Blue Peter is a longstanding children’s programme in the
Well, it did. The BBC has decided to suspend the privileges that Blue Peter Badge holders have for getting free entry into museums and suchlike, because it has learned that badges are being sold on eBay.
To quote from the BBC’s press release:
“The system, which allows Blue Peter badge holders free access to more than 200 UK attractions, will be suspended until Blue Peter is able to put a secure system in place to stop people who have purchased badges - rather than earning them - using the badges to gain free entry to attractions. The programme is currently looking at a number of options for this.”
So, let’s dissect this a little.
It is a punishment for everyone, inflicted because of the actions of the few (I assume it is a minority rather than the majority who are selling and buying badges). A bit like giving the whole class a detention because of one kid’s bad behaviour.
It is a very ‘middle class morality’ punishment. Buying and selling privilege = bad; earning privilege by good works = good. Not necessarily a bad thing to try to teach children, or a bad way to try to live as an adult, but compare it with the British class system and how it hands out privileges, or any one of a number of other aspects of British society in the wild, and you may see something of a mismatch.
It is a case of ‘Web meets World’ where ‘Web’ forces a reaction out of ‘World’ which seems predicated on the medium rather than the action being performed. Can it really be that nobody had ever sold a badge to anyone else before eBay came into the frame? Perhaps it is just the wider visibility of eBay transactions that concerns those who made this decision, but there is no doubt that ‘Web’ has stuck its tongue out at ‘World’ and ‘World’ has reacted somewhat aggressively.
Which brings me on to question the notion of transferability in relation to these badges.
Suppose I have a Blue Peter badge and I give rather than sell it to someone else. Suppose I swap it for something. Or suppose I just loan it out for a few days to a friend, so they can get into an attraction or two while on holiday?
I guess the powers that be would frown on these things too, as in no case would the user of the badge have earned its privileges from Blue Peter, though they may have earned the privileges from me, by giving me money or goods, being my friend, or in some other way.
But while selling, swapping and loaning have all been possible since the badge scheme was invented (it’s old, but not older than money!), I don’t see anything at the Blue Peter Web site along the lines of ‘the badge is the recipient’s and theirs alone.’
And if there is such a statement somewhere – maybe on a letter that is sent out with badges - how is ownership proved or checked at the point of entry to the attractions? Not being a badge holder myself, I would welcome enlightenment from someone that is.
Not only does the reaction to suspend privileges feel a bit ‘knee-jerk’, I can’t help thinking the BBC has made something of a rod for its own back.
The BBC’s press release makes it clear that this is a temporary measure, but what, apart from some sort of bureaucratic and expensive registration and proof of ownership scheme, can the BBC put in place to ensure the scheme is not abused? Getting eBay to stop badges going on sale will, at the risk of stating the blindingly obvious, only stop sales on eBay. And the programme has been awarding badges for generations – would it expect any control scheme to be able to backtrack through all past recipients?
Many questions. In the mean time, would all parents who have handed their badges over to children so they can benefit from the privileges, and anyone who has sold, swapped or loaned their badge, please step forward.