Anti-anti-woke library protection

[AURex 2,018]

 

The Illinois House yesterday passed a bill buttressing the ability of public and school libraries to rebut right wing so-called anti-woke pressures to ban books. The argument was that these anti-woke book bans are, in reality, government-perpetrated *censorship* targeted at minority and marginalized communities -- LGBTQ, Black, Native American, non-Christian, etc. -- along with institutionalizing government-decreed moralities.  They are an attack on freedom of speech and undermine the professional efforts of libraries to serve the needs of all residents and all students. Libraries in the state that capitulate to banning efforts can lose their state funding -- not only motivation but also an argument to present to weak-kneed boards and schools.

This bill is sure to pass the Illinois Senate and be signed into law expeditiously. Other states are likely to follow.

The University of Illinois Graduate School in Library & Information Science (founded in 1893) has been ranked as a premier program in the country throughout its history and ranked #1 for decades. The home office of the American Library Association is in Chicago. Librarians have always been at the forefront of protecting freedom of speech and combating censorship.

 

 

[AURex 2,018]

Illinois governor today signed into law the first state law forbidding libraries from censoring materials.

“Book bans are about censorship, marginalizing people, marginalizing ideas and facts. Regimes banned books, not democracies,” Pritzker said at a bill signing ceremony at a Chicago library. “We refuse to let a vitriolic strain of White nationalism coursing through our country determine whose histories are told, not in Illinois.”

The measure, which takes effect January 1, says public libraries must adopt the American Library Association’s Library Bill of Rights or their own statement prohibiting book banning to be eligible for state money.

The association’s Library Bill of Rights states that reading materials “should not be proscribed or removed because of partisan or doctrinal disapproval” or “excluded because of the origin, background, or views of those contributing to their creation.”

https://www.cnn.com/2023/06/12/us/illinois-public-libraries-schools-book-bans/index.html

In other news, a Utah school district has been forced to pull the Bible from the shelves because it is filled with pornography and violence. Now they are going after the Book of Mormon. In Utah!

https://www.cnn.com/2023/06/03/us/utah-bible-ban-schools-trnd/index.html

 

Edited June 13, 2023 by AURex

[icanthearyou 4,463]

We have to censor ideas as long as there are leftist, Marxist, America haters.

Freedumb.

 

Edited June 13, 2023 by icanthearyou

[AURex 2,018]

9 hours ago, icanthearyou said:

We have to censor ideas as long as there are leftist, Marxist, America haters.

Freedumb.

 

Freedumb is it. We must censor Anti-Facists, BLM, LGBTQAI+ humans, the True Christian Word of Jesus, Muslims, Buddhists, Jews, Pagans, or of course Agnostics and Atheists and anyone who believes in anything other than yer local evangelical fanatic preacher. It is critically important that the U.S. censors each and every mention of anything that somehow offends a single evangelical wingnut.

 

[homersapien 11,393]

And in my home town, our library was actually threatened because of a totally innocuous window display that featured a rainbow with the legend "Take Pride in Your Reading".  WTF!

If making such threats isn't Christofascism, what is? 

 

https://www.greenvilleonline.com/story/news/2023/06/22/travelers-rest-library-gets-threatening-calls-after-refusing-to-remove-pride-month-displays/70344749007/#:~:text=Travelers Rest Library%2C whose manager refused to take,in the process of writing the incident report.

Travelers Rest Library, whose manager refused to take down a Pride Month display according to emails viewed by the Greenville News, received two threatening calls on Wednesday, June 21.

The assistant manager of the library, whom the News is not identifying for the sake of their safety, received a call from a man who wanted to file a complaint about the library's Pride Month display, according to the incident report from the Travelers Rest Police Department.

A few minutes later, another man called the library. He identified himself as an associate of the first caller and complained about the display case. The man said he heard "whispers of war from good old boys on Facebook," according to the report.

The assistant manager advised the second caller to file a complaint. But the caller relented and said he doesn't "want it to get any worse." The assistant manager explained to the caller that his message "sounded like a threat".

"I'm not threatening you, but this is just what I've heard," the caller replied.

