Pistis re-reclaims pandemic 'vital statistics' (weekending June 27th 2020

‽istis re-reclaims pandemic ‘vital statistics’ (weekending June 27^th 2020)

This week ‽istis, a keen listener to BBC Radio 4’s ‘More or Less’[i] programme and indebted to Tim Harford and the team for quantifying and qualifying such topics (recently) as: school inequality, quarantine, tracing, antibody testing, distancing, face mask wearing, harvests and savvy parrots – helping us tell our Rs from our elbow-bump greetings…  wonders about the statistics that might help tell the stories (where ‘n’ is greater than 1 – though whether it is indeed a positive integer may be debated) of the pandemic. Perhaps data such as:

·        jigsaws started, jigsaws finished

·        number of facemasks used by any one intensive care nurse in any given week

·        the increase in soap bar sales

·        the percentage of relationships where coercive control turned into physical or sexual assault

·        ‘bolt-on’ data purchases

·        numbers of teeth un-filled or lost

·        the comparative oxygen use by volume in hospitals

·        the ‘excess’ miles notched up by supermarket online shopping delivery vans

·        the therapy sessions missed

·        the increase in number of jogging bottoms/pants bought

·        the number of new social media music groups set up

·        the additional deaths from suicide

·        the increase in all-night radio playing/listening

·        the number of boxes of chocolates delivered to care home staff – in appreciation

·        the level of alcohol consumption by teenagers

·        the impact on air pollution levels or number of song birds heard in the city

·        the incidences of online grooming and (re-)abusive sharing of inappropriate images or images of abuse

·        the percentage of people that gained ‘faith’ or lost ‘faith’, that joined in online worship or stopped praying

·        the number of people who ‘tweeted’ a little more kindly

·        the hair length gain and the hair lost

·        the number of condoms purchased

·        the symptoms missed and treatment delayed

·        the ‘acres of print’ on the subject, the other news stories that failed to make it

·        the debt incurred and number of loans taken out at exorbitant interest rates

·        the decibel level of the chants at protests

·        the extent of poems written, novels completed and blogs begun

·        the numbers of arguments between parents and children  

·        the ‘working at home’ productivity levels

·        the percentage of people who long for a return to normality v those who long for this to be a tipping point towards a new normality

·        the proportion of the population who said ‘furlough’ for the first time ever

·        the number of people who felt they had to work despite suspecting that they were ill  

·        the number and effectiveness of neighbourhood support schemes initiated

·        the stress levels of politicians approaching the daily briefings

·        the giving to charities

·        the number of conceptions above the norm

·        the ‘excess’ deaths recorded

·        the volume of tears shed

·        …and all the ones that you could add…  

And ‽istis pondered how much ‘what counts’ for many perhaps can’t always be counted; whether ‘what is counted’ by some always counts or ever counts for others… how both quantitative and qualitative data could be brought together to form the richest of pictures.

In this year of perfect vision ‽istis wondered: if we could slice and dice these experiences (for ‘n’ is still greater than 1), gather the data, analyse and test it - then what findings might possibly emerge? What insights may be afforded through a window perhaps slightly more ajar? What conclusions may be drawn and what might be the implications and applications…  

But perhaps the first application to hope for is one that assists tracking and tracing effectively – where in the world might we find that?

© Pistis 

NB: further reflections linked to this week’s theme and past blog
entries to be found on Twitter: replies, retweets (which don’t necessarily indicate approval, sometimes the very opposite!) and ‘likes’: @Pistis_wonders  

 

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[i] https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006qshd

Pistis reclaims COWPATs (weekending June 20th 2020)

‽istis reclaims COWPATs[i] (weekending June 20^th 2020)

This week ‽istis is on the look-out and the hear-out for COWPATs…  Constructs[ii] or Opinions Which may Present As Truth/s… [iii]

‽        perhaps constructs come in many forms: personal, social, religious, scientific, political, historical, national, international, etc. – possibly building, reflecting, reifying and representing many narratives and meta-narratives and all manner of thoughts, feelings, articulations and actions that may be based upon them…?

