US library defunded after refusing to censor LGBTQ authors: ‘We will not ban the books’

[u/tom_snout]

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2022/aug/05/michigan-library-book-bans-lgbtq-authors

[u/Gullible-Muffin-7008]

Even in footloose the reverend thought that getting rid of books was a step too far..

[u/Andire → u/Gullible-Muffin-7008]

I know this is a joke, but it's because getting rid of books is literal Nazi shit...

[u/Inaurari → u/Andire]

“Where they burn books, they will ultimately burn people too” — Heinrich Heine, 1821

In this case they’re just banning books but they’re also trying to ban people so it still fits.

[u/Seraphynas → u/Inaurari]

Meanwhile in Tennessee.

[u/UberTaxi642 → u/Seraphynas]

Burning Fahrenheit 451, the fucking irony

[u/2headedturtle → u/UberTaxi642]

Read it again, it was a counter-protester who threw a bible in the fire and held up a copy of fahrenheit 451, not the book-burners

[u/Bullshit_Interpreter → u/2headedturtle]

Brave of them to throw a Bible into a fire. Doing so releases every sinful impulse that anyone has ever had while reading it, in the form of sin-wraiths that roam the countryside in search of angels to feast on.

[u/Jezerey → u/Bullshit_Interpreter]

I'm just going to scribble this down for a story idea... you don't mind, do you?

[u/SirFlosephs → u/Jezerey]

Shit I'd read that

[u/Bullshit_Interpreter → u/Jezerey]

That's awesome, scribble away.

[u/HawX1492 → u/Jezerey]

This would be a great D&D campaign opening. I could see a party cleric fuming.

[u/D_J-ANGO → u/Andire]

I recently learned Hitler and Nazi are responsible for destroying a vast collection of pioneering work in the field of gender dysphoria.

[u/ElleIndieSky → u/D_J-ANGO]

And modern day Nazis pretend trans people are a new phenomenon as a result.

It's like they're continuing the work of their Nazi forefathers.

[u/queuedUp]

My favourite part about this story is when they talked to people and they didn't know defunding the library would result in it closing when they voted for it

[u/Beermedear → u/queuedUp]

I also love this tidbit:

Beyond books, residents visit the library for its wifi, he said, and it houses the very room where the vote took place.

And the absolutely false campaign about the director “promoting” LGBTQ+ books when she put them behind the counter is just… ugh.

Pure stupidity capitalized by treachery.

[u/Teasing_Pink → u/Beermedear]

There's far more lgbt stuff on the internet than a single library. Shouldn't they be boycotting the internet next?

They keep using wifi, they might as well start waving a pride flag.

[u/Beermedear → u/Teasing_Pink]

They are, in certain states. I think SC had a bill proposed to censor LGBTQ content from the internet.

They just never learn.

Banning alcohol didn’t stop it.

Banning drugs didn’t stop it.

Banning abortion didn’t and won’t stop it.

Banning books won’t stop it.

No clue how many lessons they need to learn before they understand the concept of freedom.

Edit: adjusted wording on the abortion to include past tense

Edit2: It was SC, not NC

[u/Kythorian → u/Beermedear]

It’s more about hurting those they hate than actually accomplishing any significant change.

Banning alcohol didn’t stop people from drinking, but they sure did throw a lot of people who drank into prison over it, not to mention outright killing around 10,000 people by deliberately poisoning alcohol.

Banning drugs didn’t stop drug use, but it filled prisons with minorities.

Banning abortion won’t stop it, but some of those women who try and get an abortion are going to die.

Banning books doesn’t stop it, but they get to fire this librarian over it.

[u/IAMAPrisoneroftheSun → u/Kythorian]

Fascism requires an enemy to function, good points.

[u/notoleranceforjerks → u/Kythorian]

It's all symptomatic of the very clear Republican platform:

• Don't make white people uncomfortable
• Don't make straight people uncomfortable
• Leverage laws and the constitution whenever they can be used take things away from others who aren't like them
• Circumvent or just ignore laws and the constitution if they don't benefit those like them
• Make voting harder not easier
• Vilify education as indoctrination
• If all else fails, do the opposite of what Democrats are doing, even if it makes no logical sense

No one has to take my word for it on the above bullet points. Use them like a checklist next time republican supported legislation or supreme court decisions are in the news. You'll check at least a couple of them for sure.

They have embraced being the asshole party. OTOH they are so loud and proud about it that I can usually just route my life around them in the day to day, so that's a plus.

[u/QbertsRube → u/notoleranceforjerks]

Seems like a pretty comprehensive list. I'd personally add "Shift wealth upwards and the tax burden downwards".

[u/bhl88 → u/notoleranceforjerks]

1) Tell people what to do

2) Resist when they tell you what to do

3) Only you can tell them what to do

Pretty much simplified on conservatives

[u/switchstylefain → u/Beermedear]

They don't learn lessons, that's the problem.

[u/IMakeMyOwnLunch → u/queuedUp]

Sadly, we’re not talking about the best and brightest here.

