On our recent group tour of Washington DC we dropped in at the National Museum of American History. Of course, there are many displays and videos detailing the founding of our nation and its progress. But the most popular attraction seemed to be the wing dedicated to artifacts from American entertainment legends.
Here you’ll find Archie Bunker’s chair from the “All in the Family” shows, Michael Jordan’s jersey, the red warm-up robe worn by Sylvester Stallone in the Rocky movies, the original Artoo Detoo and C3PO costumes from Star Wars, Mister Rogers red sweater, Superman’s skintight outfit and much more. It makes you realize how TV, movies and music have shaped our culture and our country.
So many heroes and celebrities are immortalized here. It’s easy to lose perspective that the real heroes are the moms and dads who work every day to raise good children, who volunteer for tasks that improve life for the less fortunate, who pay taxes and fees faithfully despite struggling with the cost of living. I couldn’t help feeling they should the ones honored in these glass display booths.
Sadly, I guess we don’t find them as interesting as one of Elvis’s guitars.