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I would like to comment on this matter, not only as a researcher who has
and continues to draw upon the Archive but also as an 'ordinary person'
who might offer to write for the Archive. One of the reasons why the
Archive is such an attractive source of evidence is that it provides
'ordinary people' with the opportunity to document (a) what is important
in our everyday lives (such as gardening), and (b) how we view the big
issues relating to the world we live in (such as Darfur). In what is
written it is possible to see links between the two. Whether we are
writing about gardening or Darfur, we may find ourselves writing about
the climate, the earth and what gives us - or others - a meaning in
life.
I am currently studying responses to the 2005 directive on Hurricanes in
the USA. At face value they are disappointing. Most of the 213 writers
appear to have been heavily dependent upon the media and many say they
were unable to add much to what was already known. But what they say
about the media, and about their own lives and values and climate change
is very revealing. Here is just one example:
"I do find it distasteful, the way in which the world's media flock to
such disasters; and once there, with so many of their resources
committed, they are obliged to produce endless and repetitive coverage;
inevitably much of it is in poor taste. 'Some viewers may find these
images disturbing,' announces Huw Edwards, and off we go again into
shots of bloated corpses and wailing, grieving families. By poor taste,
I do not mean so much the images, although the selection and
juxtaposition of these can fall into this category. What I mean is the
manner and rhetoric of the reports (which sometimes hint at a kind of
self-congratulatory glee beneath their stern surface), the stories they
choose to highlight and the relentless way they pick at other people's
suffering." (B3227)
Many M-O writers were similarly sceptical, but there were others who
were much more positive about the contribution of the media in helping
us understand the dangers of climate change and what it is to be
evacuated from your flooded home. And just last night, Huw Edwards was
standing in water somewhere in Gloucester ... Need I say more?
One feature of M-O which is a strength and a complication is that
members of the panel, such as Mr Marshall, are not expected to write in
response to every directive. My estimate (correct me if I'm wrong,
Dorothy) is that the response rate to the typical directive is 30% to
40%. Traditionally, researchers do not like low response rates, but in
the case of M-O we know that what we are reading is what the writers
have chosen to write about and submit. If Mr Marshall feels he has
nothing to say about gardening, so be it. But please remember, Mr
Marshall, you can be as negative and brief as you like! "In response to
this directive, all I can say is that I completely fail to see how so
many seemingly intelligent people can become so obsessed by their
gardens and gardening."
Whatever many thanks for raising this important issue, and many thanks,
Dorothy, for placing it before us all.
Bill Bytheway
-----Original Message-----
From: A discussion and announcement list for the Mass-Observation
community [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Dorothy Sheridan
Sent: 23 July 2007 15:38
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [MASSOBS] Debates about the Directive themes
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Dear Jiscmailers,
Thought you might like to see - and join in with - the discussion I have
been having with one of our Mass Observers about the themes we shoose
for
the directives.
Mr Marshall doesn't mind you seeing his name.... and has given me
permissiont o put this on the JISCMAIL discussion list so I shall
include
that. I have suggested he join the list so he can see what others say so
please don't write directly to me on this. The idea is to share the
discussion and broaden it out. I shall be reading it!
Best wishes,
Dorothy Sheridan
MOA Director
Below four messages - two from Mr Marshall and my replies.
From Mr John Marshall (1st message)
>> Thank you for the Summer Directive 2007 and the long and informative
>> letter from the Director, Dorothy Sheridan. I am answering the
>> question on page 3 - 'Do you want to stay on our mailing list?' Yes
>> please, even though I have not responded to recent Directives. I
>> think it is more than a year since I made a contribution. There are
>> two reasons for this. The main one has been demands on my time for
>> other writing projects, as well as being away from home on a series
>> of lengthy overseas trips.
>>
>> The second reason is that the subjects chosen recently - with two
>> possible exceptions - have not really grabbed my interest. Take the
>> last three Directives. Autumn 2006 - 'home and contents' and
>> 'quotations'. Neither is likely to set the world on fire. I did
>> attempt the other offering, some thoughts on 'age', but other, more
>> pressing demands made me put it to one side. Some day it might be
>> finished because I did a deal of background research.
