Yikes. Scary.
I agree with your assessment, Melissa, and I'll go further to say that fawning and other forms of over-sentimentalizing definitely should not be part of the presentation. But to make a mockery of a loving family that was considered
too middle class by many of their relatives . . . that's swinging
way too much to the other side. C'mon, these were real people who lost just about everything--except for each other--beginning with their freedom, followed by a slow but steady erosion of their material comforts (who among us would appreciate similar restrictions and changes, hmm?), and eventually forfeiting their lives via a despicable, brutal act, their bodies disrespected and gruesomely discarded.
Yes, they had tremendous advantage and wealth all around them. But given the circumstances, N & A brought up their children as simply as they could, making sure to encourage modesty plus awareness of their priviledged circumstances. The older children already were, of their own volition, donating money to charities. Olga and Tatiana gave many hours to war work, and there is strong reason to believe that the three younger children also would have continued this pattern of charity, fueled by empathy, had they lived and their father continued to serve as Tsar. (Or even had they lived in reduced circumstances outside of Russia.)
I'm a docent at an historic house in California. We respect the lives of the people who once lived in the house; we absolutely do not belittle or disparage them. Otherwise, what a waste of time and energy for all concerned . . . and quite frankly, why even #$@! bother?
With regards to the Santa Fe exhibit, if certain docents (or all of them; could this be the fault of a training program?!) do not respect the people who endured house arrest and then were viciously slaughtered, those docents need to get back into their ricketly little Aeroflot time machines and return to Soviet Russia where they can receive all sorts of ticky-tacky medals for turning in mom and pop and otherwise exemplifying the Komosol ideal.
P.S. Before anybody in the U.S. gets smirky about the Romanov standard of living, may I remind them that we too have our contrasts of great wealth vs. people attempting to survive despite dire poverty and great despair? And here's yet another thought: Shall we run a check on the lifestyles of the folks associated with this exhibit and find out what aspects of their lives
they would be willing to forfeit?!
