Kenneth Roy
Why Michelle Mone
has to stay
in Scotland
The Midgie
Bad drivers
Steve Tilley
and others
The perils of
travelling by train
in Scotland
John Cameron
Kicking a man when he’s down
The short-list
Dumbing-down
the world’s literary
masterpieces
The Cafe 2
A problem of etiquette
Tom Gallagher
Why should Alex Salmond
be caressed with a feather
duster by Paxo?
The Cafe 3
Fitzpatrick takes on Hill
Howie Firth
We’re enjoying the
deep darkness, and the
light from the stars
Alistair R Brownlie
The brigands have
taken over
21.12.11
No. 495
John Cameron
President Sarkozy is lashing out at all his ‘enemies’ and now plans to prosecute people who deny that the deportation of Armenians by Ottoman Turks was genocide.
The respected US historian Bernard Lewis has already been fined in a French civil court for saying: ‘The events constitute a genocide only in the Armenian version of history’.
During the first world war, the Ottoman Empire was under extreme pressure not only externally but also internally as both Armenian and Arab nationalists incited armed revolts. In Anatolia, during the Caucasus campaign the Armenian population engaged in open warfare and, in 1915, a separatist government was proclaimed in Western Armenia.
At the same time a joint French and British operation was mounted in the Dardanelles to capture the Ottoman capital of Constantinople and secure a sea-route to Russia. The Ottomans were desperate to remove the Armenian threat because its brigades were causing mayhem in their homelands and fighting alongside the Russians on the front. Turkey today argues that subsequent Armenian deportations and deaths were generally the result of WWI turmoil and Armenian terrorist activity should not be ignored.
These dreadful events cannot be seen in isolation and it is clear Christian propaganda in Asia Minor helped to promote region-wide conflict between the Crescent and the Cross.
In addition the west glosses over the fate of millions of Ottoman Muslims expelled from the Balkans and Russia in the 19th and 20th centuries but focuses on Armenian deaths.
Certainly Franciscan monks living in the region have always claimed that it was not an act of genocide but a battle with Armenian militia on one side supported by Russian troops. Turkey never accused Russia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Greece and Montenegro of genocide and argues the events were part of the war so it is absurd for Turkey to be alone in the dock. In fact, the worst instances of famine occurred in what is now Syria and its reasons must include dreadful harvests and the total blockage of the coast by the French navy.
If France goes ahead, Turkey will retaliate by denouncing its vile record in Algeria as well as its part in the Armenian famine, so a little discretion might be warranted.
Today’s banner
The upstairs room
Photograph by
Islay McLeod
Should children
be taught
how to gamble?
Walter Humes
More than 40 years ago the sociologist and linguist, Basil Bernstein, wrote an influential paper entitled ‘Education cannot compensate for society’. I was reminded of this recently when it was proposed that children should be taught about gambling in schools, partly to alert them to the dangers of that activity but also to enable them to wager ‘responsibly’ if they so wished.
Most schools now have well-developed social education programmes which include information and advice about a range of topics: alcohol and drugs; sexual behaviour and relationships; healthy eating and exercise. These programmes are undoubtedly well-intentioned and often include input by specialists in the relevant fields, as well as by teachers. Should gambling be added to the list?
It is assumed that, by bringing these issues out into the open, it will encourage youngsters to think seriously about forms of behaviour that may be harmful to themselves and others, and encourage them to make sensible decisions. However, the evidence for this is rather slight. Scotland has a poor record in relation to alcohol and drugs, with high levels of drunkenness (often linked to violence and crime) and, in some communities, a casual attitude to the use of drugs. Doctors cite alarming examples of young men and women in their 20s and 30s who have suffered serious liver damage as a result of their lifestyles.
A similar pattern can be seen in relation to other aspects of health and well-being. Compared with other countries, the figures for teenage pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections do not show Scotland in a favourable light. Likewise, we have acquired an unenviable reputation for unhealthy eating. A visit to any shopping centre provides clear evidence of the extent of obesity among young and old alike.
Lessons on gambling are unlikely to be different. They may give a better understanding of how odds are calculated and seek to discourage reckless spending at the bookies.
