Re: paleonet Burgess Shale Fossil Theft

["Ron Eng" <rceng@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Greetings,

 

It's important to note that the reference to "kind of a tragedy" did not specifically pertain to the loss of the single specimen. Regardless of the specimen's value (whether that value is measured in relative monetary terms or some set of absolute terms), the pilfering of a UNESCO World Heritage site is reprehensible.

The quote:
          "It's kind of a tragedy I think to think that one of
          our key sites, a UNESCO World Heritage Site
          is open to pilfering of this sort," said Paul
          Johnston.

It is not that the loss of the single specimen is intolerable. It is the act of theft that is intolerable.

 

Regards,
Ron

 

+<>+<>+<>+<>+<>+<>+<>+<>+<>+<>+<>+<>+<>+<>+
Ronald Eng
Geology Collections Manager
Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture
Box 353010
University of Washington
Seattle, WA 98195-3010

 

e-mail: rceng@u.washington.edu

 

telephone: 206.543.6776
fax: 206.685.3039

 

URL: http://www.washington.edu/burkemuseum/geo.html
+<>+<>+<>+<>+<>+<>+<>+<>+<>+<>+<>+<>+<>+<>+

----- Original Message -----

From: Pristis@aol.com

To: paleonet@nhm.ac.uk

Sent: Tuesday, September 04, 2001 4:04 PM

Subject: Re: paleonet Burgess Shale Fossil Theft

In a message dated 9/4/01 1:07:06 PM Pacific Daylight Time, benw@mail.uca.edu
writes:

Pristis@aol.com wrote:
>
>> This is such silly-business.  It constantly amazes me how
>> self-important
>> paleontologists can be!  This is just a rock that is missing from a
>> mountain-top.  How many of these worm impressions does it take to make
>> this a
>> "tragedy"?  Get real, guys, get some perspective!

Benw replied:

>By your reasoning, I should be able to come over and take your
>hubcaps. I mean, they're just pieces of metal that are missing
>from your car -- not even particularly rare, and unlike fossils,
>you can easily get perfectly identical ones at your local dealership.
>How much of a "tragedy" can losing your hubcaps be compared with
>the War On Drugs? I mean, you make a bunch of shiny pretty
>hubcaps, publicize them by driving around, and then expect people
>not to steal them? Sheesh! Pass me the socket wrench and get
>some perspective!

>(snip puerile sarcasm)

You still don't get it.  This is about scale, proportion, perspective.  The
loss of one worm impression is not a "tragedy".  The comparison to the war on
drugs was intended to give you and other self-important paleontologists a
scale by which to measure the impact of the loss of a worm impression.

I would not argue that loss of hubcaps is a tragedy . . . unless I caught you
at it.  Then there would be a human tragedy.  I am disappointed by your
simple-minded response.

It is uncomfortable, I'm sure, to have someone point out to you that what you
do for a living, the things you study, are not as important in the overall
scheme of things as you seem to think.  You have devoted your energies and
time to the backwater science of paleontology.  It has shaped your paradigm
of the world.   

I believe that this "tragic loss of our fossil heritage" is a public
relations strategy to get the public at large to accept your paradigm.  This
strategy is effectively employed by vertebrate paleontologists.  The reality
is that these are just bones and stones by which paleontologists make a
living, and this fossil heritage nonsense is self-serving baloney.

Hope this helps.
       -----------Harry Pristis