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tiompan T
tiompan Dec 3, 2012 10:10:59
Replying to VBB

VBB wrote:
tiompan wrote:
Sanctuary wrote:
I don't know what chance the amateur has when the professionals can't make their minds up. The Bluestones will have come from Bognor Regis next :-)
It's even more complicated /political than that .
Am not sure anyone here really thinks there would be a consensus amongst professionals in relation to what happened in history. What is of far more concern is the mismatch between what they discuss amongst themselves at conferences and in learned print that the public find inaccessible - and what the public think happened in the past. Being brought closer to the detail of the disagreement in question is highly encouraging in that respect.

Having attempted a serious point, I'll have a little lie down...

The problem is exacerbated by journalists failing to understand press releases or detail from phone calls then quoting stuff that was never said or that even contradicts the views of the interviewed .

N nigelswift
nigelswift Dec 3, 2012 10:45:11
Replying to tiompan

To which one could add -

Giving explanations for lay persons is often considered cheap and populist (or career threatening even, if the wrong end of the stick is publicly got).

The alternative is for lay persons to attempt to explain stuff - but then there's a chance they'll be dismissed as cheap and populist and having got the wrong end of the stick.

All of the above can explain why so few archaeos openly post on here even though oblique references in what they write suggest a lot visit a lot.

I guess it's the downside of "all views no matter how bizarre are equally valid and welcome". It results in the pros keeping schtum and not attempting to explain stuff. Two forums try to solve it by having a special section for way-out stuff. I suppose I'd be thrashed in the name of democracy if I suggested that might be of benefit here so I won't.