Friday, October 15, 2010

What's Missing Here ?

Marianne Gilchrist has a PhD in Art History, she's well-read, intelligent (although, like Snuffy, her entertaining blog reads like that of a younger woman), a published author, but she's in her 40s and can't find a decent job which will use her undoubted talents.

I volunteered in museums – a catalogue raisonnĂ© here, an exhibition there – only to be rejected for basic posts because I "might be bored" and for curatorial posts because I was "too research orientated". When, after eight years, I obtained a job in heritage, which was low-paid but at national level, it was a fixed-term contract: three years later, at 40, I was again unemployed...
I have been working, off and on, as a temp for less than £8 an hour since early 2008.
Shades of William Gazy.

She gets a lot of stick in the comments, much of it unfair. It was what was missing from her piece - and will be missing from our futures - that struck me.

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

On the one hand, it's a shame that someone intelligent is unable to find a contributing job in society.

On the other hand, the universe does not owe anyone a living. She chose to follow a sphere of interest she liked, rather than a sphere of interest that others would have liked her talents in.

I would have loved to have followed my interest in games, beer, and science fiction as a 'career'. Guess what - I kinda knew that that wouldn't keep the money rolling in, and so worked hard to gain skills that are worth something.

Nothing to see here - move along please.

Sgt Troy said...

I was supportive in one of my CIF incarnations

"As few on here have apparently seen fit to convey their sympathies, Marianne, I would like to extend mine to you.

All the best

TH

x"

My CIF incarnations tend to have a short shelf life. That particular one got 132 and 206 recommendations for comments on the Swedish situation before being pre-modded by the mentally ill uber-liberal CIF moderators. They particulatly dislike mention of Judith Popinski and the youtube where the coloniser Mehdi Hasan opines that non-muslims live like animals

Sgt Troy said...

This is priceless

Liberal lefty - former head of campaigns for the Commission for Racial Equality and prospective Zanu candidate - loses quango sinecure and bleats piteously.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/oct/15/quango-abolished-cuts-survive

I'd have thought he'd have been pleased to make this modest sacrifice, after all it is one that has been required of so many of his countrymen's job and housing prospects given Zanu's Neatherising policy.

Not that this creature recognises nation and country of course

I hope he rots

At least the inane Blairite grin will have been rubbed of his face

Thud said...

I'm trying my best to make up the numbers!

Hexe said...

Laban asks what could be missing?

Let's see...

1) a husband who wants to be a father.

2) A home that is owned, instead of a 6 month tenancy nomadic existence.

3) Youth -- at 40 you're 10 years too late to breed in the medical sense.

4) A society that does not attempt to brainwash them in school with BS.

5) A tax system that supports having a family instead of taxing kids punitively.

6) A situation where the mother doesn't need to abandon her child to go to work.

Most women in her situation never met a man who wanted a family, let alone who could actually look after one either.

I don't blame her though at all -- it was the generation of her parents that destroyed our culture.

As always, there is of course an entertaining Librivox book about this topic: http://librivox.org/sketches-of-the-fair-sex-by-anonymous

Anonymous said...

I do believe this woman is a lesbian.

Although on my current form, it is possible this has already been noted and I've missed it.

Of course, being of that inclination doesn't stop them having kids.

I like her.

Its almost a shame...

Blognor Regis said...

OT

Fairly price but it's bound to be being niche interest: but some of the Mace Archive (http://www.macearchive.org/) is coming out on DVD.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Black-Country-1969-DVD/dp/B004413DYQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1286889646&sr=1-1

And did you see the TV programme where they built the replica Titanic anchor? http://www.channel4.com/programmes/titanic-the-mission/episode-guide/series-1/episode-2 It was terrific.

Borealis said...

Completely OT Laban, but I really enjoyed your comment on AEP's currency wars piece at the Telegraph. Nicely done.

("In other words, we couldn't possibly introduce tariffs - that would be so wrong - all economists say so. Tariffs would be foolish.

But we still need to reduce imports and raise exports, so we'll debauch the currency, wipe out the value of dollar savings, send inflation through the roof - oh, and massively enrich the financial elite. That's the sensible policy.

'In order to save America, we have to destroy it'"
)

alex zeka said...

No kids? No useable skills? That isn't a tragedy Laban. That's eugenics in action, for bleeding once.

Most of the time, cretinous trash over-breed, not under-. I'd say the fact that cretinous trash with a single idiot savant talent (manipulating meaningless symbols in academic discourse) aren't, by and large, breeding is a cause for celebration.

Also, purely as a personal aesthetic matter, I am glad that experts on heritage aren't getting jobs. There's nothing like an expert pontificating on some matter to ruin it for me.

Anonymous said...

Why cant she diligently pursue her interests in her own time? Write essays, do reserch etc. In time that might turn into the career she wants.

In times past it was often the aristos with time on their nands who did such things.

She maybe a serf in the 21st century economy but that still leaves her with vastly more time and access to resources than any serf of an earlier time.

Anonymous said...

To be fair, anon, diligent research after an 8-hr day is hard work - particularly when most of your sources (libraries, museums) have closed and the academics have gone home.

Laban

Anonymous said...

Fair point Laban.

Otoh she did say she was a temp. She doesnt have to work every weekday. We know she is not supporting a family.