49 Amazon warehouse tours: Rugeley, UK or virtual tour
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Adam Lynes
Abstract
As of 2022 the world’s, the world’s richest man and founder of Amazon, Jeff Bezos, is fervently working to propel himself from the already lofty heights of the exclusive and elite metropolitan clouds (Atkinson, 2014) and towards the stars. This endeavour is rather indicative of the type of character needed in order to ascend to the very top of the economic ladder – a person who sees no obstacle or barrier insurmountable in the quest to enjoy all life’s pleasures and possible experiences, no matter the cost. In many ways Bezos is the natural and inevitable result of the ever pervasive and all-encompassing neoliberal philosophy that we exist within today.
Neoliberalism sees competition as the defining and most significant characteristic of human relations. It re-orientates individuals as consumers, whose democratic choices are best exercised by buying and selling, a process that rewards merit and punishes ineffectiveness (Monibot, 2016). It maintains that “the market” delivers benefits that could never otherwise be achieved – especially by a state which takes a more proactive and regulatory role in its economy. Attempts to limit competition are treated as hostile to liberty. Tax and regulation should be minimised, and public services such as the prison sector or health service should be privatised. The organisation of labour and collective bargaining by trade unions are portrayed as market distortions that obstruct and hinder the development of a natural hierarchy of “winners” and “losers”. This, we can see, was one of the lasting legacies of then Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, who weakened the power of unions in the 1980s (Young, 1999)
Abstract
As of 2022 the world’s, the world’s richest man and founder of Amazon, Jeff Bezos, is fervently working to propel himself from the already lofty heights of the exclusive and elite metropolitan clouds (Atkinson, 2014) and towards the stars. This endeavour is rather indicative of the type of character needed in order to ascend to the very top of the economic ladder – a person who sees no obstacle or barrier insurmountable in the quest to enjoy all life’s pleasures and possible experiences, no matter the cost. In many ways Bezos is the natural and inevitable result of the ever pervasive and all-encompassing neoliberal philosophy that we exist within today.
Neoliberalism sees competition as the defining and most significant characteristic of human relations. It re-orientates individuals as consumers, whose democratic choices are best exercised by buying and selling, a process that rewards merit and punishes ineffectiveness (Monibot, 2016). It maintains that “the market” delivers benefits that could never otherwise be achieved – especially by a state which takes a more proactive and regulatory role in its economy. Attempts to limit competition are treated as hostile to liberty. Tax and regulation should be minimised, and public services such as the prison sector or health service should be privatised. The organisation of labour and collective bargaining by trade unions are portrayed as market distortions that obstruct and hinder the development of a natural hierarchy of “winners” and “losers”. This, we can see, was one of the lasting legacies of then Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, who weakened the power of unions in the 1980s (Young, 1999)
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents v
- List of figures x
- About the editors xi
- Acknowledgements xiii
- Introduction 1
- Cocaine Bear: Fun Mall, Lexington, Kentucky, USA 9
- Whitney Plantation: New Orleans, Louisiana, USA 14
- National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution: Washington, DC, USA 24
- From Newgate Prison to Tyburn Tree: the Old Bailey, London, UK 29
- Jack the Ripper tour: Whitechapel, London, UK 35
- The Alcatraz East Crime Museum: Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, USA 41
- The Museum of Death: Hollywood, Los Angeles, USA 50
- The Royal Armouries Museum: Leeds, UK 55
- The Black Dahlia tour: Los Angeles, California, USA 59
- The ‘Execution Dock’: Wapping, East London, UK 65
- Auschwitz: Oświęcim, Poland 71
- Jeju 4:3 memorial: Jeju Island, South Korea 80
- Museum Dr. Guislain: Ghent, Belgium 88
- Karosta Prison Hotel: Liepāja, Latvia 92
- The Clink prison-based restaurant: Brixton, London, UK 98
- The 9/11 memorial and museum: New York, New York, USA 104