So what are we to conclude about the effectiveness of social education programmes in schools? It would be too easy and quite unfair to blame the efforts of teachers, most of whom genuinely want to make a difference to the lives of the youngsters in their charge. I suspect, however, that many pupils are quite skilful at giving the answers adults want to hear when topics such as diet and alcohol are covered, but that it may not make much difference to their actual behaviour. They are likely to be more influenced by their peers, by the ‘celebrities’ they admire and by the images of fashionable lifestyles conveyed by the media, than by the well-meant exhortations they encounter in schools. As Bernstein suggested, it is unreasonable to expect schools and teachers to compensate for all the powerful social, cultural and economic forces to which youngsters are subject outside schools.
There is a related difficulty. Social education courses – and government advertising campaigns addressing similar issues – are generally based on a ‘rational’ approach which involves looking at the ‘evidence’ (about the likely effects of excessive drinking or careless sexual behaviour, for example) and hoping that this will lead to a careful consideration of options and a wise choice. But human behaviour is often irrational, based on immediate impulses and a desire for acceptance within social groups, some of which may not discourage new recruits from heading towards the ‘self-destruct’ button.
Lessons on gambling are unlikely to be different. They may give a better understanding of how odds are calculated and seek to discourage reckless spending at the bookies. But tabloid stories of fabulous lottery wins are likely to have a greater impact, perhaps particularly on youngsters whose home lives are grim. Even for youngsters in better circumstances, the gambling of the city spivs in investment banks may be a more potent influence on their attitudes and behaviour than the advice to proceed prudently with small stakes within a previously determined budget. Online betting poses a particular risk as the excitement of the moment can quickly lead to significant losses.
All this should not lead to the conclusion that social education programmes are a complete waste of time. But it should encourage a hard-headed review of their effectiveness and a more honest acknowledgement of the way in which powerful external forces set limits to what schools and teachers can be expected to achieve. The best of intentions may be subverted by forms of exploitation which show a disturbing capacity to resist endless policy initiatives.
Walter Humes held professorships at the universities of Aberdeen, Strathclyde and West of Scotland and is now a visiting professor of education at the University of Stirling
be caressed with a feather
duster by Paxo?
The Cafe 3
Fitzpatrick takes on Hill
Howie Firth
We’re enjoying the
deep darkness, and the
light from the stars
Alistair R Brownlie
The brigands have
taken over
21.12.11
No. 495
John Cameron
President Sarkozy is lashing out at all his ‘enemies’ and now plans to prosecute people who deny that the deportation of Armenians by Ottoman Turks was genocide.
The respected US historian Bernard Lewis has already been fined in a French civil court for saying: ‘The events constitute a genocide only in the Armenian version of history’.
During the first world war, the Ottoman Empire was under extreme pressure not only externally but also internally as both Armenian and Arab nationalists incited armed revolts. In Anatolia, during the Caucasus campaign the Armenian population engaged in open warfare and, in 1915, a separatist government was proclaimed in Western Armenia.
At the same time a joint French and British operation was mounted in the Dardanelles to capture the Ottoman capital of Constantinople and secure a sea-route to Russia. The Ottomans were desperate to remove the Armenian threat because its brigades were causing mayhem in their homelands and fighting alongside the Russians on the front. Turkey today argues that subsequent Armenian deportations and deaths were generally the result of WWI turmoil and Armenian terrorist activity should not be ignored.
These dreadful events cannot be seen in isolation and it is clear Christian propaganda in Asia Minor helped to promote region-wide conflict between the Crescent and the Cross.
In addition the west glosses over the fate of millions of Ottoman Muslims expelled from the Balkans and Russia in the 19th and 20th centuries but focuses on Armenian deaths.
Certainly Franciscan monks living in the region have always claimed that it was not an act of genocide but a battle with Armenian militia on one side supported by Russian troops. Turkey never accused Russia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Greece and Montenegro of genocide and argues the events were part of the war so it is absurd for Turkey to be alone in the dock. In fact, the worst instances of famine occurred in what is now Syria and its reasons must include dreadful harvests and the total blockage of the coast by the French navy.