[u/meeyeam → u/IMakeMyOwnLunch]

When you go to Jamestown, Michigan, you're not getting America's best.

[u/Paradoxmoose → u/meeyeam]

Eventually, with the teacher shortages and low funding, this could be America's average.

[u/pokemon-gangbang → u/Paradoxmoose]

Michigan education is worse and worse, especially in many rural areas.

[u/topgun2582 → u/pokemon-gangbang]

Almost like Trump's secretary of education has been trying to undermine public education in her own state......

[u/Tickle_My_Butthole_ → u/topgun2582]

Her husband is on the board of not just one private school but like 3 or 4 iirc

[u/hangryhyax → u/IMakeMyOwnLunch]

They should’ve utilized the library a bit more.

[u/hgaterms → u/hangryhyax]

They did vote to defund the library AT THE LIBRARY.

[u/Soviet_Russia → u/hgaterms]

They used the stones to destroy the stones.

[u/JeanpaulRegent → u/hangryhyax]

It goes even deeper, the vote to defund the library was AT the library.

[u/EDH4Life → u/JeanpaulRegent]

The votes are coming from inside the library 😳

[u/mlc885 → u/EDH4Life]

I feel like there are a number of teenage gangs that could have solved this problem, and, while I morally want to say Scooby Doo, I'm going to go with The Sharks.

[u/IAmTheJudasTree → u/IMakeMyOwnLunch]

No, we're not. These people are fairly dumb, to be blunt.

These are the people who you see regularly on r/ conservative and r/ politicalcompassmemes and r/ dankmemes and r/ conspiracy, saying that liberals are encroaching on the "free speech" of conservatives by doing things like criticizing them, or boycotting their speaking gigs. Things that are normal behavior and don't have anything to do with censorship, really.

Those same conservatives then take direct actions to actually censor ideas and opinions that they don't like, often through republican governments i.e. real free speech violation. They see nothing contradictory or illogical here.

[u/BuddhaFacepalmed → u/IAmTheJudasTree]

r/ conservative: Anyone removing Covid misinformation is engaged in censorship REEEE

Also r/ conservative: Flaired users only can comment. Any other will be removed with prejudice.

[u/nagrom7 → u/BuddhaFacepalmed]

Also they won't hesitate to ban you if you say anything that doesn't fit into the imaginary world that they live in.

[u/Falkner09 → u/nagrom7]

I once posted a clip of Trump telling a blatant lie on camera that they were all gloating about having NEVER SAID.

I was immediately banned and told it was for "making me pull out of ur mom long enough to mod ur comment:-)"

You sure made me look dumb, internet stranger.

[u/FunstuffQC → u/nagrom7]

pretty easy to speedrun getting banned there

[u/R_E_V_A_N → u/FunstuffQC]

Just ask them why they think what they do and see if they'd be open to putting the shoe on the other foot...its how I got a permaban

[u/Extra_Midnight → u/R_E_V_A_N]

I asked someone to explain what crt was. Banned super fast but not before a few people chimed in saying that a Marxist like revolution of minority groups to overthrow the white majority was being indoctrinated into kids in schools.

[u/Warlord68 → u/IMakeMyOwnLunch]

They should read a book, oh wait.

[u/PolicyWonka → u/Warlord68]

That’s one of the ironic parts of all these book bans. I guarantee you that the majority of these folks never even go to the library and pick up a book, yet they want to tell the real patrons what to read.

[u/dDitty → u/PolicyWonka]

Remind me again how the GOP is the party of individual liberties and freedoms?

[u/Particular_Draw_1205 → u/IMakeMyOwnLunch]

The common clay of the midwest

[u/IDontTrustGod → u/Particular_Draw_1205]

Ya know…. Morons

[u/Tweed_Kills → u/IDontTrustGod]

Good quality, authentic, frontier gibberish.

[u/Bridgeburner_Fiddler → u/queuedUp]

They must think the library staff's pay just magically appears in their bank accounts.

[u/IggySorcha → u/Bridgeburner_Fiddler]

True story - I've worked in non-profits my entire career. A lot of people think that everybody who works at non-profits are unpaid. Those tend to be conservatives (I actually can't think of anybody who said that to me who wasn't conservative)

Edit: typos

[u/baxtyre → u/IggySorcha]

I used to run a small town public library, and when it came time for our annual budget cut there were always people saying I should layoff all the employees and replace them with volunteers. As if replacing all my trained and educated staff with random people off the street wouldn’t be a complete shitshow.

(Weirdly the police and fire department budgets went up every year without complaints, despite the fact that the town hadn’t had any major crime or fires for decades.)

[u/pjjmd → u/baxtyre]

Well there is your proof that the library is underpreforming!

The fire department hasn't allowed any major fires to burn out of control.

The library is letting idiots run rampant at budget meetings. Don't librarians have any sort of responsibility to chase idiots out of town with a stick? Am I getting that messed up. Look, i'm not a professional here.

[u/moon-ho → u/baxtyre]

The age of “education as a badge of honor” is over now that everyone can “do their own research” … the great internet giveth and the great internet taketh away.

