Something not to be proud of

Last week I attended a lecture on Japanese art in17th century, Edo period when children as young as 7 were working in the brothels. The speaker who was a Japanese woman with PhD was glorifying the period while showing the paintings of brothels at that time! Even several times while giggling! asking the audience "isn't it great?!" "isn't it wonderful?"! The audience who were mainly academics, students and art professionals were so unimpressed. At the end of lecture they did not wait for questions and answers and left the room in hurry. Just at that moment the speaker got it! and her facial expression was changed! The period that women and children working as the slaves was the norm and also the disease and misery were at the highest rate is definitely not something to be proud of.