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+--- Thread: The Silver Lining? (/showthread.php?tid=3635)
The Silver Lining? - Doug - 14th December 2010
The title, silver lining, is in reference to all the bad news coming down the pipeline e.g. increased students fees, Essex council unit for sale/give away, funding cuts for heritage, etc. etc. etc.
I am wondering if anyone sees some good coming out of what I think we all are in agreement is a real s*** storm for archaeology?
I would be interested to see what anyone has to say bitter and sarcastic }
or thoughtful and insightful 
ether one depending on your mood.
The Silver Lining? - Doug - 14th December 2010
The way I see it is that a lot of resources, in the form of government support, has gone away and probably will not be coming back for a at least a decade if it comes back at all. There are now hundreds of unemployed archaeologists and this is probably only going to go up.
I see it going two ways: 1. those archaeologists who are out of jobs will drop out of archaeology and find jobs somewhere else. Happens all the time and is not such a bad thing. Though the loss of so many and their skills could hurt the field. Furthermore, if they leave bitter and mad then archaeology has done a disservice to them and turned what could be life long supporters into life long haters.
2. These people stay in archaeology by finding new ways to support themselves and continue the work. I think this could be really interesting if archaeology moves in other directions that can support it. I saw a recent stat that in the US the history channel out of the 1000+ channels on cable/satellite services was one of the top channels that people could not live without and why they paid the extra fee. There appears to be a market maybe we start seeing some laid off archaeologists making ether their own channel or shows. We expand our outreach and insure that their jobs for the next generation of archaeologists.
It could be TV it could be teaching it could be anything as long as we move in a new direction or expand ones currently underused.
Of course this might not happen and option 1. occurs but if option 2. happens then I think there will be a silver lining to the s*** storm happening right now
The Silver Lining? - ginger - 14th December 2010
just add about the student fees, can anyone lend me the 10 grand i need to get my msc from oxford?! lol maybe i should get on tv! id be alright then! lol :face-stir:
The Silver Lining? - GnomeKing - 15th December 2010
there is no silver lining
act now or never