Article Reference HERE: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6469941.stm

In a desperate attempt to get people to flock to the Grand Canyon and, more importantly, shell out money they may or may not have, Las Vegas Business Tycoon David Jin has figured out a brilliant idea (and it IS brilliant)….let’s suspend people over it and have them look straight down.

Would someone PLEASE hand me a barf bag?

I get terrible vertigo…which is hilarious for an ex-Air Force guy…but I do. i can’t begin to imagine stepping out in mid-air over a 4000 (sic.) foot drop…I don’t care how secure it’s supposed to be…it just ain’t happening.

But on a completely different objection I can’t help but feel this is a gross exploitation of the Hualapai Tribe. Unlike the casinos (which the exploitation debate still rages about…but has done very good for a few tribes), this is an exercise in diminishing returns. This is novelty…which Las Vegas (obviously the primary feeder market) lives on, true…which after a while will fail to produce in any meaningful way. The art of the novelty is tried and true…from P.T. Barnum to Fred Thompson to Dr. Fad (creator of the Wacky Wall Walker) there is a history of people making fortunes on a product that is as disposable as the cardboard in a center of toilet paper. The trick to a novelty is for it to keep reinventing itself or its purpose to keep it fresh. Sadly, this is something which once the novelty wears off is not going anywhere and the people who are counting on it for jobs and livelihood (read: the Hualapai Tribe) are going to have their asses handed to them on a long-glass platter while the financiers (who will certainly be taking their cut early and often) move on to the next big thing.

Don’t mistake my cynicism for disapproval of a capitalist move…it’s not, I’ve often preached that a sucker and his money were lucky to get together in the first place…but to hang the future of your people on a gimmick is foolhardy at best and criminal at worse. To be the guy who sold them this bill of goods as being the way out of poverty is traitorous.

Finally, let’s discuss a final fact…the Grand Canyon has been a huge draw in and of itself for years (it’s hard to miss, gorgeous to look at, and FREE for all), but tragically has lost visitors year after year to other forms of entertainment (the Great Family Roadtrip is dead if you hadn’t heard, I’m sorry for your loss). While I DO believe this dizzying bastardization of the American Dream will draw people for a few years to come, and millions of folks (if they’re lucky) will pay their toll to step out onto the edge of oblivion and stare into the canyon and only birds and David Copperfield have previously, I’m afraid it too will slowly go the way of the Wacky Wall Walker and become trite and unfulfilling as kids move on to the next Wii craze. And, unlike the Dr. Fad’s masterpiece, this novelty won’t fit into a cereal box to eke out a few extra bucks for its creators.

If you don’t believe me, I’ve got a bridge in Arizona to sell you.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 20th, 2007 at 10:08 am and is filed under Editorial. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.