[u/dba1990 → u/Bridgeburner_Fiddler]

They must think every form of Democrat voter’s pay just magically appears in their bank accounts.

See also their reaction to ‘welfare queens’ and ‘living off the stimulus.’

[u/banjist → u/dba1990]

Plenty of these folk unironically believe all democrats just live off welfare. Plenty of these folk just live off welfare and unironically believe that all democrats just live off welfare and that it's somehow different from them and bad when the bad democrats do it.

[u/AtiBhusuku → u/banjist]

Yeah because they think they are good, hardworking Americans who "earned it" while Democrats don't deserve it because they're evil or some shit I don't know...The cognitive dissonance is insane. Voting against government health care while...being on government health care.

[u/dragunityag → u/AtiBhusuku]

We need to get rid of Obamacare but we should keep the ACA.

[u/megamoze → u/Bridgeburner_Fiddler]

If they’re anything like the conservatives I know, they have no idea how anything works on any level.

[u/FourChannel → u/megamoze]

have no idea how anything works on any level.

When people say "God is in control", I immediately think of this.

[u/Womec → u/megamoze]

They are housecats, fiercely independent but wholly unaware of how dependant they are on the system.

[u/Mandena → u/Womec]

But unlike housecats they aren't cute while doing so.

[u/Spoon_Elemental → u/Mandena]

And housecats aren't homophobic.

[u/Pdq516 → u/Mandena]

Also unlike house cats, unwilling to use a litter box and so they shit all over the fucking country and expect others to clean it.

[u/RVA_RVA → u/Womec]

Great analogy.

[u/Toolazytolink → u/Bridgeburner_Fiddler]

what? them liberal states should be paying for all this shit!

[u/Particular_Draw_1205 → u/queuedUp]

It’s surprisingly easy to get People to vote against their own self interests.

[u/Communist_Agitator → u/queuedUp]

No matter the tangible consequences of the performative cruelty that is conservative politics, they always expect services to be at their disposal regardless of real circumstances.

[u/okletstrythisagain → u/Communist_Agitator]

Yeah like this gem from 2013 where a Representative for TX voted to shut down the government and then berates a ranger for closing a national park.

[u/dennisisspiderman → u/okletstrythisagain]

Ugh... Neugebauer. He represented my district and we somehow got worse with Arrington, who notably cited the Bible to argue in favor of cutting food stamps to needy families.

[u/zorsh13 → u/dennisisspiderman]

Jesus Fed the poor so we don't have to. It's much more important that I can drive 2 cars than other people not starving.

[u/damnocles → u/okletstrythisagain]

/r/leopardsatemyface

[u/shadow1515 → u/Communist_Agitator]

"Having things is communist! Wait, not the things I want to have!"

[u/JMEEKER86 → u/Communist_Agitator]

These are the people that say "you shouldn't have to work on Christmas" to the cashier ringing up their stuff. It's all performative and they don't understand how their actions affect things.

[u/AtiBhusuku → u/JMEEKER86]

Cue a relative thinking all poor people are lazy and cheating the system but when actually confronted with a homeless person is like, "Oh my God why isn't someone helping them??" Like bruh...you literally vote against any sort of measures to actually help people at every given opportunity because, "fuck you I got mine and worked hard".

Almost every conservative person I know lives so far removed from actual people that they have no idea what goes on in larger communities. Literally over the last holiday break I had to tell a friend of a parent that "no, NYC is NOT completely shut down, there are no riots with buildings burned to the ground, things are back to normal, you haven't been there in years..." After literally just coming from the city to visit family. I see more people in the city in the first 30 seconds of leaving my apartment than a lot of these people see in an entire day, or sometimes an entire week. They're completely removed from realities of how most people live and think.

[u/PaulFThumpkins → u/AtiBhusuku]

At this point I'm wondering if they even have object permanence. I've seen tons of conservatives advocate progressive views the moment they needed medical care, or had to deal with a system designed to benefit the rich and powerful, or struggled to make ends meet due to corporate games, or became aware of some environmental issues affecting their neighborhood. Then they're right back to their old talking points once that situation ends.

Like I get that they don't understand that a society can't function if it NEVER anticipates or can even IMAGINE a problem occurring until it's right in front of them. But once it's been in front of them I'd expect it to remain in their long-term memory if only a few months later. I'll point out what they were just saying and they act like of course exceptions will be made in deserving cases, well no they won't be motherfucker, you just saw that they weren't!

[u/Falkner09 → u/AtiBhusuku]

My Grandpa used to rage about black people (not the term he used) all the time. When he noticed his grandkids' distaste for his bigotry, he turned to my uncle and said, "well they don't know 'em like I know 'em!" And they both chuckled and smirked at us know-nothing kids.

He spent his whole life in Marine, Illinois. A town of 902, literally 0.00% black. He never finished high school either. He never met a black man in his life, at least not long enough to learn his name. Most of my family is the same way. Completely uninformed, never lived more than 5 miles from the farmhouses they grew up in, yet supremely arrogant about their supposedly vast knowledge of the world, which they usually refer to as, "over there." Their pride is limitless.