‽        possibly constructs are formed from a more-or-less conscious and quite probably complex process of exposure to ideas (overt or more subliminal) and a formation and evolution in to ‘residual messages’; ideas that ‘stick’ at conscious, or sub-, or unconscious levels…?

‽        maybe they provide us with ‘sense-making’ and ‘response-forming’ tools… to help somehow navigate the world and each other, influencing affect, cognition and behaviour…?

‽        perhaps, possibly, maybe constructs provide the (sometimes overly firm) foundations for opinions..?

But ‽istis wonders whether some of the problems with cowpats might be that the matter from which they are formed seems essentially to be undigested and bacteria-packed, that they can provide a hazard to health and they can make a right mess when trodden in! Oh, and they do seem to be very common - apparently the average dairy cow dumps 15 tons of dung a year[iv].

A search of ‘cowpat’ or ‘cowchip’ produces a ‘no results found’ response on ‘Emojipedia’[v] despite the apparently 117 new emojis coming to devices in the second half of 2020.[vi]     So ‽istis also wonders whether this might be the time for a COWPATs emoji: a pat or chip of dung overlaid with a question mark or even an interrobang for when ‘really?’ or ‘what?’ turns into ‘really?!’ or ‘what?!?!’  

But, ‽istis ponders further. If perhaps, possibly, maybe

·   we considered the notion of ‘truth’ and the existence of ‘facts’ as somewhat contested or even problematic

·   elevating opinions beyond their basis in reliable and verifiable evidence (or even a reasonable consensus of interpretation) was recognised, ‘called out’ and challenged

·   the words used (by me and you and us and them) to explain, justify, persuade, influence, guide, insist, order or enforce were a little more qualified

·   there were more abbreviations peppering our text-talk and ‘tweets’ alongside IMO (in my opinion) – such as: ICBS (it could be said), IB (I believe), IWS (I would suggest), IR (I reckon), ITBINS (I think but I’m not sure), IWBWDYT? (I wonder, but what do you think?)  

·   there were more ‘perhapses’, ‘possiblies’, ‘maybes’ (PPMs)...

…then we might avoid stepping in quite so many COWPATs! And then just imagine what else might be different in the world that, together, we could build.

© Pistis 

 

NB: further reflections linked to this week’s theme and past blog
entries to be found on Twitter replies, retweets (which don’t necessarily indicate approval, sometimes the very opposite!) and ‘likes’: @Pistis_wonders  

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[i] This may not work quite so well ‘in translation’ – sincere apologies. US friends may think of cow dung and cow chips… but then the acronym (and therefore some of the joke) doesn’t work so well; further apologies!

[ii] ‘an idea or an imaginary situation’ CED: https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/construct

[iii] A variation on OMAUTs ‘Opinions Masquerading as Universal Truths’ that ‽istis has mentioned before…

[iv] https://www.countrylife.co.uk/nature/11-things-you-never-new-about-cowpats-173541

[v] https://emojipedia.org/search/?q=cowchip

[vi] Emoji 13.0 is the set of emojis approved for release in 2020. The final list was announced on 2020-01-29  https://emojipedia.org/emoji-13.0/

Pistis reclaims problematic history, statues and memorials (weekending June 13th 2020)

‽istis reclaims problematic history, statues and memorials (weekending June 13^th 2020)

‽istis ponders: not the corporeal or spiritual fate of Edward Colston, Rhodes, Churchill, Baden-Powell et al (disintegration and return to dust and ashes? ‘heaven’ or ‘hell’ or ‘purgatory’?)… but their legacy, their memorialisation, their representative form be it statuesque, in oil on canvass, in named buildings, prizes or scholarships, or through other media (or indeed in the media!) etc.   

So, what are the options for Cassidy’s statue of Edward Colston (1636 – 1721) erected in 1895 - and similar?  

