Survey following the hieroglyphics exhibition at the British Museum

[oreste]

So we attended the exhibition and we were sent a survey via email. It started off well but we were then alerted to a section containing questions of a more 'personal nature'.
I found one question utterly bizarre. It was along the lines of ' Has attending the exhibition made you consider changing your gender?'
FFS, this is basically an exhibition of the Rosetta Stone and how it was used to decipher hieroglyphics. How on earth could it ever have that effect?

WTAF? That's so bizarre!

Exactly. I was wondering whether they include it in every single survey or whether I was meant to pick up on a mysterious gender-switching code in the exhibits. I seem to have completely missed it! 😆

I think it's just a generic question that will go out for every exhibition - like the NHS asking 68 year old me 'could you be pregnant?' before my covid jab. I'm trying to think what exhibition could affect me so powerfully that I'd want to change gender, but I don't reckon it's seeing the Rosetta Stone that would do it.

Ta for the heads up about the exhibition, BTW.

THe BM does a fiendishly difficult Rosetta Stone jigsaw, that has been known to drive people to distraction....maybe something to do with that?

The jigsaw sounded like a great idea for DH's Christmas present but I cannot risk it!

That just seems utterly bizarre. Was it left over from some previous exhibition on gender? Why would you ever ask someone that?

Gosh I'd love to know who answered yes to that after ANY exhibition!

As a side note... the Bm ladies toilets is the only place I've seen GC graffiti in real life.

Or maybe thats what they are talking about?
Although toilet queues sometimes make me wish to change sex!

Did this exhibit on the bronzes of Benin make you wish you were black? Do you want a black friend now? Come on, you’re at least going out for some jerk, right?

“Will you now be considering the Field of Reeds[/Rushes] for your afterlife?”

Surely the exhibition would be more likely to cause you to consider the incorporation of canopic jars in your future burial rituals.

that is a bizarre one, I thought no-one could change gender (apart from the genderfluid obvs.) and all someone was doing when they came out was letting you know what their gender had always been.

If you were identifying as trans and the exhibit made you consider switching (back) would that make it a form of conversion therapy?

This reminded me of something... ( googles)... ah yes

Oh and an FOI request that says no way, not Stonewall, not us mate. Hmm.

How can they not have a record of how much they paid to Stonewall? Do they not hold financial records?!?

i think this is the most likely explanation. the British Museum had an exhibition on "Feminine power: the divine to the demonic" from 19 May – 25 September 2022 which I really wanted to go to but couldn't organise the opportunity to get to it. The question might have been added to the survey for that. either they forgot to remove it or it's deliberate to get a "base line" - if 5% answer yes for the exhibition on Feminine power you need to know whether 1% or 4% or 8% answer yes for an exhibition on the Rosetta Stone in ordee to interpret the significance and meaning of the result.

it's a bad question though. some people who identify as nonbinary may "change gender" 3 or 4 times a day and would answer yes to that question as easily as "would you like a cup of tea?", and some people who identify as trans would say their gender has always been as it is, but they have just been misidentified by others, so they might answer "no" even if an exhibition was instrumental in helping them decide to "come out". a better question would have been "has this exhibition been helpful to you in understanding your own gender identity"

some people who identify as nonbinary may "change gender" 3 or 4 times a day and would answer yes to that question as easily as "would you like a cup of tea?"

I think the acceptable phrase now is "would you like a cup of gender fluid?"

Stonewall stonewalling, I suppose. I was not actually sure whether the more personal questions were tailored by the software depending upon what answers you provided to the more generic ones. There were feely questions asking you why you REALLY visited the exhibition and whether it was to deepen your personal connection with the deities or bring about a changed emotional state.

The 'personal questions' began with a self assessment of how spiritual you consider yourself to be on a scale of 1-5. I was wondering whether it was an initial screening for secret society membership rather than a chance to win £100. It is hard to relate it to the British Museum which I remember from my childhood! And then the gender question appeared ...

Who are they collecting that data for? Is it considered a positive outcome? So weird, and vaguely sinister.

the British Museum had an exhibition on "Feminine power: the divine to the demonic" from 19 May – 25 September 2022 which I really wanted to go to but couldn't organise the opportunity to get to it. The question might have been added to the survey for that.

My partner went to this exhibition. I asked him if he was sent a survey afterwards and he said no. He helpfully said it was really good though! I’d have loved to go myself.

Oooh, maybe I have been spotted for a secret membership after all! I was staring deeply into the cases but it was mainly because it was a badly lit exhibition. I wasn't reflecting upon identity politics (although I quite fancy Unicorn today).

I don't think I could've resisted saying yes to that, and I don't even believe in gender.

What a bizarre question. I went to the exhibition and thought it was very good. How would the story of the deciphering of hieroglyphics make me want to change gender?

@AlwaysTawnyOwl Were you sent a survey by any chance?

I just double-checked to make sure that my visit did not coincide with one of the LGBTQ tours where they take a group around various rooms to show them LGBTQ-related exhibits. However, it was not the case.

Is that the BM exhibition about Stonehenge? that rather pushed the 'genderfluid' message.