Bad Table Manners and Hypocrisy

Coffee in the trenches

The stereotype of archaeologists is a dumpy bloke in shorts with a tangled and matted beard, and a baggy tasteless jumper. It seems we can add table manners to the list of things missing alongside sartorial elegance. On mentioning 'Profiling the Profession' on social media, followers of one thread learnt:

Jason Massey @jlmassey73 · 19 min
W odpowiedzi do @PortantIssues And you are not one of the 4425 professional are you . I mentioned your name to a top Archaeologists and he spat his coffee out and said one word... 'Joke'

Well of course I am not included in that document, it refers to the insular situation. I am grateful that I live and work in the EU. "Top archaeologists" who drink coffee with artefact hunters in the UK? I do not think that is anything to joke about, it is rather sad really.

I asked Mr Massey next time they have a cosy-cuddly tête-à-tête, to "tell him I said that when Poland ratified the 1992 Valetta 'Convention for the Protection of the Archaeological Heritage of Europe' (born of the abortive London Convention with the same aim), we meant it when we put our names under articles 3, 9(i) and 10. And archaeologists in the UK, what hypocrisy did they show in following suit 5 years later?" If he does that would no doubt be followed by more unhygienic coffee and spittle spray flying around Brexitdom as the "top arkie" tries to remember what the hell those ignored articles said?

 But no matter, within a few weeks, if 'the British people' have their way, he and the metal detectorists he supports will be well out of Europe and as the nation struggles to put right the mess leaving will create, there will be more pressing needs than such 'European nonsenses' like actually protecting the archaeological heritage in their territory. Britain has gone in a generation or two from a little island that used its influence over a huge number of other lands to loot the heritage of the rest of the world to fill its museums. Now it has declined to one who has lost all that influence, and British looters can only satisfy their lusts by grubbing out what's left of the island's own heritage, and the arkies will stand by and watch as they drink their coffee and chat amiably with the despoilers while deriding  whistleblowers ("Little Greta's got funny eyes and Barford,,, huh!").