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Selfie stick bans go into effect at French, UK attractions

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Dalek

Member
Selfie stick bans go into effect at French, UK attractions

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PARIS (AP) — "Selfie sticks" have now been banned at a French palace and a British museum, joining a growing list of global tourist attractions to take such measures.

The devices are used to improve snapshots, but critics say they are obnoxious and potentially dangerous. Officials at Palace of Versailles outside Paris, and Britain's National Gallery in London, announced the bans Wednesday, saying they need to protect artworks and other visitors.

Other places that have put limits on the selfie-stick craze:

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FRANCE

Unlike Versailles, the Louvre and Centre Georges Pompidou art museums have not banned selfie sticks — yet. The Pompidou — the contemporary art museum whose exterior of colorful tubes and scaffolding looks like a building turned inside out — is studying what, if anything, needs to be done about the phenomenon, Le Monde reported.

Musee d'Orsay, which houses an Impressionist art collection, bans not just selfie sticks, but any photography whatsoever.

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ITALY

Rome's Colosseum banned selfie sticks last month as a security measure, both for the objects on exhibit inside and for the 16,000 daily visitors to the 2,000-year-old monument.

"The twirling around of hundreds of sticks can become unwittingly dangerous," Colosseum spokesman Christiano Brughitta said.

Two American tourists were arrested last week after carving their names into the Colosseum's wall — and then taking a photo with a selfie stick.

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UNITED STATES

The Smithsonian museums in Washington banned selfie sticks last week. Cameras and pictures are still allowed, but selfie sticks, tripods and monopods are not. Smithsonian officials say this is a preventative measure to protect visitors and museum objects.

Other U.S. museums that ban selfie sticks include the Art Institute of Chicago, the Detroit Institute of Arts, and New York's Museum of Modern Art and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

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AUSTRIA

Vienna's Albertina, one of the city's top art museums, prohibits selfie sticks. Museum spokeswoman Sarah Wulbrandt says visitors must check-in the sticks before entering.

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BRITAIN

Besides the National Gallery, some English soccer teams have banned the selfie stick from their stadiums.

The National Portrait Gallery, adjacent to the National Gallery, says the sticks are allowed, but "anything that may prove disruptive is reviewed on an ongoing basis." The British Museum is "currently reviewing" its selfie-stick policy.

Some art-lovers praised the idea of a ban.

"If you go into an exhibition, surely the purpose is to see what is on show and not to take umpteen photographs of yourself?" said Bill Doig, a retired doctor visiting the National Portrait Gallery.

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BRAZIL

Soccer stadiums in the South American country have also banned selfie sticks because of their potential use as weapons in fights between rival fans, police say. Selfie sticks were also banned from Brazil's recent Carnival parades in Rio de Janeiro.

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Get rid of it at theme parks please. So annoying to constantly be going on rides and some moron pulls out his selfie stick during some crazy moving ride. The whole thing screams safety hazard besides just looking stupid.
 

manueldelalas

Time Traveler
I'll never understand the hate for selfie sticks (I don't own one). I think it's incredibly convenient to take photos from an above the head height; very useful from what I've seen.
 

commedieu

Banned
I'll never understand the hate for selfie sticks (I don't own one). I think it's incredibly convenient to take photos from an above the head height; very useful from what I've seen.

I think they lead to people wanting to kick your ass. Why though? I don't know. but that is sure as heck the response.

Just seems harmless..
 
I don't care if you take selfies but these things are a nuisance in very busy public places. Not surprised.

A lady jabbed me once with her stick.
 
Holy shit, people seriously do that?

All the time. Got an idiot friend who does it also and constantly posts on Facebook. He will have his selfie stick out and going while on Space Mountain and Aerosmith Rocking Roller coaster. Lot of people are doing this, surprised no ones been seriously hurt by someone letting these things slip. At Disney you got to hide the sticks when getting on the rides as they dont let you bring it on, but it's easy to hide and ppl love to sneak em on.
 

Hilbert

Deep into his 30th decade
They look silly, but are they really a danger to other people or artwork? I don't really think so. The ban is dumb IMO.
 

Alx

Member
Museums should go old school and hire people to take pictures of tourists. Maybe have it as a paid option with the tickets, like audioguides. That way they would have better control of the procedure (no flash...) and the crowd, and the tourists would probably get better pictures. Win - win.
 

Ray Wonder

Founder of the Wounded Tagless Children
I went to Disneyland last month and you can barely move from everyone standing around and posing with these fucking things.