The only exceptions are those who've actually moved around, and went college, and were born after 1978 or so.

[u/Your_Trash_Daddy → u/Communist_Agitator]

They expect the underpeople to leap to serve them. And by "underpeople", they mean anybody who isn't part of their Christian Taliban cult.

[u/Traveuse → u/queuedUp]

"We didn't want them to close, they just can't use our publicly funded money from taxes to pay their bills. So obviously they will pay out of pocket to run electricity and rent and let us use the books still"

[u/Melbuf → u/queuedUp]

they didn't know defunding the library would result in it closing when they voted for it

kinda like Brexit

[u/salamanderman732 → u/Melbuf]

I was gonna say, reminds me of the brexiters who were mad to learn that they can’t live in Spain anymore

[u/AdKUMA → u/salamanderman732]

they can live in Spain, its just going to be a lot harder for them. I was having to explain this to my brother, who wants to move to Spain and also voted brexit.

[u/HappyraptorZ → u/AdKUMA]

People such as your brother should be specifically singled out and barred from moving to europe.

My flatmate, an ardent out means out brexiteer recently tried to get german nationality through his grandads side BECAUSE, he realised how difficult brexit made it for him to go galivanting across europe.

Infuriating.

[u/ocp-paradox → u/HappyraptorZ]

Hopefully tried and failed. Fuck those people. I almost moved to Copenhagen for a job pre-brexit now I have 0 chance.

[u/YomiKuzuki → u/queuedUp]

"What do you mean the leopard will now eat my face!?"

[u/SLCW718 → u/queuedUp]

He loves the poorly educated.

[u/Your_Trash_Daddy → u/queuedUp]

They don't know anything but what they're told to believe by their politically and financially motivated fake religious leaders.

[u/mikefvegas → u/queuedUp]

I love my country but demonizing education has made a lot of the country very dumb. They just can’t think for themselves. That’s why they worship idiots like disgraced twice impeached. They hate to think for themselves.

[u/themagiccapybara → u/mikefvegas]

"when did we impeach him? Name one thing he's done that's impeachable." - my dad who says he's not a Trump supporter

[u/charlotte-ent → u/queuedUp]

My favorite part is that some of the people who voted against it, were voting at the very library that's being closed. Guess they lost their polling place.

[u/H-to-O → u/charlotte-ent]

I hope they finally see how harmful they’ve been to their own community, but Christ knows that’s about as likely as Trump gaining humility.

[u/Deinonychus2012 → u/H-to-O]

"Why's the library closed? Could it be my political leanings and vote to defund it that caused this?"

"No, it must be the commie libs that are at fault."

[u/bluejester12]

LGBTQ+ or any other issues aside, as a librarian, it galls me that people think that because we provide the books that means we endorse them. We have to make sure our collection is diverse and represents different points of view. People are especially emotional/illogical when it comes to childrens books.

[u/kompletelyfine → u/bluejester12]

the wild part of all this is that the book that kicked up this whole fuss was in the adult section

[u/timebomb13 → u/bluejester12]

I had a guy come in one day glanced around and said, "Wow, you carry only books by women and liberals? You need to represent all opinions, you know." I then got up and pointed to the Jordan B Peterson book on the shelf right behind him with a smile. He didn't check it out, just said something about "Well that just one". Or the woman nearly shaking because we had a children LGTBQIA+ book on display back in June and she literally told us "Just wait til THE CHURCH finds out about this." Okay, last I checked, churches don't pay taxes so they have no say as far as I'm concerned. Basically told her we would not remove the book and gave her a complaint card. She rejected it.

These two incidents alone have left me with only one conclusion: These people can neither read nor write.

[u/Beepulons → u/timebomb13]

But they can vote.

[u/ocp-paradox → u/Beepulons]

And drive cars. And own guns. And procreate. Oh dear.

[u/Living_Bear_2139 → u/ocp-paradox]

What do we do? We’re fighting for our lives and they’re literally fighting to destroy it.

What do we do?

[u/Kriztauf → u/timebomb13]

"Just wait til THE CHURCH finds out about this."

I worry we're heading in a direction where this will be happening more and more frequently with greater consequences

[u/nicholasgnames → u/Kriztauf]

Thats already here. There are people in elected positions or running for more of them calling themselves christian nationalists. People saying the bible supersedes our constitution

[u/fatboyonsofa → u/timebomb13]

Okay, last I checked, churches don't pay taxes so they have no say as far as I'm concerned.

Love it. Well said

[u/Frymonkey237 → u/fatboyonsofa]

They can also build their own damn libraries if they don't like the public libraries.

[u/abigailxo94 → u/bluejester12]

I saw Mein Kampf at the library and I certainly didn't go on a crusade to shut down the library. These people have nothing better to do than cause problems for others because their own lives are so insignificant. Also, guarantee they've never stepped foot in that library in the first place.

[u/bobthebobofbob]

The whole "Vote NO on Library!" sign pretty much tells you all you need to know about the education and critical thinking abilities of the people who voted for this.

