Tuesday 16 April 2013

Portable Antiquities Society Threatens Heritage Critics - Again


On Wednesday in an interesting candid discussion, an archaeologist resident in Poland asked the lady from the PAS whether in her opinion an archaeologist based in Britain could allow himself to be a free-speaking critic of artefact hunting and policies about it as himself. After a moment's reflection, she admitted that in the circumstances, it was pretty unlikely. As if in illustration of that, the Portable Antiquities Society (nota bene) forum had a series of posts about what would happen when "Barford comes to our shores". Let it be noted that the trip was at the invitation of a heritage group attached to a British academic institution addressed to a colleague to invite him to come over and conduct a discussion in an academic setting of certain issues raised earlier. T2man thinks of it more in relationship to metal detecting and [Mon Apr 08, 2013 7:22 am] expresses the hope that:
a few people can meet him for a chat. ['evil' emoticon]
The forum's administrator responded [Mon Apr 08, 2013 10:40 am - nota bene: the same individual on the same day sent a comment to this blog indicating he would be at the seminar]:
I'm sure we can arrange a special greeting for him, when he leaves the building
Member "Charleyboy" shouts [Tue Apr 09, 2013 11:30 am]
HERES YOUR CHANCE STEVE. :)
presumably this refers to the member calling himself "Steve the Barford Slayer" who then [Tue Apr 09, 2013 8:23 pm ] replied
Word is already out on the street, should be interesting!
Member "Nero" apparently approves [Sun Apr 14, 2013 8:45 pm]
Well what does Barfart expect if he comes over here, after slagging us off for so long. 
On Sunday [April 14, 2013 9:09 pm] "Chainmail" adds about the illicitly-taken images of me he'd been disseminating:
He will return, at least now everyone knows what he looks like, even his fellow Poles. So I would be a very worried man. [The post is signed "Steve the Barford slayer"].
One "Fred" is also pleased the detectorists have a copy of a recent photo of the preservation advocate [Mon Apr 15, 2013 5:59 am]  
Let's hope the photo doesn't fall into the hands of the Italian mafia who also like to collect art.
Cheltenham metal detectorist "Chainmail" (Steve Taylor) makes a number of nonsensical accusations and then blatantly threatens to visit Heritage Action's Nigel Swift at home and beat him up [Sun Apr 14, 2013 6:42 pm]:
Perhaps I should publish your home address on line, along with young Nigel's ! but I don't expect we will hear much from him as he only lives a 40 minute drive away, just a little bit too close for comfort, and I would hate to have to squash his nose!
I assume the reason why Mr Swift is the intended victim of this threatened attack is because he did the maths for the Heritage Action Artefact Erosion Counter. 

We get this all the time of course in the Bach Appreciation Society. The melomanic thugs of the Chopin Lovers Association are always threatening our members like that over their critical approach to the blatant way the latter composer 'borrowed' from folk melodies. The 2010 Cheltenham Ladies Club Punchup also comes to mind - when the William Wordsworth Society met the supporters of Alfred Lord Tennyson and bicycle chains and cudgels were used when a disagreement broke out over the true meaning of the word "enwrought". The discussion of the British cultural heritage nowadays is full of similar outbreaks of violence and blatant threats, hardly a week goes by without one cultural heritage group or other threatening to beat up, shoot or stab their critics. This has somewhat tended to lead to a stilting of the once so-vibrant cultural debate in the British Isles of course as British society comes to terms with the fact that yob-culture has even taken over parts of the cultural debate.

Nevertheless amid this moral and intellectual decline it seems to me that, instead of name-calling and threats, a more appropriate response from Britain's metal detectorists and their partner the Portable Antiquities Scheme to a blog called "Portable Antiquity Collecting and Heritage Issues" and "Heritage Journal" and an April  UCS Heritage group seminar would be to address the issues raised about the effects of current policies on artefact hunting on the archaeological resource.  

UPDATE 17th April 2013:
The observant reader following the above links will now note that several of the posts quoted above have either been deleted or modified by their authors. We still await however a proper discussion of the issues from these people. I would say that the intellectual level of the alterations suggests that interested parties may have a very long wait.

UPDATE 27th June 2013:
It seems its not just British detectorists that have their hate-ins.  ("The FMDAC Convention & a Chance to Come Together…), "After 20 plus years of stupid hatred for each other it is great to see the NEW FMDAC shaking off their destructive history and seeking to come together with similar organizations.. "


5 comments:

domino said...

Ha Ha Ha, We are going to have some fun now Paul, now we have your picture. Copyright free I may add!

Paul Barford said...

Is that ANOTHER threat Mr Taylor?

Nobody is talking about copyright, but anti-social and threatening behaviour by members of the metal detecting community.

Paul Barford said...

http://portableantiquitiessociety.bb3host.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=302

"Paul tries to dismiss all this as nonsensical accusations, then all I can say is stick the posts back up Paul, for everyone to read"

1) I sent nobody nowhere. There is therefore nothing for me to "stick back up for everyone to read".

2) I have no idea who your ex-employers are/were, and even if I did have no interest in ever phoning them up. There is therefore nothing for me to "stick back up for everyone to read". But you had better be sure of your facts before making such an accusation.

3) I have not "stolen" anything from you or done any of the other things you accuse me of. There is therefore nothing for me to "stick back up for everyone to read". But you had better be sure of your facts before making such an accusation.

These are nonsensical accusations of a paranoid self-obsessed individual. I note the dropping of the equally nonsensical paranoid accusation that I "hacked' your computer to insert an image into it) which even you now see was a misinterpreation of your own mistake.

I suggest you go to a specialist before you do somebody any more harm. You are obviously a highly disturbed individual.

domino said...

Spin on it Barfart, I will nail you with your own fucking blog.

Paul Barford said...

That'll be Steve "How to Win Friends and Impress People" Taylor I guess, writing under one of his myriad weirdo invented identities.

Why not try to stop trying to "nail" other people and get on with a normal life? Get professional help before it's not too late.

 
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