‽        perhaps remaining on or restored to their plinths despite campaigns and concerns (the Bristol Colston campaign had apparently gone on since the 1990s). Perhaps attracting protest or damage (by chemical or paint or sledgehammer), ignored by many who just pass-by - or invoking anger and sorrow, a sense of exclusion, keeping alive the memory of exploitation and abuse, profiteering, enrichment v impoverishment, the denial of rights or even common humanity… without recognition, reparation or remedy  

‽        possibly removed by protestors or the authorities (and, in the case of Colston’s statue, maybe left submerged - drowned in a gesture of poetic dockyard justice recalling the terrible fate of so many real people: captured or bought, transported, sold, enslaved, who died in the process, bodies thrown in to the sea)  

‽        maybe placed in a museum either local or specialist (Colston’s statue could remain powerfully in its current state: damaged, holed and daubed, still wrapped in the ropes that bound it and brought it down…) to be interpreted and contextualised through permanent or temporary displays. But perhaps, even so, seen only by parties of school children - more or less interested - and a relatively small number of visitors[i], some of whom might indeed read in detail the related material

‽        perhaps, possibly, maybe the bronze could be melted down, the stone and marble of other statues broken up to create new objects or works of art; redeeming and sanctifying the very materials in the process    

But, ‽istis ponders further: what if that which we call ‘history’ perhaps tells us as much about our own times as ‘past times’?

Both might be seen as constructs, especially when ‘facts’ (if this is even a useful term) may be contested in any contemporary now[ii], never mind in relation to the ‘evidence’ of the past and, most importantly, its ascribed meaning and interpretation.

So, ‽istis wonders whether we could build on some of the efforts that had been made to contextualise Colston’s statue over the years - but think big, much bigger – taking a new approach to our public memorial art, the named buildings and roads, the people, places and events that are considered problematic?

The ‘Public Monuments and Sculpture Association’[iii] has a three-word alliterative strapline (has Dominic Cummings or an evangelical preacher passed that way?): ‘Promoting, Protecting, Preserving’… what if ‘Putting in Perspective’ or ‘Putting in Place’ were to be added? The PMSA’s National Recording Project (database available freely via the website)[iv] sought to remedy a situation where ‘an estimated 170,000 works or art were hidden away or forgotten about, with many public monuments at risk’; statues - we know where you stand!

What if, at the point where a memorial is identified as problematic or the subject of concern or offence (perhaps due to a reappraisal of the person or event it memorialises because of either new evidence or a new awareness), we have an opportunity to practically and dynamically contextualise and ‘curate’ afresh – involving communities, neighbourhoods, schools, residents, community and interest groups including local history societies, visitors and statutory authorities (from Parish Councils downwards to national bodies if necessary) in that new curation[v].[vi]

Perhaps keep the statue, sculpture or memorial in place (albeit maybe on a lower plinth!), but then why not create and curate a dynamic and changing exhibition around it; build an evolving, public, open air museum? As strength of feeling, energy, enthusiasm, space or the limits of creativity and money allow, why not add:  

·       new or additional inscriptions

·       new or additional interpretation boards

·       new complementary or contrasting commissions – other sculptures or works of art representing fresh perspectives (how powerful might a sculpture of the social worker Paul Stephenson associated with the 1963 ‘Bristol Omnibus Boycott’ prove to be alongside, larger, overshadowing that of Edward Colston?) 

·       place and space (physical or virtual - on a linked QR-coded website?) for people to contribute reflections, works of art, photos, poems, recorded music, relevant documents, essays, theses, memories, placards, symbols of thoughts and feelings  etc. etc;

·       place and space for events or festivals to be held on memorial days, reclaiming the commemoration;  

·       place and space for local school children to exhibit their work associated with a revised history curriculum that just may help them to see and understand our pasts and our present-times, our ancestors, and even our very selves in context; warts and all.    