- The Tuol Sleng Museum of Genocidal Crimes: Phnom Penh, Cambodia 107
- Choeung Ek killing field: Phnom Penh, Cambodia 116
- Blue lights in the Red Light District: Amsterdam, the Netherlands 122
- Trophy hunting: sub-Saharan Africa 128
- ‘The ugly side to the beautiful game’: Qatar 135
- Burning Man festival: Black Rock Desert, Nevada, USA 140
- Magaluf: Majorca 147
- ‘Holiday Hooters’: Hong Kong 153
- Scilla: Calabria, Italy 159
- The Kray twins tours: London, UK 165
- Backpacking in the outback: Uluru, Northern Territory, Australia 171
- The hippie trail: Nepal, South Asia 177
- The Museum of Confiscated Art: Brest, Belarus 182
- Steroid holidays: Sharm El Sheikh, Sinai Peninsula, Egypt 187
- The souks: Tunis, Tunisia 194
- Mezhyhirya Residence Museum: Novi Petrivtsi, Ukraine 200
- The great British seaside: various locations, UK 207
- The Biggie mural: Brooklyn, New York, USA 213
- The Rebus guided tour: Edinburgh, UK 217
- Volunteer tourism – ‘doing it for the ’gram’: Cambodia, Southeast Asia 223
- The staycation: home 230
- The ‘suicide forest’: Aokigahara, Japan 235
- Pitcairn Island: Pitcairn Islands, Pacific Ocean 245
- Favela tours: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 251
- Skid Row walking tours: Los Angeles, California, USA 258
- The 2019–20 anti-extradition protests: Hong Kong 264
- The Maldives: Republic of Maldives, Indian Ocean 271
- Death Road: La Paz to Coroico, Bolivia 276
- Vulture brains and muthi markets: Johannesburg, South Africa 282
- Dark tourism, ecocide and Alpine ski resorts: the Alps, Europe 288
- Boho Zone: Middlesbrough, UK 293
- One Hyde Park: London, UK 299
- Amazon warehouse tours: Rugeley, UK or virtual tour 305
- Disney World: Orlando, Florida, USA 315
- Conclusion 322
- References 325
- Index 394
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents v
- List of figures x
- About the editors xi
- Acknowledgements xiii
- Introduction 1
- Cocaine Bear: Fun Mall, Lexington, Kentucky, USA 9
- Whitney Plantation: New Orleans, Louisiana, USA 14
- National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution: Washington, DC, USA 24
- From Newgate Prison to Tyburn Tree: the Old Bailey, London, UK 29
- Jack the Ripper tour: Whitechapel, London, UK 35
- The Alcatraz East Crime Museum: Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, USA 41
- The Museum of Death: Hollywood, Los Angeles, USA 50
- The Royal Armouries Museum: Leeds, UK 55
- The Black Dahlia tour: Los Angeles, California, USA 59
- The ‘Execution Dock’: Wapping, East London, UK 65
- Auschwitz: Oświęcim, Poland 71
- Jeju 4:3 memorial: Jeju Island, South Korea 80
- Museum Dr. Guislain: Ghent, Belgium 88
- Karosta Prison Hotel: Liepāja, Latvia 92
- The Clink prison-based restaurant: Brixton, London, UK 98
- The 9/11 memorial and museum: New York, New York, USA 104
- The Tuol Sleng Museum of Genocidal Crimes: Phnom Penh, Cambodia 107
- Choeung Ek killing field: Phnom Penh, Cambodia 116
- Blue lights in the Red Light District: Amsterdam, the Netherlands 122
- Trophy hunting: sub-Saharan Africa 128
- ‘The ugly side to the beautiful game’: Qatar 135
- Burning Man festival: Black Rock Desert, Nevada, USA 140
- Magaluf: Majorca 147
- ‘Holiday Hooters’: Hong Kong 153
- Scilla: Calabria, Italy 159
- The Kray twins tours: London, UK 165
- Backpacking in the outback: Uluru, Northern Territory, Australia 171
- The hippie trail: Nepal, South Asia 177
- The Museum of Confiscated Art: Brest, Belarus 182
- Steroid holidays: Sharm El Sheikh, Sinai Peninsula, Egypt 187
- The souks: Tunis, Tunisia 194
- Mezhyhirya Residence Museum: Novi Petrivtsi, Ukraine 200
- The great British seaside: various locations, UK 207
- The Biggie mural: Brooklyn, New York, USA 213
- The Rebus guided tour: Edinburgh, UK 217
- Volunteer tourism – ‘doing it for the ’gram’: Cambodia, Southeast Asia 223
- The staycation: home 230
- The ‘suicide forest’: Aokigahara, Japan 235
- Pitcairn Island: Pitcairn Islands, Pacific Ocean 245
- Favela tours: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 251
- Skid Row walking tours: Los Angeles, California, USA 258
- The 2019–20 anti-extradition protests: Hong Kong 264
- The Maldives: Republic of Maldives, Indian Ocean 271
- Death Road: La Paz to Coroico, Bolivia 276
- Vulture brains and muthi markets: Johannesburg, South Africa 282
- Dark tourism, ecocide and Alpine ski resorts: the Alps, Europe 288
- Boho Zone: Middlesbrough, UK 293
- One Hyde Park: London, UK 299
- Amazon warehouse tours: Rugeley, UK or virtual tour 305
- Disney World: Orlando, Florida, USA 315
- Conclusion 322
- References 325
- Index 394