Malcolm's Musings

‘Geography a toxic mix of new-age mysticism and political correctness’

Readers may wish to consult this Guardian article first!

Hurray for Mr Woodhead, he’s found us out at last! But as a Geographer I already knew this, my tarot cards foretold the ranting of the former Chief Inspector. Worryingly, the final card that was revealed at the top of my triangle was death.
Fear not; all those mystic Geographers know this is not a sign of doom, but sign of hope, renewal and importance, not for Mr Woodhead but for Geography.

I fully agree with Mr Woodhead, Geography is toxic; it brings back memories of Billy Bragg’s album ‘A Victim of Geography’, how true a sentiment. Geography is definitely toxic, or so my trusty thesaurus states, ‘dangerous’. My thoughts spring to the terrible Asian Tsunami, the consequences of unfair trading rules and the potential problems faced as a result of a warming world. My spiritual connection tells me Mr Woodhead is constructing an alternate past, where Geographers just taught facts, that ‘values’ were never part of the subject. He seems intent on creating a generation of knowledgeable, perhaps obedient students, but who lack necessary the skills to tackle the real difficulties of a future world in a constructive way.

But perhaps Mr Woodhead is worried that Geography is toxic in another way, as an ex-smoker I know that some substances can become addict, leaving you wanting more. Perhaps when students are exposed to Geography that is challenging and stimulating, he is worried that students will begin to question the status quo, his belief in a golden past of conservative values, where people knew their place, the Empire was great and students didn’t aspire above their social niche. But apart from instilling loony left wing politically correct ideals into my students, such as developing empathy for others and their culture, a care of the environment, an ability to critically evaluate arguments resulting in informed opinions and a love of knowledge, I also try to encourage their spiritual side.

Cheer Mr Woodhead up and give him what he wants, there’s lots of Geography in those mystical ramblings. UFO’s are a good starting point, I wonder how UFO sightings relate to indicators of development (UFO Sightings Map), is it just the ‘rich’ that have time for these alien fantasies? †

If you’ve looking for a more paranormal edge, how about looking at the geographical distribution of ghost sightings in the UK? (Ghost Sightings Map)

For those economically inclined Geographers, mysticism seems a growth area for tourism (Lonely Planet Twilight Zone)

I wonder what impact this type tourism has on the areas and what type of people are actually attracted to these sites. But if you’ve worried that you’re the only one out there that feels the ‘force’, don’t, the last census revealed a surprising number of Jedi Knights of England and Wales with an interesting geographical distribution. But beware; never underestimate the power of the dark side.

So much toxic mysticism I can feel my inner soul is out of balance, I’m off to Feng Shui my classroom; surprisingly found upon a set of ley lines. Mysterious.


© "Malcom"

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Larry Hatch of the UFO Sightings web site sent the following message:

Thanks for the link to: http://www.larryhatch.net/EURALL.html
You may want to edit your page. Its UFO SIGHTINGS (as is vision, something seen) and not 'sitings'.
I'm not rich BTW, and I don't think you will find any 'alien fantasies' on my site if you look carefully; just carefully filtered and mapped sightings.