@aral In "I Will Bear Witness, Volume 1" by Victor Klemperer, he notes how first books by Jewish authors were off-limits to people, then how he as a Jew was not allowed to check books out, then not allowed to read them in the Reading Room, then had bits of his personal library made verboten.
If folks keep letting fascists fash, personal libraries become unavailable as well.
@glightly Not just extremists from the right but also left. Both believe in the sane thing. Burning books, putting people in concentration camps. Books are our future and if anyone suggest banning books, run away from them.
@HolgerFiallo@glightly Sure, there are extremists on both sides. But only one of those sides is actually using their power to DO these things in an appreciable quantity right now.
Don't be complacent, certainly, but focus your energy where it will do the most good.
@danhulton@HolgerFiallo@glightly Yeah, I’m gonna need citations about the crazy lefties proposing book bans, coz so far anything like that has escaped me. But, I’m all-over moderate, middle-of-the-road, fence-sitter claims about “bothsideisms”.
The Texas state #GOP forcibly took control over the Houston ISD, and one of the first things they did was fire the librarians and turn the libraries into school jail.
@ZhiZhu@aral "I don't understand why this current administration doesn't see the value of libraries and what they do for literacy and reading," Hall said."
I'm pretty sure everyone does know why the GQP doesn't see the value of libraries, but it was diplomatic of them to pretend otherwise. :)
@aral Currently, I numb the rage with the belief that what I am witnessing are the death spasms of the conservative right, who have seen the handwriting on the wall & have gone into complete hysteria through insane legislation & legislative proposals, that they will ‘finally’ pay a historically measurable price for in November of 2024. Please do not pee in my Cheerois by suggesting it can’t happen, coz it’s all I feel we have left.
@aral I guess I am to be thankful that the libraries in my home state in the US have funding all codified by law. But you would be right, Aral. This is indeed how you burn books without lighting a match or needing any accelerant.
@aral this whole situation reminds me of the book “Fahrenheit 451”, which is about a future society where books are forbidden. Guess that’s where we’re headed. Hopefully not.
@aral The conservatives attack on the 'right to read' is apparently following the pattern of the attack on the right to an abortion: close the local brick &. morter facilities, then attack the online access to supplies. Laws requiring personal identification to access adult web sites can easily be used for stopping access to banned books at online libraries also. #libraries#ConservativesReallyAreThatBad
@aral Yep. Cut off access to information and then they will probably initiate a PragerU curriculum... Kids won't know anything other than ultra conservative dogma. Scary.
@aral but also through defunding libraries and archives, which has been common practice for decades! Public libraries also get screwed when other social services get cut and their resources get stretched even further. Meanwhile funding for policing and prison systems continues to grow. Any local politician that even mumbles ‘crime and safety’ is going to quietly toss another book into the fire when you’re not looking.
You'd probably have to put it on private property close to the boardwalk and maybe struggle with local authorities about permits. But there is a Good Fight…
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