How about burning your sheds down and deleting your silly little blogs to go and do something productive for the world - like helping the homeless....? Then the media might have something worthwhile to report? Just an idea...
Yes, you're right, homelessness (and poverty in general of course) is far more important than the world of sheds and garden offices, although I think it's hard to argue that this site does any real harm to the world. But I would make a few points:
One of the growing areas of the 'shed' world is in designing and providing shelter for those hit by natural disasters, particularly those left homeless by Hurricane Katrina, but also those in other areas of the world who are looking for a swift and effective roof over their heads. As you'll see, we report regularly on these on the Shedworking site.
Also, I think the rise of and interest in shedworking is part of the general trend towards the belief that working from home helps to make society a better place in many ways: it improves work/life balance for families, it is less damaging to the environment, it encourages participation in the local community.
Finally, on a more personal note, as a journalist, I regularly work for several charities (both paid and unpaid) and I like to think that this does in fact help quite a lot of people. I notice that you have not left a name or any indication of how you help the world/homeless - perhaps you could reply and leave some details?
A member of the media - excuse the sweeping generalisation but power without responsibility and all that. Should have guessed: tendency to be preoccupied with pointless lifestyle trivia instead of real news, or going after the easy stories. By the way, this isn't a "Who-does-a-lot-of-great-work-for-charidee," competition. I feel quite strongly about this but I accept you or your community does no harm discussing sheds. I just think as a collective of people this kind of idle amusement is harmful in its own way. This degree of pre-occupation is a frivolous luxury; particularly in a world where the gap between those who do have money and health grows wider from those that don't. This is another example of why the country's going down the s-bend - there are far better ways to devote your time to the causes of community and there are more important issues you could be raising with the media. I'm Bono by the way, of Make Thingummy History. The thing everyone forgot about after downloading the album onto their Ipods... That's my charity, that's the work I do...
"A member of the media - excuse the sweeping generalisation but power without responsibility and all that." Yes, it is a sweeping generalisation, and also in this case a completely irrelevant one. Where am I using this 'power' irresponsibly?
"Should have guessed: tendency to be preoccupied with pointless lifestyle trivia instead of real news, or going after the easy stories." I agree that this can be a problem with the media. But then surely you're not arguing that we should only write about hard news stories on every single column inch? Do you think the sports pages should go too for example? A balance is what we're after.
"By the way, this isn't a "Who-does-a-lot-of-great-work-for-charidee," competition." But you said I should be doing something productive for the world so that needed answering. I'm guessing that since you haven't mentioned what you do, that you do nothing at all. I know plenty of charity workers, including those who worked on the Make Poverty History, and not one of them would have written this kind of anonymous comment on the site.
"I feel quite strongly about this but I accept you or your community does no harm discussing sheds. I just think as a collective of people this kind of idle amusement is harmful in its own way. This degree of pre-occupation is a frivolous luxury; particularly in a world where the gap between those who do have money and health grows wider from those that don't." Have you not read my first comment? It's true that I, and you, could probably do more but there are many ways of 'doing our bit'.
"This is another example of why the country's going down the s-bend - there are far better ways to devote your time to the causes of community and there are more important issues you could be raising with the media." The thing is you have no idea what I do, who I write for or what issues I do raise with the media (whatever that phrase means). Are you also suggesting that I should spend all of my free time helping to eradicate world poverty? That sounds like something a 1970s Miss World contestant might come out with.
"I'm Bono by the way, of Make Thingummy History. The thing everyone forgot about after downloading the album onto their Ipods... That's my charity, that's the work I do..." You work for Make Poverty History? I find that very hard to believe. What is your role there?
There can be no quibble with that observation, but it seems disingenuous to attack Alex's blog as a waste of energy and attention that could be more profitably put elsewhere.
No one, not even our "anonymous" here, lives a life of unadulterated purposefulness, and anyone who thinks they do so is sadly narcissistic and seriously overestimates their own self-importance.