If France goes ahead, Turkey will retaliate by denouncing its vile record in Algeria as well as its part in the Armenian famine, so a little discretion might be warranted.
Today’s banner
The upstairs room
Photograph by
Islay McLeod
Should children
be taught
how to gamble?
Walter Humes
More than 40 years ago the sociologist and linguist, Basil Bernstein, wrote an influential paper entitled ‘Education cannot compensate for society’. I was reminded of this recently when it was proposed that children should be taught about gambling in schools, partly to alert them to the dangers of that activity but also to enable them to wager ‘responsibly’ if they so wished.
Most schools now have well-developed social education programmes which include information and advice about a range of topics: alcohol and drugs; sexual behaviour and relationships; healthy eating and exercise. These programmes are undoubtedly well-intentioned and often include input by specialists in the relevant fields, as well as by teachers. Should gambling be added to the list?
It is assumed that, by bringing these issues out into the open, it will encourage youngsters to think seriously about forms of behaviour that may be harmful to themselves and others, and encourage them to make sensible decisions. However, the evidence for this is rather slight. Scotland has a poor record in relation to alcohol and drugs, with high levels of drunkenness (often linked to violence and crime) and, in some communities, a casual attitude to the use of drugs. Doctors cite alarming examples of young men and women in their 20s and 30s who have suffered serious liver damage as a result of their lifestyles.
A similar pattern can be seen in relation to other aspects of health and well-being. Compared with other countries, the figures for teenage pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections do not show Scotland in a favourable light. Likewise, we have acquired an unenviable reputation for unhealthy eating. A visit to any shopping centre provides clear evidence of the extent of obesity among young and old alike.
Lessons on gambling are unlikely to be different. They may give a better understanding of how odds are calculated and seek to discourage reckless spending at the bookies.
So what are we to conclude about the effectiveness of social education programmes in schools? It would be too easy and quite unfair to blame the efforts of teachers, most of whom genuinely want to make a difference to the lives of the youngsters in their charge. I suspect, however, that many pupils are quite skilful at giving the answers adults want to hear when topics such as diet and alcohol are covered, but that it may not make much difference to their actual behaviour. They are likely to be more influenced by their peers, by the ‘celebrities’ they admire and by the images of fashionable lifestyles conveyed by the media, than by the well-meant exhortations they encounter in schools. As Bernstein suggested, it is unreasonable to expect schools and teachers to compensate for all the powerful social, cultural and economic forces to which youngsters are subject outside schools.
There is a related difficulty. Social education courses – and government advertising campaigns addressing similar issues – are generally based on a ‘rational’ approach which involves looking at the ‘evidence’ (about the likely effects of excessive drinking or careless sexual behaviour, for example) and hoping that this will lead to a careful consideration of options and a wise choice. But human behaviour is often irrational, based on immediate impulses and a desire for acceptance within social groups, some of which may not discourage new recruits from heading towards the ‘self-destruct’ button.
Lessons on gambling are unlikely to be different. They may give a better understanding of how odds are calculated and seek to discourage reckless spending at the bookies. But tabloid stories of fabulous lottery wins are likely to have a greater impact, perhaps particularly on youngsters whose home lives are grim. Even for youngsters in better circumstances, the gambling of the city spivs in investment banks may be a more potent influence on their attitudes and behaviour than the advice to proceed prudently with small stakes within a previously determined budget. Online betting poses a particular risk as the excitement of the moment can quickly lead to significant losses.
All this should not lead to the conclusion that social education programmes are a complete waste of time. But it should encourage a hard-headed review of their effectiveness and a more honest acknowledgement of the way in which powerful external forces set limits to what schools and teachers can be expected to achieve. The best of intentions may be subverted by forms of exploitation which show a disturbing capacity to resist endless policy initiatives.
Walter Humes held professorships at the universities of Aberdeen, Strathclyde and West of Scotland and is now a visiting professor of education at the University of Stirling
21.12.11
No. 495
John CameronThe respected US historian Bernard Lewis has already been fined in a French civil court for saying: ‘The events constitute a genocide only in the Armenian version of history’.
