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+--- Thread: And in conclusion! (/showthread.php?tid=1858)
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And in conclusion! - trowelhead - 8th April 2005
Disappointed has hit the nail right on the head and represents the feelings of today?s archaeologist.
I have heard a lot of talk here over the last week much of it trustafarian "we have to do this rather than work for the man, have you seen my anti capitalism t-shirt, archaeology?s a way of life I love swampy" talk, which quite honestly never does us any favours on site. Certainly when the site engineers and architects etc see a bunch of pierced hippies with dreadlocks swanning around on site its a wonder why archaeology is in the state its in.
Yet even with all this fanciful talk and polls and IFA chat behind the scenes archaeology isn?t going to change. In the last five years nothing significant has changed I even went to Ireland to sample archaeology over there but to no avail and wrote about my experiences with M Gowan and Co in the Digger some time ago "Irish Nightmare".
As long as you have a group of people with a passion for something you have another group willing to take advantage of that.
And you! You know who you are. your all the managers/directors of the Units out there from A to Z who hold the personal responsibility for the state of archaeology in this country.
It?s not the legislation the ppgs and government help or hindrance, we could work with that and attempt to make change. Its about the conditions, the awful conditions Units, and every one of them is guilty, make us work in, all the poor pay and exploitation that quite frankly would land you court in the real working world. Why do we not complain! To the Unit don?t make me laugh we?d never dig again, blacklisted! Its a very small world this archaeology business.
Promotion laughable! Too many ivory towers have been built and god forbid someone should come up the ladder and threaten the position of some manager lacking in confidence. That?s were the being ignored on site stems from. Its a fear, its a fear of being discovered as underneath all that pomposity their just the same just as scared and insecure as everybody else in this awful business. So you?re all to blame Diggers to Unit directors. We should all take a go look at ourselves and put up or shut up.
I think at the end of the day we are all like heroin addicts trying to chase that first hit but never reaching it no matter how hard we try? And that first hit is this:
Its that barmy summer dig we all did at Uni when the wine was flowing and the erb was smellin fine and we all attempted to set the world to rights.. We didn?t care if we were getting paid coz we were archaeologists man! doing it all not for the money but for the love of it.
We were a happy few with another party filled year of uni to look forward to. We were all camped away in our little haven where the concerns of the world could not touch us for the few weeks we had. Our only concern was the steady supply of booze and puff and if we could get off with someone. Its this collection of emotions we continue to chase after we enter the real world of contract archaeology and for a time we think its everything we wanted? but only for a time?
And in conclusion! - troll - 8th April 2005
What an extraordinary performance. To your first paragraph-bo***cks.To the third-agree. To the seventh paragraph-no we`re not.To the last two-I was never party to a hybrid episode of Benny Hill and the Young Ones. Sounds like you need to vent verily! As an aside, what makes you think that wearing a three-foot length of patterned material in a knot around the throat is some kind of guarantee of professionalism, competence and worthyness? Take time out mate-It`s getting to you.....
And in conclusion! - the invisible man - 8th April 2005
Been a bad day on site then, Trowelhead?
I think you must be lacking in the substances you mention (whatever they are...)}
And in conclusion! - troll - 8th April 2005
Think we may be experiencing a good example of the need to re-assess university marking systems and entry requirements onto live sites...:face-confused:
And in conclusion! - amber - 8th April 2005
Trowelhead and dissapointed are dead right. I left for the exact same reasons, good luck in the dentistry btw - am tackling law, for my sins.
Basically, units charge to little for their services. What's wrong with a little back-door price fixing, ay?
I'd do it.
As for Troll and Invisible Man; there is nothing worse than a supervisor/po/suit feeling like a lowly digger has said something clever than him. It's not a pretty sight.[:p]
And in conclusion! - Pete M - 8th April 2005
One thing archaeologists have is that they are archaeologists, and lots of people (as we all know) 'have always wanted to be an archaeologist'.
I suggest a scheme along the lines of multi-coloured swap-shop (showing my age) - say an architect fancies being an archaeologists, and an archaeologist want to be an architect - they spend a while teaching each other the practicalities of the job, then just swap (50K for 15K included). OK, there are flaws in the plan, but you never know - with archaeology being a bit of a 'dream' occupation, there may just be enough mugs out there!
Pete
And in conclusion! - BAJR Host - 8th April 2005
Apart from making me go all misty eyed... the erb the drink the girls........ to anyone who knows me... I apologise... names have been changed in my biography!!
However I do think the nail that needs prised up and rethought is the one concerning perception and preconceptions. Along with that is a power that we all have and can use... no workers no dig.
I am doing the best I can... the wages go up... bit by bit... hte next thing I will work on is conditions... but here I will need your help... there is no point in forcing the issue on sick pay... if people will work without it. No point in BAJR asking for PPE provided by teh Unit if people do not back me up.
So whats it to be??
And in conclusion! - BAJR Host - 8th April 2005
Apart from making me go all misty eyed... the erb the drink the girls........ to anyone who knows me... I apologise... names have been changed in my biography!!
However I do think the nail that needs prised up and rethought is the one concerning perception and preconceptions. Along with that is a power that we all have and can use... no workers no dig.
I am doing the best I can... the wages go up... bit by bit... hte next thing I will work on is conditions... but here I will need your help... there is no point in forcing the issue on sick pay... if people will work without it. No point in BAJR asking for PPE provided by teh Unit if people do not back me up.
So whats it to be??
And in conclusion! - troll - 8th April 2005
Amber-I am a lowly digger and proud of it.Championing the cause for substance abuse and humping is not clever when Trowelhead clearly had good things to say. Kind of similar to laying a good dinner table then shi**ing on it before the guests arrive.....
And in conclusion! - the invisible man - 9th April 2005
And I'm not even a lowly digger! You only have to click on profile to find that out.
I agree, Amber, and I have made the point on numerous posts, that the root of the problem is that archaeology is undervalued: contracting units could probably double their tenders without the national economy collapsing or development grinding to a halt. Then they can employ (most) staff permanently and include elements of on the job training. like a real profession. Of course they all have to do it at once. The reason they pay so low is because they can.
Pete - I don't know who told you about architects getting 50k! A principal of a successful commercial firm might get that, or a lot more, or a lot less.