Thursday 6 December 2012

One-Sided take on Corruption

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Ever-willing to snipe at what he does not understand, Lobboblogger has another go at his clients' imagined enemy: 
It's interesting to see where the archaeological lobby's models stack up on Transparency International's 2012 Corruption Perception Index:  Bulgaria-75; China-80; Cyprus-29; Egypt-118, Greece-94; Italy-72 and Turkey-54. 
I have myself discussed this organization's versions of "perceptions" of corruption.  It's anyone's guess what the coineyblogger means by "the archaeological lobby's models", very few of the models in contemporary anglo-America archaeology come from Bulgaria or China.

In my earlier discussion of the figures over a year ago, (Tuesday, 25 October 2011), I point out that the countries the US considers as "most threatened by pillage" (see CCPIA) are also those with high Corruption Perception Indices according to this Berlin-based 'democracy' NGO, and the same goes for the countries most of the dug-up antiquities on the US market are coming from. Lobboblogger attempts to apply the "two wrongs make a right" argument. The rest of us see that if corrupt collectors would not  buy coins supplied by corrupt smugglers and corrupt sellers breaking the law, it would be one step to helping fight the negative consequences of lawlessness. 

As for the map itself, it to me looks like a mirror of the deleterious long-term effects of colonialism and imperialism. Also, who actually believes that the US government is whiter than white? (who funds this organization and why?). Yet when I see what they write about Poland, I wonder what the basis of their information is, as they've seriously got Poland wrong (and Poland is just next door to Berlin where these people sit and colour in their map). Lobboblogger is - as usual - inconsistent. In other coiney writings you hear that corrupt US officials should be "strung from the lampposts along Constitution Avenue" (sic) and their blogs are full of ridiculous conspiracy theories about corrupt relationships in the corridors of power. We've also seen how easily coiney lobbyists got US twelve congressmen in their pocket. Yet we are asked to believe that the rest of the world is where the corruption is. Perhaps in Washington a rose is not a rose if you call it something else.


2 comments:

Cultural Property Observer said...

There seems to be a strong correlation between corruption and restrictive cultural heritage export controls. One might think that corrupt public officials see a way to profit from these systems. Much better to have an open market where there will be more transparency and less corruption.

Paul Barford said...

"There seems to be a strong correlation between corruption and restrictive cultural heritage export controls."

That's rubbish.

You might as well say much the same thing about road safety: http://www.healthytravelblog.com/2009/07/14/time-to-hit-the-road/

I can see that you are just trying to stir things up and not making any real "observations". You've obviously not the faintest idea what you are talking about. Look at the countries with low perceived corruption indices and look at their export requirements. So, countries such as Denmark and Finland for example. I think we can all see that if you want to make such a point, you are going to have to work a LOT harder to prove it is not just some made-up coiney nonsense with no real substance.

Go on, "Cultural Property Observer", make a proper table for the benefit of importers.

Anyway you fail to answer the point I made about the actual phrase you USED, which is what I was writing about:
"the archaeological lobby's models"

I get the impression that you are just writing any old provocative nonsense that comes into your head, whether the words mean anything or not. Aren't you?

 
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