Wow, I didn't know they took off like that. I thought they were still a niche thing. I don't leave my house unless I'm starving, or want to drink though. So. I'm not a good judge of that stuff.
 
I wish this was in effect when I was in France last fall. First time I saw one was near Notre Dam and I was in more awe about the stick than the church.

Not really
.


They look silly, but are they really a danger to other people or artwork? I don't really think so. The ban is dumb IMO.

Having to navigate tourism crowds with selfie sticks is the real crime. Lol
 
Never been a fan of the selfie and when I see a selfie stick being used I see it as a useful visual clue that anyone owning or using one is of below par IQ. However having said that I do not agree with them being banned. The Selfie stick isn't "harmful" no one has died from using a selfie stick so they pose no harm.

Think this is another case of "I don't like something so ban it".
 

Floridian

Member
All the time. Got an idiot friend who does it also and constantly posts on Facebook. He will have his selfie stick out and going while on Space Mountain and Aerosmith Rocking Roller coaster. Lot of people are doing this, surprised no ones been seriously hurt by someone letting these things slip. At Disney you got to hide the sticks when getting on the rides as they dont let you bring it on, but it's easy to hide and ppl love to sneak em on.

One day, god forbid they'll be a fatal accident involving them.
 

Fuu

Formerly Alaluef (not Aladuf)
I have absolutely nothing against the sticks and they have been useful for my peers at parties when everyone wants to take a fun picture together.

However, with the reports of people being clumsy with sticks (or tripods, etc) in museums and damaging pieces, plus it being used as means to harm others during stadium fights (dumb shit that happens too often here), I think there are indeed places where it's becoming inappropriate and that it should be dealt with accordingly as it became pervasive.
 
I can see why they would be banned at theme parks, but museums too?

Stuff like tripods are already banned in a lot of museums. People end up being clumsy with stuff like that so it's a danger to the exhibits.

Also it makes navigating the rooms a huge pain when people are setting up tripods or holding sticks up all over the place.
 
Stuff like tripods are already banned in a lot of museums. People end up being clumsy with stuff like that so it's a danger to the exhibits.

Also it makes navigating the rooms a huge pain when people are setting up tripods or holding sticks up all over the place.

Ah, ok then.
 
Never been a fan of the selfie and when I see a selfie stick being used I see it as a useful visual clue that anyone owning or using one is of below par IQ. However having said that I do not agree with them being banned. The Selfie stick isn't "harmful" no one has died from using a selfie stick so they pose no harm.

Think this is another case of "I don't like something so ban it".

Sounds like you haven't been smacked in the head by one.
 

entremet

Member
You have no idea. Last summer some chick smashed one into my face at a museum in a crowded area and that was when these things were still very niche.

I used to work near Parliament square, coming out of Westminster underground I would always nearly get smashed in the face everyday.

Pretty crazy. I see these all the time, but they never seem to get in my way.
 
I can see this in situations where it might be dangerous (ie. on a roller coaster), but otherwise people need to chill the fuck out.

All y'all against this are just getting old and crotchety. I'm also old and crotchety, and don't even have a phone capable taking pictures of myself, but there is nothing wrong with people wanting to take pics of themselves without bothering others.
 

UrokeJoe

Member
I went to Disneyland last month and you can barely move from everyone standing around and posing with these fucking things.

Witnessed the same thing. It was ridiculous. I saw a girl shove hers right in a park photographers face while he was doing his job.
 

mdubs

Banned
For real

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Unless they have photographers standing around to help you take your picture, this seems unnecessary.
 
I can see this in situations where it might be dangerous (ie. on a roller coaster), but otherwise people need to chill the fuck out.

All y'all against this are just getting old and crotchety. I'm also old and crotchety, and don't even have a phone capable taking pictures of myself, but there is nothing wrong with people wanting to take pics of themselves without bothering others.

In the confined space of a museum people using these things can definitely bother others, and people can get clumsy with them pretty easily.

This has proven to be an issue with tripods in museums in the past. This is a pretty similar issue, likely a bit more bothersome/dangerous than tripods, actually.
 

Pochacco

asking dangerous questions
I wouldn't risk losing my phone for a shot like that, but gotta admit that it's a really cool photo.


I like selfie sticks. It's a good invention.
Enables loners to take photos of themselves when they otherwise couldn't.
Enables groups to include everyone in the photo. Ever notice how everyone looks SO HAPPY in selfie stick photos? It's because there's a novelty factor... usually that would be a negative thing, but when you're taking photos, it's a positive.

That said, they gotta be used responsibly. If they aren't, then ban 'em.
 
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