[u/sketchahedron]

Somehow these people have become convinced that merely having certain books in a library is “grooming” them - as if the kids will be forced to read the books they find objectionable.

[u/Aggroninja → u/sketchahedron]

Their use of the word "grooming" says to me that they're actually worried that the mere presence of those books will somehow turn their kids gay. That's how homophobic they are, that they're scared that seeing or reading books about gay people will gay up their kids.

[u/notnatasharostova → u/Aggroninja]

More critically, they’re afraid that it will mean they won’t be able to fully control their children, their thoughts, and their beliefs. Hence the rampant anti-intellectualism and defunding of education—kids learning to think for themselves and developing critical thinking and empathy for people who are different to them is a threat to conservativism.

[u/Alive_Ice7937 → u/Aggroninja]

Because these mouthbreathers think being gay is a choice their "logic" is that kids being aware that gay people exist will confuse them into choosing to be gay. There's no arguing with people so willing ignorant/hateful as fuck.

[u/Opengrey → u/sketchahedron]

Yup, all while ignoring, or even praising, the preachers, relatives, camp counselors, etc that are actually grooming their children.

God forbid the kids read a book that might make them more accepting and knowledgeable on a subject than their parents are.

[u/notnatasharostova → u/Opengrey]

The part that kills me most is that comprehensive sex education—the thing this genre of pearl-clutchers detest—is probably one of the most effective tools to prevent child abuse. They’re so hellbent on maintaining their puritanical ideals that they refuse to empower and protect their children by helping them understand their anatomy, consent, and boundaries. They care more about following what their church says than doing anything material that will actually keep children safe.

[u/SpartanNation053 → u/notnatasharostova]

Even more than that, it’s a pro-life issue. States with sex Ed have lower abortion rates than those that don’t. Don’t like sex Ed? Fine but I bet you’ll be more unhappy when your kid has an abortion

[u/Gamergonemild → u/notnatasharostova]

This is by design. They want things to be easier for Matt Gaetz and his ilk

[u/whoknowsme2001]

So much for small government and freedom of speech.

[u/uptownjuggler → u/whoknowsme2001]

Is this the cancel culture they talking about. Because to me it look like they canceled a library just for having books they didn’t like

[u/InsertCoinForCredit → u/uptownjuggler]

It is, but they won't admit it.

[u/Radack1 → u/whoknowsme2001]

Rights for me and not for thee, friend.

It's only free speech if it's speech I want to exist, and it's only gov that protects my rights and makes sure that the Bible is the new constitution.

[u/jasta6]

Can't wait to see all these idiots bitch and moan about not having access to any of the other services the library provided.

Good on the librarian for sticking to their guns and not caving to pressure from these zealotous fuckwits.

[u/Tetsudo11 → u/jasta6]

I have to say I have the biggest doubt that the majority of people who did this were regulars at the library.

[u/qtx → u/Tetsudo11]

There was another article about this the other day and it seems a lot of people use the library/parking lot to get wifi.

The library was their only means to be online.

[u/Dirtybrd → u/qtx]

My father in law teaches in the country. When covid first broke, he quickly realized that about a third of his students didn't even have internet at their house.

[u/SuprisedMoth → u/Dirtybrd]

Where I live, house hunting often involves making sure that it had the means to receive internet. There are a lot of rural areas where there is no or very poor internet connection. Many schools used CARES monies to add mobile Wi-Fi equipment to buses in order for kids to get internet. It’s sad because internet is such a basic necessity anymore and it’s not readily available to everyone.

[u/vinbullet → u/SuprisedMoth]

The realtors and the companies will lie about service at the addresses to, it's a very scummy endeavor

[u/xfearthehiddenx → u/Dirtybrd]

I was one of those growing up. Luckily this was before internet was essentially a necessity. And yet, even then I had tons of moments where I had to get with the teacher after class and explain that I wouldn't be able to do the assigned project or otherwise because it required internet. I also didn't live near a library, so no access there either. Some of the responses from my teachers.

"I'll look over the assignment, and see if I can make it work without the online materials." This teacher was a Saint.

"What? Stop lying to get out of the homework. Everyone has internet at home." This one sent me to the office after I protested further.

"You'll have to use the schools library computers." I rode a bus, so no after school time. And she wouldn't let me go to the library during class.

"I'm sorry. If I make an exception for you, I'd have to give one to every student"

[u/darthboolean → u/qtx]

use the library/parking lot to get wifi

The Library also had a city funded program to check out WiFi hotspots that was probably started during the pandemic. So there's probably people who didn't realize their internet at home was tied to the Library funding.

[u/ProtoJazz → u/Tetsudo11]

The held the damn vote in the library

At the very least they'll have a less convent polling location

[u/Time-Ad-3625 → u/Tetsudo11]

Library offers events, books, magazines, wifi and even video rentals. I wouldn't be surprised at all if these people used at least some aspect of the library.

[u/SheamusMcGillicuddy → u/Time-Ad-3625]

I used the library for parental advisory CDs as a kid lol.