During the first world war, the Ottoman Empire was under extreme pressure not only externally but also internally as both Armenian and Arab nationalists incited armed revolts. In Anatolia, during the Caucasus campaign the Armenian population engaged in open warfare and, in 1915, a separatist government was proclaimed in Western Armenia.
At the same time a joint French and British operation was mounted in the Dardanelles to capture the Ottoman capital of Constantinople and secure a sea-route to Russia. The Ottomans were desperate to remove the Armenian threat because its brigades were causing mayhem in their homelands and fighting alongside the Russians on the front. Turkey today argues that subsequent Armenian deportations and deaths were generally the result of WWI turmoil and Armenian terrorist activity should not be ignored.
These dreadful events cannot be seen in isolation and it is clear Christian propaganda in Asia Minor helped to promote region-wide conflict between the Crescent and the Cross.
In addition the west glosses over the fate of millions of Ottoman Muslims expelled from the Balkans and Russia in the 19th and 20th centuries but focuses on Armenian deaths.
Certainly Franciscan monks living in the region have always claimed that it was not an act of genocide but a battle with Armenian militia on one side supported by Russian troops. Turkey never accused Russia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Greece and Montenegro of genocide and argues the events were part of the war so it is absurd for Turkey to be alone in the dock. In fact, the worst instances of famine occurred in what is now Syria and its reasons must include dreadful harvests and the total blockage of the coast by the French navy.
If France goes ahead, Turkey will retaliate by denouncing its vile record in Algeria as well as its part in the Armenian famine, so a little discretion might be warranted.
Photograph by
Islay McLeod
Most schools now have well-developed social education programmes which include information and advice about a range of topics: alcohol and drugs; sexual behaviour and relationships; healthy eating and exercise. These programmes are undoubtedly well-intentioned and often include input by specialists in the relevant fields, as well as by teachers. Should gambling be added to the list?
It is assumed that, by bringing these issues out into the open, it will encourage youngsters to think seriously about forms of behaviour that may be harmful to themselves and others, and encourage them to make sensible decisions. However, the evidence for this is rather slight. Scotland has a poor record in relation to alcohol and drugs, with high levels of drunkenness (often linked to violence and crime) and, in some communities, a casual attitude to the use of drugs. Doctors cite alarming examples of young men and women in their 20s and 30s who have suffered serious liver damage as a result of their lifestyles.
A similar pattern can be seen in relation to other aspects of health and well-being. Compared with other countries, the figures for teenage pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections do not show Scotland in a favourable light. Likewise, we have acquired an unenviable reputation for unhealthy eating. A visit to any shopping centre provides clear evidence of the extent of obesity among young and old alike.
There is a related difficulty. Social education courses – and government advertising campaigns addressing similar issues – are generally based on a ‘rational’ approach which involves looking at the ‘evidence’ (about the likely effects of excessive drinking or careless sexual behaviour, for example) and hoping that this will lead to a careful consideration of options and a wise choice. But human behaviour is often irrational, based on immediate impulses and a desire for acceptance within social groups, some of which may not discourage new recruits from heading towards the ‘self-destruct’ button.
Lessons on gambling are unlikely to be different. They may give a better understanding of how odds are calculated and seek to discourage reckless spending at the bookies. But tabloid stories of fabulous lottery wins are likely to have a greater impact, perhaps particularly on youngsters whose home lives are grim. Even for youngsters in better circumstances, the gambling of the city spivs in investment banks may be a more potent influence on their attitudes and behaviour than the advice to proceed prudently with small stakes within a previously determined budget. Online betting poses a particular risk as the excitement of the moment can quickly lead to significant losses.
All this should not lead to the conclusion that social education programmes are a complete waste of time. But it should encourage a hard-headed review of their effectiveness and a more honest acknowledgement of the way in which powerful external forces set limits to what schools and teachers can be expected to achieve. The best of intentions may be subverted by forms of exploitation which show a disturbing capacity to resist endless policy initiatives.
Walter Humes held professorships at the universities of Aberdeen, Strathclyde and West of Scotland and is now a visiting professor of education at the University of Stirling