Metaphoric Rocks

The theme is repeated time again the relationship between tourism and EmerAgency. It seems that Gregory, L.Ulmer firmly backed the idea that the American national identity could be build somehow through the tourist inventions. Ulmer stated that "the EmerAgency is not tourism, but tourism is a "relay," an analogy (in a CATTt generator) for an Internet-deconstructed consultancy - in particular that inventive aspect of tourism that produces some of the emblems of our collective identity" (31).In page 9, Ulmer also stressed that "MEmorialization is not tourism, but tourism is an analogy for how the EmerAgency uses the information superhighway to participate in public problem solving.
From Mount Rushmore to Florida Rushmore, the value of tourist monument seems to be well established and recognized among the American people.The memorial marks the end of something and the beginning of something else and forces people to confront what they might have already forgotten or would not like to confront and start them to rethink the passed.
This chapter also brings me some remote memory back to my childhood. There was a big bronze sculpture, Yang Jingyu, a hero dead in resisting the invasion of Japanese fascist in the WWII. It is located in a Martyr Park specially for memorizing of the great man.It is said that the General organized many battles against the enemies and gave a deadly stroke to the Japanese army then. However, due to blockage and the shortage of necessary food, he had to command the major army to move north and led in person a small branch to retreat east into deep forests in a cold winter. Unfortunately, he was besieged by the heavy army and shot to death after more than a month's fighting and resisting. When the Japanese Chief cut his stomach, he was stunned and called the unyielding General "God" since he found only cottons from the thick clothes, barks from trees and the roots of grass digging out deeply from under the snow.
The following is the picture and sculpture of the General.


After the war, the place he sacrificed his life was named "Jingyu" county, which is also the birthplace of mine. The memorial built for him is a reminder of the General, also a reminder of the mournful history.
Ulmer believed that "a nation is an idea - an idea with history"(10) and "monuments are to a nation what the superego is to an individual"(14). The carved or sculptured memorials would no doubt promote the collective identity and unity of a nation, just like the Mount Rushmore or the sculpture of the General.Ulmer also believed that an electronic Rushmore would produce a mourning identification that is flexible and diverse rather than one that is carved in the stone(14). I suppose there are two main reasons for Ulmer to say so: one is that it could be established by you and me, the common people instead of merely fine artists; the other is that via the electronic monuments, the spreading of the idea is beyond the limitation of time and space. Most of all, it is a time for action instead of viewing as an outsider.