Monday, March 2, 2015
Archaeo-Blogger Wonders about Professionalism
Archaeo-blogger David Gill has called into question the professionalism of BM staff in their dealings with his friend, Paul Barford. But, their private reactions (now made public under the UK version of FOIA) are quite understandable given the discourteous person with whom they were dealing and his "take no prisoners" campaign against the Portable Antiquities Scheme.
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Having had much experience in dealing with Paul Barford (as listowner of UNIDROIT-L, as a member of the Moneta-L and Ancient Artifacts lists from which he was expelled, as a former Director of the ACCG and as one of his favorite blog targets) I am very well qualified to understand what BM staff faced in dealing with him.
Mr. Barford delights in confrontation, controversy and being an outrageously nasty agent provocateur. I have lost my own temper several times in dealing with him, and cannot fairly criticize anyone else for doing that.
I can however warn everyone who is so unfortunate as to be obliged to deal with Mr. Barford that losing one's own temper, and descending into the depths of invective, slanging and innuendo in which he dwells, is not in any way a form of retaliation. It is instead merely playing into his hands.
No one without personal experience in confronting the sort of nastiness Mr. Barford specializes in has any right, in my opinion, to criticize those who are constitutionally unable to "turn the other cheek."
That feat requires personal qualities going far beyond normal professionalism.
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