24th August 2006, 08:55 PM
Have been heartily uplifted by working alongside some new diggers over the past year or so. With as little as a few months under their belt, most see the urine-poor state of what is laughingly described as a profession. Recently, one newbie expressed her anger at what she sees as endemic buck passing.We all know that British archaeology has some appalling problems.The young lady was infuriated to find that actually, no-one(according to established grown-ups) is to blame and further, any honest appraisals offered by field staff are ridiculed or ignored.The newbies I have been lucky enough to meet have been refreshingly militant in their outlook and are already on the warpath.Good! One main gripe that I hear regularly is the habit of spouting law in defence of the pantomime-"so and so clause says so and so". In the U.K today, there are plenty of people who can do as they please because parasite lawyers have left holes in law wide enough to drive Bliars mouth through it.It is a sad indictement that grown-up archaeologists today use the same approach and smugly brush aside all criticism and re-assert that all is well. The written word on paper does not excuse practise on the ground.The young uns are seeing through the smokescreens guys! I thought I would leave this thread open for newbies to voice their concerns openly so..... come on, what has fired you up?
..knowledge without action is insanity and action without knowledge is vanity..(imam ghazali,ayyuhal-walad)
..knowledge without action is insanity and action without knowledge is vanity..(imam ghazali,ayyuhal-walad)