I come to Alex's blog because I find small buildings interesting in their own right and because Shedworking gives me a few minutes of imaginative respite from the work I do, which involves tracking the research activities of a major university.
Sometimes when Shedworking veers a little too much toward the decorative, the trendy, the interior-design-type content, I get impatient with it -- I'm more interested in the structures -- how they look, how they fit their locale, their interior layout. But Alex keeps his focus remarkably well.
I may never build a custom shed for working (and I assume Mr Anonymous would frown on building one for leisure or reflective pursuits), but I've been enriched by Alex's gleanings. I plan to keep reading.
Bill D (In the interests of full disclosure, I'm a recovering journalist myself. Have a 20-year career as a reporter, editor, and editorialist in newspapers, before I blundered into the university research racket.)
Well done for a well-mannered, reasonably argued case - I loved the Miss World reference. I still don't agree that you saying "yes but we could all do more," is a little like saying "I know we smoke but so do lots of other people." The power you have without responsibility is having the opportunity to influence what people talk and care about, a power the media uses irresponsibly. The agenda has become dominated by celebrity and lifestyle when the space could be better devoted to issues that really matter if only journalists were strong enough to stand up and say so. By featuring in that media and devoting your time to a comparably trivial pre-occupation you maintain the status quo (that the country concentrates on the distracting trivia and doesn't do anything about the things that matter?)
I do actually agree with you re. the growing trivialisation of society - it's just that I don't think Shedworking is part of it (but then I would say that wouldn't I?).
Thanks for commenting though - it's always useful to hear dissenting voices.
I would be interesting to see a list of the approved topics that "the media" and specifically Shedworking should focus on in anon's judgment. So far, s/he has spoken only in broad generalities.
Is s/he capable of more, or is this just an ill-tempered sniping expedition?
How about burning your sheds down and deleting your silly little blogs to go and do something productive for the world - like helping the homeless....? Then the media might have something worthwhile to report? Just an idea...
ReplyDeleteYes, you're right, homelessness (and poverty in general of course) is far more important than the world of sheds and garden offices, although I think it's hard to argue that this site does any real harm to the world. But I would make a few points:
ReplyDeleteOne of the growing areas of the 'shed' world is in designing and providing shelter for those hit by natural disasters, particularly those left homeless by Hurricane Katrina, but also those in other areas of the world who are looking for a swift and effective roof over their heads. As you'll see, we report regularly on these on the Shedworking site.
Also, I think the rise of and interest in shedworking is part of the general trend towards the belief that working from home helps to make society a better place in many ways: it improves work/life balance for families, it is less damaging to the environment, it encourages participation in the local community.
Finally, on a more personal note, as a journalist, I regularly work for several charities (both paid and unpaid) and I like to think that this does in fact help quite a lot of people. I notice that you have not left a name or any indication of how you help the world/homeless - perhaps you could reply and leave some details?
A member of the media - excuse the sweeping generalisation but power without responsibility and all that. Should have guessed: tendency to be preoccupied with pointless lifestyle trivia instead of real news, or going after the easy stories.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, this isn't a "Who-does-a-lot-of-great-work-for-charidee," competition. I feel quite strongly about this but I accept you or your community does no harm discussing sheds. I just think as a collective of people this kind of idle amusement is harmful in its own way. This degree of pre-occupation is a frivolous luxury; particularly in a world where the gap between those who do have money and health grows wider from those that don't.
This is another example of why the country's going down the s-bend - there are far better ways to devote your time to the causes of community and there are more important issues you could be raising with the media. I'm Bono by the way, of Make Thingummy History. The thing everyone forgot about after downloading the album onto their Ipods...
That's my charity, that's the work I do...
"A member of the media - excuse the sweeping generalisation but power without responsibility and all that."
ReplyDeleteYes, it is a sweeping generalisation, and also in this case a completely irrelevant one. Where am I using this 'power' irresponsibly?
