Response to An Interview with Dean MacCannell

This article was very interesting for me even right from the beginning when Dean is talking about the way that the leisure class has changed since World War I but I really liked what he was saying about how people cherish their downtime.  In fact people today find their identities more in what they do as a hobby than they do from work or their families.  Reading this was very disappointing but I completely agree with it.  Its sad to think that we live in a world where that many people are stressed out by their jobs to the point where they don't even enjoy it anymore. Same goes for time spent with family, these shouldn't be seen as "chores" but in today's modern age they are which is why everyone strives for that hard to reach leisure time.

The next question disappoints me a little as well, Dean talks about how people when planning a vacation try to go for a package deal somewhere, so they can sit back and be entertained 24/7.  But I think vacationing should be about creating new adventures. Having experiences that you can't really plan out, they just happen.  So I guess I was leaning more toward the tourism side then leisure since the beginning of this project which makes sense since my Neverland had to be traveled to and discovered in Golden Gate Park and Land's End.  As Dean says just as much work goes into being a tourist as being at work; planning, organizing, physical effort and deprivation all take part.

The final part of this article that really resonated with me is when Dean was talking about how tourist attractions are becoming more aware that they're destinations are vacation getaways and taking control of that by outreaching beyond their own walls to heighten the experience of what they have to offer, this includes the architecture of their buildings and getting involved in any festivities happening around them.  Its just funny how its coming from both ends and tourists just eat it up.  Very interesting intreview that I have saved and will probably visit again in the near future, maybe even buy his book!