22nd September 2010, 03:40 PM
Steven Wrote:Hi
Does anybody think that many people working in say, a supermarket stacking shelves, or crouched over a conveyor belt on a production line, if they read this type of post (and responses) might just ask?
If some archaeologists on this forum are so pi**ed off with archaeology and they see it in such a jaded manner, why don't they just f**k off and leave it to the ones who enjoy it? Why do they continue? Is it that they are a bunch of whingers who think their special because they are lucky enough to work in a job must people dream of?"
Even more, they might ask themselves:
"Why do other people on this forum put up with such a miserable bunch of losers who think the world revolves around their opinions when nobody sensible puts up with people like that in the pub?"
They might also think:
"Get a life, nothings perfect and just be pleased you don't have to do the early shift on the line checking that each suppository capsule hasn't leaked and then counting ten into each box, you crowd of .... etc...etc"
:face-stir:
They probably do, but that wasn't really the point of Unit's original post, which was (and apologies to Unit if I mis-interpret it) a wry (I think that's the correct term to describe all of his outpourings) look at the way in which commercial archaeology is managed to within an inch of its life for the most mundane of discoveries while some bloke with a metal detector who, quite wisely, wants to remain anonymous, can have everyone wetting themselves over his not properly provenanced/heavily restored before anyone could look at it/bit of treasure (that isn't really treasure)/that he found in what circumstances we don't really no/with no context/no archive/no proper investigation/may dissappear into private hands etc etc.
I just thought it was an amusing summary of the day to day world of archaeology. Would you need to write a pithy account of life stacking shelves in a supermarket? Probably not. Are there people sitting around in their canteen complaining about how rubbish their job is (whatever it may be) somewhere. Almost certainly yes. But are some of their colleagues thinking, why don't you shut up winging about it, I quite enjoy it etc etc. Again, probably yes. I love what I do, but it doesn't mean I don't feel the urge to think it's a bit shite sometimes.
Perhaps the findings of commercial archaeology should be dealt with in a similar way - we won't hand them over until we've drummed up a load of additional cash from the general public. Except, no-one would care.