"Should have guessed: tendency to be preoccupied with pointless lifestyle trivia instead of real news, or going after the easy stories."
I agree that this can be a problem with the media. But then surely you're not arguing that we should only write about hard news stories on every single column inch? Do you think the sports pages should go too for example? A balance is what we're after.
"By the way, this isn't a "Who-does-a-lot-of-great-work-for-charidee," competition."
But you said I should be doing something productive for the world so that needed answering. I'm guessing that since you haven't mentioned what you do, that you do nothing at all. I know plenty of charity workers, including those who worked on the Make Poverty History, and not one of them would have written this kind of anonymous comment on the site.
"I feel quite strongly about this but I accept you or your community does no harm discussing sheds. I just think as a collective of people this kind of idle amusement is harmful in its own way. This degree of pre-occupation is a frivolous luxury; particularly in a world where the gap between those who do have money and health grows wider from those that don't."
Have you not read my first comment? It's true that I, and you, could probably do more but there are many ways of 'doing our bit'.
"This is another example of why the country's going down the s-bend - there are far better ways to devote your time to the causes of community and there are more important issues you could be raising with the media."
The thing is you have no idea what I do, who I write for or what issues I do raise with the media (whatever that phrase means). Are you also suggesting that I should spend all of my free time helping to eradicate world poverty? That sounds like something a 1970s Miss World contestant might come out with.
"I'm Bono by the way, of Make Thingummy History. The thing everyone forgot about after downloading the album onto their Ipods...
That's my charity, that's the work I do..."
You work for Make Poverty History? I find that very hard to believe. What is your role there?
Man does not live by shed alone.
ReplyDeleteThere can be no quibble with that observation, but it seems disingenuous to attack Alex's blog as a waste of energy and attention that could be more profitably put elsewhere.
No one, not even our "anonymous" here, lives a life of unadulterated purposefulness, and anyone who thinks they do so is sadly narcissistic and seriously overestimates their own self-importance.
I come to Alex's blog because I find small buildings interesting in their own right and because Shedworking gives me a few minutes of imaginative respite from the work I do, which involves tracking the research activities of a major university.
Sometimes when Shedworking veers a little too much toward the decorative, the trendy, the interior-design-type content, I get impatient with it -- I'm more interested in the structures -- how they look, how they fit their locale, their interior layout. But Alex keeps his focus remarkably well.
I may never build a custom shed for working (and I assume Mr Anonymous would frown on building one for leisure or reflective pursuits), but I've been enriched by Alex's gleanings. I plan to keep reading.
Bill D
(In the interests of full disclosure, I'm a recovering journalist myself. Have a 20-year career as a reporter, editor, and editorialist in newspapers, before I blundered into the university research racket.)
Well done for a well-mannered, reasonably argued case - I loved the Miss World reference.
ReplyDeleteI still don't agree that you saying "yes but we could all do more," is a little like saying "I know we smoke but so do lots of other people." The power you have without responsibility is having the opportunity to influence what people talk and care about, a power the media uses irresponsibly.
The agenda has become dominated by celebrity and lifestyle when the space could be better devoted to issues that really matter if only journalists were strong enough to stand up and say so. By featuring in that media and devoting your time to a comparably trivial pre-occupation you maintain the status quo (that the country concentrates on the distracting trivia and doesn't do anything about the things that matter?)
I do actually agree with you re. the growing trivialisation of society - it's just that I don't think Shedworking is part of it (but then I would say that wouldn't I?).
ReplyDeleteThanks for commenting though - it's always useful to hear dissenting voices.
Do you have a shed?
I would be interesting to see a list of the approved topics that "the media" and specifically Shedworking should focus on in anon's judgment. So far, s/he has spoken only in broad generalities.
ReplyDeleteIs s/he capable of more, or is this just an ill-tempered sniping expedition?
Bill D