Oooh, I’m pleased with myself for writing that sentence!
Who do I mean? Well, actually I had playwork lecturers in mind, and not bankers or politicians, though they came second.
And the media, well print media, I hardly watch the ‘Bad things happen in world show’ for OAPs and tiny tots, that has replaced what I like to call ‘the News’. Ooh look a riot! Ooh look a lady in a low cut frock on a carpet! oh dear, a tsunami! That’s sue narmey, that’s a funny word isn’t it? Ooh it’s going to snow! Better wrap up warm…. AAARGH! Yes I quite like Charlie Brooker, why do you ask?
Anyway, I was musing about the gulf between what is taught in universities on playwork degrees, and the concerns of its teachers, and what is needed for the field, by the field and suchlike. We used to have JNCTP, but there has been no activity since 2007:
http://www.jnctp.org.uk/node/1I’m noticing a lot of playwork things dying off recently. Very few are making it to their 40th anniversary. Gainsborough Adventure Playground, (which I think is the only one in here in Lincolnshire – is Grimsby in Lincolnshire? Did they have any? Think it is in Humberside – anyway) closed this year, 2011, around its 38th birthday. There is a 40 year effect, related to two human generations, methinks – I’ll write about this if I remember.
Back to my question, which I have to say I’m very pleased with. A nice logic sieve that, let’s try it out:
“we should be interested in politicians because they have power over us and can make changes that we may not agree with”
“we shouldn’t be interested in politicians because they have power over us and can make changes that we can’t do anything about”
“we should be interested in politicians because we could influence them to improve things for our causes”
“we shouldn’t be interested in politicians because they don’t listen and they never do what we ask and they make changes to things that we don’t agree with and they expect us to thank them”
Sentence completion:
“We should be interested in playwork lecturers because ………………………………………………………………………………”
arthur~battram… 
I’ll pass on your offer, thanks Arthur. I have read your Hydroponics pieces.
Do you have anyone in particular in mind, Arthur?
No I don’t, Francis. I’m including nearly everyone in the loosely defined ‘set’, in the following way.
I have in mind everyone who:
is a full-time lecturer, because being part-time means that you are necessarily in contact with a ‘work-based’ ‘real world’ outside of the ivory tower, so they are less susceptible to the lure of ‘the life academe’. a ‘deme’ indeed.
…TBC…
I found myself writing a huge piece, so I’ll stop here and post it as a new entry.
Meanwhile are you going to have a go at the sentence completion, Francis?
“We should be interested in playwork lecturers because ………………………………………………………………………………”