>>
>> Spring 2007 - The smoking ban. An excellent measure - and that's
>> about all there is to be said. I haven't smoked for 40 years.
>> 'Domestic violence' - so predictable and I have no personal
>> experience.
>>
>> Summer 2007 - Shopping - no thank you. 'Gardens and gardening' - no
>> interst in either subject.
>>
>> With respect I would suggest that the subjects chosen over the last
>> twelve months could have been lifted from an editorial meeting of
>> 'Woman's Own.'
>>
>> Because I enjoy contributing my thoughts to the Mass Observation
>> Archive, and wish to continue doing so, I would beg you to provide
>> your contributors with worthwhile subjects which go far beyond the
>> Virago feminist agenda.
>>
>> For the record I shall send you my thoughts on Age and Mourning,
>> together with a form to renew my membership of the Friends, by
>> separate letter.
>>
>> And I do wish to remain on the mailing list. With best wishes -
Reply from Dorothy
>> Dear XXXX,
>> Thanks for your email and thoughts on the themes. I appreciate you
>> giving us time to comment and I take your critique seriously although
>> I think your allusion to "Women's Own" and "feminist virago" (what's
>> that?) were uncalled for! Do I detect a bit of male chauvinism?
>> Actually women's magazines often tackle very important issues -
>> certainly as far as women are concerned.
>>
>> You are a fairly new correspondent with us and I wonder whether
>> you've seen the full range of themes that we have covered since 1981?
>>
>> See
>>
> www.sussex.ac.uk/library/speccoll/collection_catalogues/massnewproject
> dat
> e.htm> l
>> Maybe you could tell me which themes would stimulate you to write
>> more? Send us a list!!!! Also we are always happy to receive
>> contributions independently of directive themes.
>>
>> It is ironic that all the themes you cite have all been the basis of
>> serious academic research projects. I don't just dream them up and I
>> think quite hard before accepting a commission on a theme. We have
>> been collaborating with researchers in other universities on the
>> directives. Can I just defend the themes you mention for a moment?
>>
>> The gardening one is funded by the Arts & Humanities Research Council
>> and is the concern of a team from the University of Brighton who see
>> gardening as a way of understanding the changing nature of time use,
>> leisure, social meanings and social practices. It feeds into
>> understandings of gender, economics, work and life style.
>>
>> Domestic violence is a very difficult to research area. It is easy to
>> look at police records and statistics or at alarmist press coverage
>> but harder to get at the less public experiences. Most people would
>> be nervous or cautious about opening up to a stranger interviewing
>> them on this subject. This is where the stories sent in by Mass
>> Observers are gold dust for researchers. Of course (and thank
>> goodness for that) lots of people don't have direct experience to
>> report. We are still interested in their views.
>>
>> Shopping is something everyone has to do and may be regarded as
>> trivial but in fact this directive which had at its heart the theme
>> of Fair Trade goods was looking at how we make moral choices and it
>> allows people with political or ethical views to describe their
>> experiences. It raises issues about attitudes to global poverty and
>> inequality in the world.... I see that as being a very important
>> issue.
>>
>> The Smoking ban - well that does affect everyone ebven non-smokers
>> and will have an impact on the health services. Personally I have
>> never smoked and loathe the practice and the smoke so am enjoying
>> the new smoke-free atmospheres. My parents both died of smoking
>> related illnesses so I have strong feelings on the subject. the
>> social practice of smokinbg has so many links - health services,
>> advertising, economics, tax, business and the interaction between
>> people in social settings. fascinating for the anthropologist, the
>> health specialist, the economist and so on.
>>
>> Home and contents was also commissioned by an academic - issues of
>> life style, spending, fashion, family relationships, economics,
>> design, social policy on housing..... key issues.
>>
>> Quotations is a complex question - understanding how people
>> communicate is important, and written communication is changing
>> rapidly - again of interest to sociologists, anthropologists and
>> educationists. You say it doesn't set the world on fire but MO is
>> precisely about the details of everyday life - again that's why
>> researchers use us.