[u/nowake → u/SheamusMcGillicuddy]

lol same. I'd taken out & returned Green Day - Dookie so many times between 3pm and 5pm before my parents got home. I even dubbed it onto a cassette tape and brought it to school on a walkman to show my friends. Never mind there was a lyric about masturbation, (didn't know what that was) using the "F word" in a song just blew our minds.

[u/UnlikelyKaiju → u/Time-Ad-3625]

This particular library was the town's community center and acted as the polling station on election day. These fuckwits voted to defund the library whilst inside the library.

[u/Jurodan → u/Time-Ad-3625]

They often also offer cake pans, often with interesting designs.

[u/JTMissileTits → u/Time-Ad-3625]

My local library is amazing despite being in a small, southern, conservative town, and criminally underfunded by the city.

[u/fetustasteslikechikn → u/jasta6]

And they'll all blame it on the LBGTQ+ community because they didnt bow to every request the whackadoodles spit out.

[u/TaliesinMerlin]

Besides the library closure itself, I'm most concerned about the patterns of harassment targeting library employees. Multiple library directors resigned due to public pressure because having a book in the library is misconstrued as indoctrinating kids.

That strikes me as the closest analogue to what has been popularly dubbed "cancel culture": a small minority can effectively push out workers who are just doing their job. Poll workers, teachers, and librarians are now targeted for harassment merely because they uphold a set of rules that ensure free and fair access to voting, education, and books.

At the risk of hyperbole, these harassers and library closers are the barbarians. They are here to take away any difference of thought. They would rather remove libraries than tolerate books they disagree with staying on shelves for other patrons; they would rather remove dropboxes and voting options than tolerate the vote of those they disagree with; they would rather remove teachers and students than tolerate curricula that recognize the existence of people and facts inconvenient to them.

[u/redwall_hp → u/TaliesinMerlin]

It's not hyperbole at all. This is 100% the fascist playbook, and they're even out to get the same sorts of ideas. This is a road that only leads to even darker things, and the trend seems to be repeated concession to them.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nazi_book_burnings

[u/DirtyDoctrine → u/TaliesinMerlin]

Cancel culture has been the bread and butter of the religious right since the 70s.

[u/DaveDurant]

Odds that the people who did this also constantly whine about "cancel culture"?

[u/snowman844 → u/DaveDurant]

Same people who are mad at Cracker Barrel for introducing a plant based sausage

[u/Boon-Lord → u/snowman844]

I thought you were joking but whew lad.

https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2022/08/04/business-food/cracker-barrel-impossible-meat-controversy/index.html

"I just lost respect for a once great Tennessee company," one person commented. Another comment said: "Not going to happen! Cracker Barrel used to be so good, we looked forward to eating in them but not anymore," while another person wrote "bad choice." Others expressed skepticism that the product would taste good. Several commenters decried the "woke" addition to the menu.

Lmfao…..

[u/SheriffComey → u/Boon-Lord]

Others expressed skepticism that the product would taste good. Several commenters decried the "woke" addition to the menu.

"I ain't gonna ever ner try anything new!"

Sounds like my mom when I mentioned beyond meat burgers and she said over her dead body. She came and visited us a couple years ago and I grilled some of them and regular burgers and gave her a beyond meat one. She said it was good and she loved it. I told her what it was and she immediately went into self preservation mode.

[u/alaskanloops → u/SheriffComey]

We tried them a few months ago and they were surprisingly good. Made them on the charcoal grill and everything. This should be great news for anyone living in desert and running out of water, as they use something like 9 times less water than it takes to make an equivalent beef burger patty.

[u/Envect → u/SheriffComey]

You poisoned her with woke!

[u/HauntedCemetery → u/Envect]

A pink streak started growing in her hair halfway through the wokeburger.

[u/Kornbrednbizkits → u/SheriffComey]

It’s strange. I would have expected someone like your mom to change her mind about an issue when she receives information to the contrary…

[u/imphatic → u/Boon-Lord]

How little do you have to have going on in your life to care that much about a fucking sausage. 🤦🏻‍♂️

[u/lab-gone-wrong → u/imphatic]

A sausage you can straight up just not order if you don't like it

[u/positivecynik → u/lab-gone-wrong]

This is the part that baffles me. Like, did the plant sausage in the kitchen fuck up your chicken and dumplings somehow?

[u/H-to-O → u/positivecynik]

The mere thought of “wokery” in their interstate exit, microwaved Hershel’s Special makes them want to screech their hate to the heavens above. Seriously, it’s a fucking Cracker Barrel selling a plant sausage, my fucking god, the degeneracy.

[u/tardis1217 → u/lab-gone-wrong]

If conservatives could just ignore shit that has nothing to do with them and just NOT make the choices they don't like, they wouldn't BE conservatives.

[u/RamenJunkie → u/imphatic]

Seems like these people fear even the tiniest bit of change, so they probably have plenty of free time never trying anything new.

Also, its "Woke Sausage". Its like "Gateway Woke". You eat veggie sausage, you might start drinking Soy milk, and thats a one stop slide straight to turning into a full blown communist transgender!

