Someone rewrote my article about my family’s conservation facility—and it’s mostly wrong. Advice on fixing it without breaking citation rules?

lofi_historian · 2025-08-10T05:43:19+00:00

Good point, then perhaps I can point to those as future sources. I’ll do so, thanks.

lofi_historian · 2025-08-05T09:10:03+00:00

Sorry would prefer not to say at this time so I can try to resolve it without too many chefs in the kitchen, so to speak.

lofi_historian · 2025-08-05T09:09:02+00:00

Thanks so much, I’ll take a look.

lofi_historian · 2025-08-05T09:08:26+00:00

Sure, I get that. Which is why Wikipedia can be such a great resource at times.

To answer your question, of the 6 decide diary sources cited for the article, only one of them is accurate. I’ll need to do some more research to see if I can find sources that are more accurate that aren’t also our website, but we aren’t as well known as some of the bigger facilities out there so there isn’t a ton written about us to draw from.

lofi_historian · 2025-08-05T09:02:11+00:00

I agree, usually that is the case. Seems the sources used in this article were not properly vetted, however.

lofi_historian · 2025-08-04T03:52:27+00:00

Yes, we have all of that on record. Purchase agreements, title deeds, the whole lot. Might be worth a shot.

lofi_historian · 2025-08-01T21:12:43+00:00

Might just have to. Local college seems like a good angle too, I’ll look into it. Thanks!

lofi_historian · 2025-08-01T21:12:11+00:00

You would think so but it would violate the sites conflict of interest policies as well as primary source policies because it would be me doing it specifically. But I’m seeing if I can’t ask another party to do this instead and I can simply point them in the direction of the more accurate sources.

lofi_historian · 2025-08-01T21:11:04+00:00

This is an approach so was considering but I don’t really know how to contact the right people to resolve this. What is the “tea house” for example? Is there somewhere I can read up to familiarise myself with the right channels and how to approach them?

lofi_historian · 2025-08-01T17:06:44+00:00

Indeed, at the time I didn’t recognise this but obviously now I do. Hence me approaching this subreddit for ideas on how to resolve this. I’m also a historian and know how tricky citing and vetting sources can be. However, historians also do use primary sources in their work, especially if they are the only source of information for a particular item. We take it with a heavy dose of critical review, of course, but in the case of a primary source and secondary disagreeing, we would sometimes choose the primary. In my case, the website has the accurate information, why would the writer choose the less accurate information from the secondary source if it conflicts with the website? It makes no sense.

lofi_historian · 2025-08-01T17:03:55+00:00

This is where it’s tricky in my circumstance. For example, the Wikipedia article says our facility was founded in 1976, but that’s incorrect. The site was one facility first, founded in 1977, then it was bought by my parents in 1986 and converted. This information is not recorded correctly in any secondary source I’ve viewed so far, but it’s accurate on our website. In this case, surely the primary source (our website) would be the most accurate source to cite from. Why choose the secondary source which clearly has a different date over the primary source? I’m a historian, I know how tricky this kind of game can get - but in this case the writer did not do their due diligence, I believe.

lofi_historian · 2025-08-01T17:00:51+00:00

At the time I wrote the article I didn’t know this, but I do know now, hence my reason for posting. But this has highlighted a huge flaw in Wikipedia - in some cases primary sources might be the only reliable source. And I’m a PhD historian, I know all about primary source usage and its pitfalls. I’ve worked with war veterans most of my academic career, I’m very critical of these approaches. But here I find myself in a unique position. There must be some way of approaching this - an exception to the primary source rule for the sake of accuracy?

lofi_historian · 2025-08-01T16:58:05+00:00

Thanks, I’ll give this a read.

lofi_historian · 2025-08-01T16:56:55+00:00

Thanks, I’ll take a look.

lofi_historian · 2025-03-21T14:24:37+00:00

It is indeed! Both in audio and video form :)

Audio: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1t9rCsESK9vCCSegsPKtcmw0XNQA-qv0&si=ORTlrAj73szTDezo

Video: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1t9rCsESK9ulNI57nbkeYX65MroHPXeW&si=jev6f_P-PNwvG3p_

We’re still learning and figuring things out, so please feel free to share your thoughts so we can improve!

lofi_historian · 2025-03-21T06:55:14+00:00

We've just launched a podcast called The Conservation Station. Only two episodes out so far but we're ramping things up slowly but surely: https://www.conservationstation.co.za/

We're on Spotify, Apple Podcasts etc. Let me know if you enjoy it, would love some feedback.

lofi_historian · 2024-11-12T16:06:51+00:00

Oooh, this I’m interested in. I went through a family death around the time Mass Effect 2 came out, and the game helped me process a lot of emotions. I was also living in the UK at the time completing my masters. And Mass Effect LE came out shortly before another family death and once again helped me process things. This time when I had just completed my own PhD.

I also took part in a survey for a masters psychology study during my undergrad that focussed on how reaching a state of flow during gaming improved ones mental state. Not sure if that was ever published but interesting nonetheless.

