What’s with this boom in museums devoted to conflict and/or atrocities? “This mania for memorial museums is a sign of a society with an unhealthy obsession. These new museums indicate a desire to elevate the worst aspects of mankind’s history as a way to understand humanity today. Our pessimism-tinted spectacles distort how we interpret the past. These museums tend to downplay historical exhibits, since the aim is to make yesterday’s conflicts relevant to today.”