>>
>> Finally - if you are still with me in this long reply, would you mind
>> if we put this correspondence (yours and mine but of course without
>> your name appearing) on the MOA email discussion list as maybe other
>> people would like to comment on our choice of themes. I will also
>> show your letter to the researchers who collaborated with us on these
>> subjects. I am sure they'd be interested in hearing what you feel
>> would be good subjects for directives. Let me know!
>>
>> And glad you are staying with us after all,
>> Dorothy
Mr Marshall's second letter
Dear Dorothy,
Thank you for taking the trouble to write such a detailed reply to my
views
on recent directives. However, having read the reasons you put forward
in
their defence, I still maintain the subjects are relatively trivial in
nature.
In paragraph 4 you say the themes 'have all been the basis of serious
academic research projects.' That this may be so endorses my view -
which
I suspect is also held by other non-academics - that no matter how these
topics may be dressed up in jargon-laden gobbledygook, they are,
neverthless, are of no value to the general good of the nation. It also
leads to the occasional media stories that is possible to attend certain
colleges and eventually graduate with a diploma in flower arranging or
ballroom dancing.
Phrases used in favour of the gardinging project, such as 'understanding
the changing nature of time use, leisure, social meanings and social
practice' illustrate my point. People have been gardening since Adam
was a
lad. It cannot be argued that over the centuries the nature of 'time
use'
in gardening has changed. Gardeners dig over and prepare the ground;
they
plant the seeds; they tend the shoots; and, eventually, they harvest
the
crops and enjoy their flavours in a meal, or they cut the flowers and
display them in a vase. It is an activity which gives our many
gardeners a
sense of pride and satisfaction in a job well done. That is enough for
them. They can exisit quite happily for the remainder of therio
fulfilled
lives without feeding 'into understandings of gender, economics, work
and
life style' - whatever that may mean. Perhaps the Arts and Humanities
Research Council would benefit from a breath of fresh air while
undertaking
a spell of manual work in the garden.
Similar comments could be made about researchers in their ivory towers
expressing interest in domestic violence or shopping. I think it may
be
for the best if we agree to differ.
You ask for a list of subjects which would stimulate myself (and other
contributors) to write more. I'm only too happy to oblige. When
discussing shopping (paragraph 7) you mention the moral choices
involved.
There are several subjects, listed in no particular order of preference,
where moral choices have a genuine significance.
Dafur The new Prime Minister and the new French President have
demonstrated their concern about the plight of the hundreds of
thousandsof
wretched souls living and dying in abject squalor and poverty while the
Sudanese Government denies - as it has done for many years - that any
problem exists. It is a complex problem with (as is so often the case)
religious bigotry a root cause of hatred between people.
Zimbabwe What a frightening place must be. Rampant inflation. Chronic
widespread unemployment. Brutal intimidation of any opposition to
Mugabe
and his fat-cat bullies. A lack of any information about daily life. A
brave Catholic archbishop as a lone voice of protest. A lack of will
among
neighbouring African states unwilling to criticise Mugabe (particularly
South Africa which should know better after years of apartheid). And
Britain, the former Colonial power which helped bring Mugabe to office
after the racisit Ian Smith had been toppled, washing its hands of the
whole sorry affair.
The conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan Now Tony Blair has gone how much
longer do our young men and women in the Armed Services have to
continue
giving their lives in these futiler conflicts?
As unforgivable as having military personnel locked into these dangerous
places is the way we, as a nation,treat these brave people and their
families. There is the scandal over the delayed inquests on those who
are
killed in these conflicts. There is the scandal over the apparently
indifferent attitude by the authorities to those who are wounded (many
of
them seriously, both physically and mentally). All the military
hospitals
were closed down years ago. The strap-cashed NHS finds itself carrying
this additional burden (and the state of the NHS is another subject upon
which all your contributors must have a view). There is the scandal of
the
slims they call 'married quarters' where Service families are housed
while
their loved ones often face unecessary danger, hardship and equipment
shortages.