…and then just imagine what perspectives may be shared, what lessons could be learned - and what future history we might make together…

PS: and meanwhile, let us also fill the public spaces we share with life-enhancing, beautiful, challenging, humorous and profound art in all its forms! 

© Pistis 

NB: further reflections linked to this week’s theme and past blog entries to be found on Twitter replies, retweets (which don’t necessarily indicate approval, sometimes the very opposite!) and ‘likes’: @Pistis_wonders  

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[i] (the  International Slavery Museum is located in the Merseyside Maritime Museum which in 2018 saw 897,415 visitors making it the fourth most visited museum outside of London) https://independent-liverpool.co.uk/blog/2018-was-a-record-breaking-year-for-liverpools-museums/

[ii] Just look at versions of today’s newspapers selecting and reflecting on only yesterday’s events from different editorial/political/ideological perspectives

[iii] https://www.pmsa.org.uk/

[iv] https://www.pmsa.org.uk/national-recording-project

[v] Yes, ‽istis recognises that there would need to be a process of curatorial ‘management’ – but with the UK’s proud history of setting up and managing committees, ‽istis is sure that fair, transparent, collaborative, processes that optimise accessible and equitable participation could be devised…    

[vi] ‽istis is aware of projects that have taken approaches along these lines, for example see the immersive exhibition: ‘Humankind’ at the National Trust property Calke Abbey, UK  https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/calke-abbey/features/humankind-at-calke-abbey; the powerful work on the theme of ‘Exile’ at the NT’s property Kingston Lacy recognising that ‘many National Trust places were home to, and shaped by, people who challenged conventional ideas of gender and sexuality. In 2017, 50 years after the partial decriminalisation of homosexuality, we explored the LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer) heritage of Kingston Lacy as part of the Prejudice and Pride programme.’ https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/kingston-lacy/features/exile; see the website and work of the Research Centre for Museums and Galleries at the University of Leicester  https://le.ac.uk/rcmg .   

Pistis kneels in shame and guilt and contrition and penitence... and reclaims 'sorry' - one of the hardest words? (weekending June 6th 2020)

‽istis kneels and reclaims sorry… one of the hardest words? (weekending June 6^th 2020)

‽istis kneels… in shame and guilt and contrition and penitence…  and modern forms of ancient words and ideas uttered across the centuries come to mind:

‽        we have sinned against our neighbour in thought and word and deed[i]

‽        we have done those things that we ought not to have done

‽        we have left undone those things that we ought to have done[ii]

And ‽istis recognises that perhaps negligence, weakness and our own deliberate fault[iii] are possibly just-about explanations, but may be no excuse at all for wickedness committed time after time[iv], past and present: individually, as groups, as communities of geography or self-interest, as organisations and corporations and systems, as states and nations and alliances of nations – including by those who may also have knelt, may have held their Bible or sacred text, may have even believed sincerely that what they did was ‘right’ and justified and somehow sanctified…

And after sorrow perhaps, possibly, maybe comes sorry…? And after sorry...? Well that may be for another week, lest I and we move on too swiftly from weeping with those who weep, from recognising and naming and cataloguing and understanding the wickedness past and present - and from kneeling in shame and guilt and contrition and penitence…    

© Pistis

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[i] https://www.churchofengland.org/prayer-and-worship/worship-texts-and-resources/common-worship/common-material/new-patterns-worshp/resource-section-themes/b-penitence

[ii] https://www.churchofengland.org/prayer-and-worship/worship-texts-and-resources/common-worship/common-material/new-patterns-worshp/resource-section-themes/b-penitence

[iii] https://www.churchofengland.org/prayer-and-worship/worship-texts-and-resources/common-worship/common-material/new-patterns-worshp/resource-section-themes/b-penitence

[iv] https://www.churchofengland.org/prayer-and-worship/worship-texts-and-resources/common-worship/common-material/new-patterns-worshp/resource-section-themes/b-penitence