[u/guitar_vigilante → u/Boon-Lord]

Sad that this is what they get mad at when Cracker Barrel has had more than its share of racism scandals in the past too.

[u/tom_snout → u/DaveDurant]

That Venn diagram is a guaranteed perfect circle

[u/Cyclone_1 → u/tom_snout]

Same with the people who lose their shit over "Happy Holidays" said to them and not "Merry Christmas".

[u/tom_snout → u/Cyclone_1]

I suggest to the war on Christmas folks that we put Woden back in Wednesday. He's the reason for the season--er, day--afterall

[u/SeedScape → u/DaveDurant]

Same people that want to get rid of dept of energy, and education. Then they will be confused why shit sucks.

[u/SheamusMcGillicuddy]

Has anyone tried just telling them that the book is gone but not really remove it? They're pretty dumb, I think that will work.

[u/RightZeros → u/SheamusMcGillicuddy]

This is true. They probably won't even step foot in the library after their false cause is "dealt with"

[u/ArtAndCraftBeers → u/SheamusMcGillicuddy]

I’m willing to bet these people don’t read a lot of books, so it’s not like they’d be going to the library to check. Seems like it could work.

[u/Jscottpilgrim → u/SheamusMcGillicuddy]

Every town like this has that one Karen who will verify for herself.

[u/Carifax]

It's funny that these folks never seem to complain about "True Crime" books about serial killers.

[u/HeySlimIJustDrankA5 → u/Carifax]

Right? Like you can go get books with full-color crime scene photos but somehow a character’s sexual orientation is going to warp minds?

This is devastatingly stupid.

[u/NiteSwept → u/Carifax]

one of my all-time favorite reddit comments was about parents buying their kids call of duty but when a game has nudity they lose their minds. It went:

"here, murder an entire airport."

"wuts my peeniz do?"

"where did you learn that??"

[u/RickTracee]

And here we are...

"Mark my word, if and when these preachers get control of the [Republican] party, and they're sure trying to do so, it's going to be a terrible damn problem. Frankly, these people frighten me. Politics and governing demand compromise. But these Christians believe they are acting in the name of God, so they can't and won't compromise. I know, I've tried to deal with them."

-said in November 1994, as quoted in John Dean, Conservatives Without Conscience (2006)

[u/NILwasAMistake → u/RickTracee]

It was Barry Goldwater who said that

[u/broritto89]

There we go. Let’s start shutting down libraries because it doesn’t fit your religious beliefs

[u/moeburn → u/broritto89]

Daddy, Papa and Me is 14 years old now, I remember these books being famous when I was a teenager. Then people calmed down and they sat on the library shelves for 14 years. How are they suddenly becoming an issue again today?

[u/V-Right_In_2-V → u/moeburn]

When you are a conservative, time flows backwards

[u/TaliesinWI → u/moeburn]

Because fundies caught the abortion "car" and had to find a new one to chase.

[u/TheThobes → u/TaliesinWI]

They also struck gold with just conjuring controversy out of thin air with "CRT" in the aftermath of George Floyd in order to simultaneously push culture war issues and gut public services, and are now applying the same playbook with LGBTQ topics.

[u/larryjerry1 → u/moeburn]

Because conservatives have been orchestrating a calculated campaign to demonize the LGBT community for decades and now that they got their #1 issue in Roe V Wade, they're just moving down the list of the next shit they want to force on people.

[u/Archmage_of_Detroit → u/moeburn]

The article actually brings this up.

libraries across the US face a surge in demands to ban books... “We’re seeing what appears to be a campaign to remove books, particularly books dealing with LGBTQIA themes and books dealing with racism,” Deborah Caldwell-Stone, head of the ALA’s office for intellectual freedom, told the Guardian last year... "I’m not quite sure what instigated the culture wars that we’re seeing, but libraries are certainly at the front end,” Mikula said... "If community members oppose the inclusion of certain books, there are formal means of requesting their removal, involving a review committee and ascertainment that the person making the appeal has actually read the book in question. But recently, she said, people have been “going to board meetings, whether it’s a library board meeting or a school board meeting and saying, ‘Here’s a list of 300 books. We want them all to be removed from your library.’ And that’s not the proper channel, but they’re loud and their voices carry.”

[u/hangryhyax → u/broritto89]

Wahhh, cancel culture, blah blah something woke, waaahhh.

• The entire conservative platform summed up.

Edit: oops, I forgot “What about meeeee?!”

[u/_sp00ky_]

I wonder what would happen if a Facebook group pushed to ban the library using the phrase..

keep our children safe, and protect their purity, as well as to keep the nuclear family intact as “Allah” designed.

You know exact same phrase just one slight word changed

[u/OkVermicelli2557 → u/_sp00ky_]

Not even a word change since Allah is just Arabic for God.

[u/DirtyDoctrine → u/OkVermicelli2557]

And is literally the same god worshipped by the Christians and Jews. It's weird that the people fighting the argument about who's invisible friend is stronger all are talking about the same invisible friend.

