Crash course on flying in the face of logic

Following the serious debates about conservation issues can be a bit humdrum sometimes so now and then I take a quick glance at a certain metal detecting blog for a truly bizarre perspective. It seldom fails to disappoint and a recent post about "Treasure Hunting" (2 May 2014) was a gem of twisted logic. After the usual bitter rant against archaeologists and other people who criticise the more destructive members of his hobby, the blogger attempts to justify his cavalier attitude to archaeology by appealing to fellow detectorists with this ...

"It’s YOUR history too! More people own metal detectors than dabble in archaeology as a pastime….so don’t let the tail wag the dog!"

Hmm, that priceless thought is pretty much akin to saying ...

It’s YOUR hospital too! More people pop pills than follow medicine as a profession ... so don’t let a few doctors supervise the health service instead of thousands of patients!

Or perhaps ...

It’s YOUR atmosphere too! More people travel by air than take up aeronautical training ... so don’t let a couple of pilots fly a plane instead of the dozens of passengers!

I dare say metal detecting - if carried out responsibly and in moderation - is an enjoyable hobby. But to present it as an everyman crusade against government monopoly - and cloak it as an altruistic method of "saving history" by sheer force of numbers - is not only self-deluding, it is as warped as a crash landing.