Yet Another Association

Over the years, I have noticed the need in our complex society for organizations called associations. Every possible human endeavor, it seems, has an association, no matter how obscure or ridiculous.

In the past, I have noted the National Association for Information Destruction, the Association of North American Directory Publishers, the National Association of Settlement Purchasers, and SMART (the association for Secondary Materials and Recycled Textiles).

Today, I found out (thanks to Clay Jones, writing for Science Based Medicine) that there is an Association of Placenta Preparation Arts. The whole article is worth a read (ewww), but the bit about the association was the kicker.


(That they require an association is questionable, of course, but also... what about their misuse of the word "arts"? Wouldn't you think their work would be more of a science? They must think they can get away with their pseudoscience more easily if they call it an art.)

I once had a student who worked for the American Society of Association Executives. So, essentially, that's an association of associations. Which may signal the end of history. We can all go home now.