believe that dark tour sites should be recognized as

sacred places, and are solely motivated by the educational gain they would receive from these

sites of tragedy (Wills, 2021, para. 6- 9). In the words of Andrea Zeek (Senior Communication

Consultant with Indiana University), “It is this convergence of the opposing motivations of dark

tourists, mixed with the needs and cultures of the communities where the dark sites reside, that

creates such an interesting backdrop for the moral quandaries raised by dark tourism” (2019,

para. 14). A majority of the criticism dark tourism receives comes from the actions and interests

demonstrated by schadenfreude tourists.

As commercialized interests were starting to consume dark tourism, “dark tourism

etiquette” was on the rise. Just like with professional meetings or participating in sports, there is

an expected and appropriate way to behave. Although there is no clear list of what to do and
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what not to do, most judgements can be made based on common sense or in an attempt to think

in an empathetic sense before following through with a course of action. For example, Natalie B.

Compton offers 3 pieces of advice for people considering the opportunity to experience a dark

tour: (1) “Don’t touch gravestones at cemeteries”, (2) “Learn religions outside of their

Hollywood cliches”, and (3) “Rethink selfies” (2019, para. 7-21). Up until a few years ago,

gravestone rubbing (shading over a tombstone engraving with a piece of paper and pencil or a

piece of charcoal) was a common occurrence and an encouraged tradition for individuals in

relation to the deceased person(s). Due to the erosion of engravings caused by the oils in human

hands, gravestone rubbing is no longer widely acceptable (“Gravestone Rubbing”, 2020, para. 1).

As of today, a plethora of grave sites highly discourage touching/sitting on grave markers. In

regards to educating oneself in the dominant religion of the destination being visited, it is best to

research the background of the destination in order to become aware of the level of sensitivity

associated with the culture and the dark tourist site (Sampson, 2019, para. 12-13; 21-23). Not to

mention, it would assist any potential tourist in creating realistic expectations for their experience

instead of risking any potential complications or serious consequences during their trip- that

includes taking pictures (Hynes, 2021, para. 18). Compton made a brief comment about the

thousands of tourists that race to Salem, Massachusetts in October for the dark tours, and

reminds dark tourists that “certain destinations remain seriously morbid and should be treated

delicately” (2019, para. 22). As previously mentioned, thanatopsis tourists are known for taking

(socially deemed) inappropriate selfies of the dark tour sites or with locals affected by the

tragedy- not excluding difficult heritage sites (Sampson, 2019, para. 19-22). This became a

serious problem, specifically at the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum. At the time, the majority

of tourists who visited between those years did not understand how the context and history of the
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destination required an extremely sensitive approach from its audience in order to not upset those

related to the tragic event or defame the event itself and those who passed during it, provided by

a comment made by Pawel Sawicki (press office official for Auschwitz-Birkenau State

Museum), “This is not just a museum or open air-site…[tourists] are coming to a site where

millions of people were murdered” (Compton, 2019, para. 29). Out of respect, it would be in a

tourist’s best interest to deter from taking any photos, especially selfies, on the dark tour site.

From 264 B.C. to 2021, dark tourism has adapted to the social shifts throughout time and

has managed to stay relatively popular today. Torn between ethical/educational interests and

entertainment interests, dark tourism has become a controversial issue. It should be known that

participating in the act of dark tourism is not the issue, but the behavior of the people

participating. As it can be seen throughout history, an act or belief is deemed popular when a

majority of people agree with it. And in order to form a collective of people who think alike, it

has to start with one person; “​​whether you’re visiting a destination for the sake of its darkness or

to learn about its history, keep in mind that the content is sensitive, and the people connected to it

are human” (Compton, 2019, para. 5). So no matter what type of tourist you may be, always

present yourself in a respectful manner and stay mindful of your surroundings because not

everyone has recovered from the tragedies of the past.

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References

Compton, N. B. (2019, October 25). How to navigate the etiquette of dark tourism. Washington

Post, NA.

https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A603757387/WHIC?u=mcc_chandler&sid=bookmark-W

HIC&xid=81e663ca

Connecticut Gravestone Network. (2020). Gravestone Rubbings. Connecticut Gravestone

Network. Retrieved December 10, 2021, from

http://ctgravestones.org/instructive-articles/gravestone-rubbings/.

Dark Tourism Case Study 2019: A Deep Dive into the Increasing interest Behind this Niche

Market Trend - ResearchAndMarkets.com. (2019, April 27). Leisure & Travel Week, 15.

https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A583070053/GIC?u=mcc_chandler&sid=bookmark-GIC

&xid=8dd7bf79

Dark tourism, explained: Why visitors flock to sites of tragedy. (2019, November 13).

Washingtonpost.com, NA.

https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A605705073/OVIC?u=mcc_chandler&sid=bookmark-OV

IC&xid=404d2a8f

Hynes, E. (2021, July 19). What is dark tourism? Pina Travels. Retrieved December 10, 2021,

from https://www.pinatravels.org/discoveries/dark-tourism.

Phelan, C. (2008). Confronting mortality moments: death, dying and the consumption of dark

tourism. Edge Hill University. Retrieved December 10, 2021, from

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https://research.edgehill.ac.uk/ws/portalfiles/portal/20745067/Phelan_Confronting_Morta

lity_Moments_Author_Post_Print.pdf.

Wills, M. (2020, October 26). Does dark tourism exploit tragedy for profit? - JSTOR DAILY.

Daily Jstor. Retrieved December 10, 2021, from

https://daily.jstor.org/does-dark-tourism-exploit-tragedy-for-profit/.

Zeek, A. (2019, October 17). What you should know about the rise of Dark Tourism. News at IU.

Retrieved December 10, 2021, from

https://news.iu.edu/stories/2019/10/iupui/inside/17-what-you-should-know-rise-dark-tour

ism.html.