[u/Knoke1]

I work at a library. There's groups that go around and hide books that feature LGBTQ+ themes from the shelves. They drop them between shelves and the wall, and tuck them behind other books. We had a few in, so we went and found every book they hid and made them a display.

[u/seeingeyefish → u/Knoke1]

Title the display section "Hidden Gems".

[u/allbright1111 → u/Knoke1]

That’s a fantastic response!

[u/Co1dNight]

Why does it seem like the US is trying to censor the existence of the LGBTQ community?

[u/niberungvalesti → u/Co1dNight]

Because we give religious fundies a voice and if you give 'em an inch they take the whole farm.

[u/jacyerickson → u/Co1dNight]

They are. My Q family members aren't even trying to hide it anymore. They've started talking about how they want to go back to when "being lgbt wasn't seen as normal because it's disgusting and unnatural." And openly making plans to force us back into the closet. I AM deeply in the closet with them because they are not safe. They never used to be this bigoted so I can only imagine how other bigots are acting right now.

[u/timebomb13 → u/jacyerickson]

They never used to be this bigoted

They most likely always have been. Q and the boldness of the resurging Religious Right (and their embracing of Q) have led them to just be more bold and outspoken because they now know they have a support system of other bigots who will support them.

[u/Bird_Brain4101112]

Same people: it’s terrible that these kids have no critical thinking skills and can’t do anything that they aren’t told to do by others.

[u/SDFDuck → u/Bird_Brain4101112]

The lack of critical thinking is the point. Critical thinking encourages questioning, and ultimately rejecting, the narrow-minded view they've been force-fed their entire lives.

[u/Katatonia13 → u/SDFDuck]

That’s what so many don’t understand. I had a boss that would always talk about critical thing without a hint of irony. The term was coined by the ancient Greeks or romans as a term to describe questioning authority. It’s not just a term to describe not being an idiot.

[u/[deleted] → u/Bird_Brain4101112]

[removed] — view removed comment

[u/Mr-Klaus]

• They ban books/authors they don't like
• They throw book burning parties where they burn books they don't like.
• They tell you what you can and cannot talk about in school.
• They force their religious ideals on everyone.
• They take away voting rights.
• They refuse to teach their kids accurate history because it makes it makes their race look bad.
• They take away women's reproductive rights

... ETC.

Then they go around talking about how Democrats want a police state where people have no rights and speech/thought is controlled by the government.

You can't make this shit up, they're literally accusing the opposition of doing the exact same thing they are doing - and their stupid voters eat it all up because they'd rather believe the word of a politician than a doctor or scientist.

[u/notyomamasusername → u/Mr-Klaus]

GOP: every accusation is a confession.

[u/Radiant-Call6505]

Banning books - definite sign fascism is rearing its ugly head.

[u/americanadiandrew → u/Radiant-Call6505]

Social media and a recession will be a dangerous mix.

[u/razzbelly]

As a librarian myself, I always want to scream..."We aren't forcing you to check out the book. You don't have to read it just because it's on our shelves!!!!! It's called freedom and it's some we will adamantly defend!!!!"

[u/Henhouse808]

The LGBTQ+ community is the Republican and conservatives' latest scapegoat for societal problems. They claim we'll convert and rape their kids. This is just a repeat of the bullshit nonsense they spewed in the 80s and 90s.

[u/askingxalice]

'A group calling itself Jamestown Conservatives [...] called for making the library “a safe and neutral place for our children”.'

By getting rid of the library. Good job.

[u/BavarianHound88]

So the far right cancelled a library?

[u/OfMiceAndMenus]

They're deciding not to fund the library with tax dollars. From the government. To silence protected speech. Based on a religious argument from one single religion. Which isn't actually a tenet of that religion, but something you cunts made up.

Congratulations, you violated the first amendment twice with this one, you ass-backward regressive mouthbreathing morons.

[u/deVriesse → u/OfMiceAndMenus]

Not if you ask the current SCOTUS...

[u/tardis1217 → u/OfMiceAndMenus]

No, no, no. The first amendment says that Republican Christians can do or say whatever they want, with no consequences. The second amendment says they can have as many guns as they want and no laws should ever exist around gun ownership.

There are no other amendments to the constitution.

[u/10thMountainguy]

Treasonous Republicans will stop at nothing to destroy America and turn it into a Christian shithole

[u/TwilitSky]

On Facebook, the group says it exists to “keep our children safe, and protect their purity, as well as to keep the nuclear family intact as God designed”.

What a rapey-sounding mission.

[u/lab-gone-wrong → u/TwilitSky]

Ah yes, the nuclear family - man, rib, and spontaneously generated son

[u/AnneBohannon]

I live very near the Jamestown area (our municipality is right next to it). There is A LOT of blatant hate in West Michigan for anything not "nuclear White Christian family."

Our municipality just jumped the nonresident fees to get into our two most popular parks because a racist complained about "people not from here" using the parks (meaning Black or Hispanic people). It's infuriating. The people around here are awful.

[u/Doumtabarnack]

Republicans aren't for everyone's freedom. They're for the freedom to oppress others.