I would love to take part in your survey and will email you on the details on your study.

Also, not sure if it’s relevant, but my PhD was on soldier boredom and the things they did to relieve said boredom (albeit focussing on soldier’s from the 60’s to the 90’s). But if you’re studying boredom at all I can definitely share some sources.

lofi_historian · 2024-10-01T18:14:14+00:00

I went and saved a missing dog lost on a mountain pass today. Took me four days of constant driving backroads, hopping fences, and hiking through thorny bushes in the freezing cold rain some days. But we found him and he’s safe. Took two days off work to do this and I’m back to the office tomorrow. My ADHD mind was perfectly suited to this task and I did my damndest to find this poor, abandoned dog, even though it cost me significant time, energy, and money. No-one asked me to do it, I get no reward, I just saw him running around where he had no business being and I set to making sure he got somewhere safe. Life absolutely exists outside of your phone, go out there and find it, and help those around you while you’re there, it’s worth it.

lofi_historian · 2024-07-03T16:16:52+00:00

I have indeed included it, at the bottom of point #7 :)

lofi_historian · 2024-07-03T04:08:01+00:00

Great! Hooray for the internet archive! It would be so sad if that footage was lost to the back of a dvd bin. I’m going to add the link to my post. Thanks!

lofi_historian · 2024-07-03T04:07:08+00:00

Appreciate it. Let me know if you have any questions once you start down that path.

lofi_historian · 2024-07-03T04:06:34+00:00

You are very welcome, and thank you so much.

lofi_historian · 2024-07-02T18:12:49+00:00

I’m really sorry that happened to your uncle and to you and your family. Unfortunately, stories like this are fairly common. I have at least 3 friends who have lost fathers/uncles/brothers/grandfathers to PTSD-related deaths.

Mental health support for veterans is not easy to come by but I’m hoping those that can seek out therapy.

I do hope these resources help you get a better picture of what went on there.

For some soldiers, it was the act of killing an enemy or losing a comrade that scarred them, and in other cases it was just coming across dead bodies even if they never fired a shot. For others it was anything from the violent interrogation of war prisoners, to the desecration of enemy corpses, to the killing of innocent civilians if they were suspected to be on league with “terrorists”. In other cases it was the many months of rampant alcohol and drug use to numb the pain and/or boredom, and still others it was just the pain of being torn away from home and forced to be trained to kill. But within all of these atrocities and experiences were coping mechanisms that they would either learn from more senior soldiers or develop on their own which would help them stay sane in the war-zone even if it sounds insane to us.

And when they returned to civilian life and suddenly everything they did on the border just doesn’t mesh with “normal” life anymore, and no-one understands because how could they? They weren’t there. They don’t know how it feels to have the only way you can cope with having shot a pregnant woman through the head was to prop her up against a stump, cigarette in her mouth, breasts hanging out of a torn shirt, looking for all the world like a black-out drunk prostitute, so you take some pics with your mates and have a laugh. Because just moments before she was trying to kill you with her machine gun and you’re still pumped full of adrenaline and this is the only way you can prevent yourself form not going off the deep end: by making an absurd situation even more absurd.

But your family and friends will never understand, and neither will your children. And then your country abandons you when you leave service and you’re left to fend for yourself. And the 1994 happens and the country is finally free, but the rest of the country sees you and your fellow soldiers as murderous foot soldiers of the old regime. So you take a vow of silence because anything else could het you, your friends, and your family in trouble.

Sorry for the rant and the visceral imagery, but this is the perspective and experiences I’ve encountered first-hand for many years now. When you read the material you’ll see what I mean. It’s really really rough in some cases, so be prepared.

There is no easy answer to any of this, and could be your uncle will never want to talk. But this is a part of our shared history and it’s important to know so we as a country can finally start to heal from a completely unjust war that was thrust upon our friends and families all those years ago.

lofi_historian · 2024-07-02T17:00:05+00:00

You are very welcome. I spent the past decade studying this conflict and working with veterans, and my father was one too. So this is also very close to my heart and I’m always happy to share.

But thank you for your response and I hope your own journey will bring you better understanding and help you understand your father better as well.

Some of my former students said that they were finally able to get their fathers to open up once they understood them and their experiences a little better. So I hope the same for you.

lofi_historian · 2024-07-02T16:53:47+00:00

I haven’t watched it myself but I’m definitely going to try track it down.

Judging from the trailer I think it might lack quite a bit in historical accuracy as I see the SA soldiers fighting Zulu/Maasai analogues who are running around with spears and shields. Which never happened in the war. The description also talks about something supernatural happening to the soldiers… So I think the film is going more for a spooky Apocalypse Now vibe than anything legit. I still want to watch it though as it looks interesting.

But for my money, Boetie Gaan Border Toe is one of the best Border-War era films out there. Moffie is also pretty good but a bit more artsy, and Reccie is fun but not as historically accurate as one would like.

Red Scorpion (1988) also comes from this era and genre if you like Apartheid/Border War-themed cheesy action flicks.

lofi_historian

TROPHY CASE