Giggling even more now....can't help myself.....
----- Original Message -----
From: "Sue Povall" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Thursday, May 06, 2004 11:17 AM
Subject: Re: Laddishness at the BMJ
Dear Alex,
Thank you so much for pointing this article out to me .. I haven't laughed
so
much in a long time. It's the responses to the article (yours is the 69th
of
70) that had me reeling ... some outraged responses even produced their own
statistics. I'm glad to say that a lot took it for the tongue-in-cheek
article
it quite plainly is. If you can't have a bit of fun on April Fool's Day,
when
can you?
The whole incident reminds me of an article a friend sent round in disgust
as an
example of a waste of research funds .... analysing whether wearing your
parka
hood up consituted a safety hazard when crossing the road! Please! Another
April Fool's jest.
Maybe these articles do take valuable space away from serious research, but
laughter is an important component of health and well being. And wouldn't
the
world be dull if we were only ever serious?
And don't forget, there are a LOT of women who play cricket, and very well
at
that. And a lot more who enjoy the sport as a spectator.
Sue.
Quoting alex scott-samuel <[log in to unmask]>:
> I thought you might be interested in
> this letter which I wrote in response
> to the outrageous publication by the
> BMJ of an article about cricket
> masquerading as a research paper:
> India versus Pakistan and the power of
> a six: an analysis of cricket results
> http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/328/7443/800
>
> As a BMJ reeder for over 30 years, I
> was appalled to see this paper which,
> as others have pointed out, is both
> irrelevant to the BMJ and also appears
> at the expense of real, valid medical
> research which the BMJ is forced to
> reject because of pressure on space.
>
> What the publication of this paper
> represents to me is that 'laddishness'
> - the assertive display of childish
> forms of patriarchal behaviour, found
> equally in the pub and the Cabinet room
> - has now infected the editorial
> offices of the BMJ. I believe it is
> essential that the editor of the BMJ
> responds personally to this deplorable
> lapse in editorial standards.
>
> URL of letter
> http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/eletters/328/7443/800#57587
>
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