Multi-cultural Britain A vast subject which would possibly call for
several directives covering religious issues, asylum seekers, workers
from
the new EU countries taking jobs the indigenous population scorn, lack
of
English-speaking skills, styles of dress, policing the minorities - are
they treated differently because of the colour of their skins? The
millionaire business men with dubious backgrounds who are taking over
our
football clubs, our public utilities, our supermarkets, our enegy
supplies.
Politicians - lack of public trust Honours for cash donations. Dodgy
dossiers about weapons of mass destruction which didn't exist. Promises
made and never kept. Spin. When mistakes are discovered blaming the
media
for getting the story 'out of context.' A reluctance to say 'Sorry.'
An
even greater reluctance to resign when mistakes have been made. A
general
attitude of treating the public with contempt except once every five
years
when their votes are required. Increasing corruption at elections. A
general tendency to explain away bad election results as 'encouraging
trends.' And a general inertia among all politicians to seek solutions
to
any of these problems.
Climate change The local perspective - flooding, drought, seasonal
difference, the relevance of individual 'carbon footprints'. Does being
'Green' make any difference? And the wider picture of melting ice caps,
deforestation, Bush's denial that climate change is a problem. There
are
also the 'Great Polluters' - India and China. Is it too late to
conserve
the future for our children and grand-children? Within fifty years will
the planet still be habitable? How will the suvivors regard us. Might
we
have done a great deal more to ensure their future was worthwhile?
The terrorist threat (which I separate from multi-culturalism). Two
years
ago 52 people were murdered in London by a small group of British-born
fanatics. A short time before July 2005 hundreds more died on commuter
trains entering Madrid. Scores of young people died in a fire bombed
nightclub in Bali. Two thousand plus died horrible deaths when the
World
Trade Center and other US icons were attacked. The world has become an
increasingly dangerous place. How do we cope with these images always
at
the back of our minds?
Just a few items which ought to attract a decent response because
everyone
can relate to them. We are all involved.
I would be delighted if this correspondence appears on the MOA e-mail
discussion list. I can see no reason why my name should not be attached
to
my contribution.
It has been a most stimulating exchange of views. With best wishes -
John
Marshall
And my reply:
Dear John,
I have no argument with you about the importance of the international
events and major national issues you list. We have - as you will have
seen from our list - covered many similar issues in the past from the
war in Iraq, 9/11, the bombing of the underground in London, the floods
in New Orleans, the Tsunami, through to immigration, race, crime, the
middle East and the Gulf War. Because the number of directives is
necessarily limited, we will never be fast enough to coincide with
current affairs as they happen and we rely on people to to write
spontaneously if they feel an issue is crucial.
My own analysis is that all these issues are related. What we feel about
ethical shopping, for example, links to our attitudes to global
poverty, war, racism. I saw a film about US interests in South America
last week by John Pilger. Perhaps you have seen it ? It begins by
focussing on Venezuala. So much of what happens in the world is
determined by the power of vested interests. I see personal and plitical
issues being completely intertwined.... and I think that the researchers
who use us also work within this framework. It's the relationship
between the macro and micro.... and thew ay we are individuals navigate
our ways through the broader sweeps of ecomonic and political history.
MO in the 1930s was a pioneer in understanding this relationship.
But bear in mind that many media and polling organisations ask for
opinions on these issues all the time. There is no shortage of
quantitative data on UK public opinion around for the present or future
researcher.
MO aims at something very different and is set up to document direct
life story *experience*. That's our particular strength as I said
before. And that is what most writers for us seem to prefer to do. It's
harder for some people to write about things that are not part of their
direct experience. The issues are still important - eg health and
domestic violence seem to me to be crucial issues for all of us. I am a
bit shocked at your critique of our including domestic violence. But
maybe that's one of the problems - some men don't take it seriously.
Your response in itself will contribute to the research data!
I must repeat that you are welcome to set your own themes and write
about those. Many of our correspondents do just that from time to time
and we welcome unprompted contributions. Thanks for giving me permission
to put our correspondence on the discussion list. It will probably
appear next week. If you want to join,see
www.massobs.org.uk/join_our_email_list.htm
I must stop here as I must do other work..... on the Jiscmail i am sure
others will take over the discussion!
All the best
Dorothy
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