The calls coincide with the Greenville County Library Board's push to ban branches from putting up displays celebrating events like Pride Month and Juneteenth.

The board will make a final decision on Monday, June 26 during a noon meeting at Hughes Main Library.

Andrew Farmer, a member of Freedom in Libraries Advocacy Group (FLAG), arrived at the library at 6 p.m. Wednesday after receiving a notification about the police presence at the branch.

Farmer said the staff was "shaken up" and looked like they were on edge. Phones rang constantly Wednesday night as the branch administration spoke to the county library system.

Security was sent in from the Hughes Main Library to escort staff. The library employee who picked up the threatening calls was escorted out close to 7:30 p.m.

Two Travelers Rest Police Department cruisers were stationed outside the library past 9 p.m......

 

[auburnatl1 4,980]

The biggest mistake the extreme left made was to coin the word “woke” . One syllable and a child can remember it  - which is critical for most in the extreme right.

[KansasTiger 3,248]

Weren't some of the books showing sex acts in them, and being put in libraries where school age kids had access to them? I'm all for protecting freedom of speech, but my 12 year old doesn't need access to a book where two men talking about and then perform oral sex on each other. And yes. I've seen this book and read the pertinent pages, it exists. All I'm saying is there is a middle ground on this issue.

[AURex 2,018]

7 hours ago, auburnatl1 said:

The biggest mistake the extreme left made was to coin the word “woke” . One syllable and a child can remember it  - which is critical for most in the extreme right.

The "extreme left" did not coin the word. It dates back to the 1930s. Maybe you should quit relying on ultra right wing conspiracy crazoid sources for your information.

 

[AURex 2,018]

5 hours ago, KansasTiger said:

Weren't some of the books showing sex acts in them, and being put in libraries where school age kids had access to them?

Nope. Provide a source that is not extremist right wing crazoid conspiracy propaganda.

 

[auburnatl1 4,980]

32 minutes ago, AURex said:

The "extreme left" did not coin the word. It dates back to the 1930s. Maybe you should quit relying on ultra right wing conspiracy crazoid sources for your information.

 

I was teasing the right… Regardless, thanks  for the tip but  it actually goes back to at least the 1860’s - but the point being it didn’t become common vernacular until it was logo’d by the left. And then anti-weaponized by the right.

Ps im a dying breed - a moderate. Which means I find both of todays parties and networks pretty much nuts.

Edited July 1, 2023 by auburnatl1

[TexasTiger 12,964]

51 minutes ago, AURex said:

Nope. Provide a source that is not extremist right wing crazoid conspiracy propaganda.

 

https://www.texastribune.org/2021/11/12/gender-queer-texas-books-investigation/

[KansasTiger 3,248]

7 hours ago, AURex said:

Nope. Provide a source that is not extremist right wing crazoid conspiracy propaganda.

 

 

6 hours ago, TexasTiger said:

https://www.texastribune.org/2021/11/12/gender-queer-texas-books-investigation/

Wondering what those images from that book look like?

https://theiowastandard.com/shocking-images-from-book-gender-queer-which-is-stocked-in-school-libraries-across-iowa/

[homersapien 11,393]

13 hours ago, KansasTiger said:

Weren't some of the books showing sex acts in them, and being put in libraries where school age kids had access to them? I'm all for protecting freedom of speech, but my 12 year old doesn't need access to a book where two men talking about and then perform oral sex on each other. And yes. I've seen this book and read the pertinent pages, it exists. All I'm saying is there is a middle ground on this issue.

In the case I cited, pornography was not an issue (which is not allowed in any case).  As far as I can tell, some people objected to the rainbow graphic and the word "pride". 

[KansasTiger 3,248]

Just now, homersapien said:

In the case I cited, pornography was not an issue (which is not allowed in any case).  As far as I can tell, some people objected to the rainbow graphic and the word "pride". 

Yeah I may have my personal beliefs on that but it shouldn't be banned. Gender Queer and books like it on the other hand? Should be universally banned by all school districts.

[TexasTiger 12,964]

3 hours ago, KansasTiger said:

 

Wondering what those images from that book look like?

https://theiowastandard.com/shocking-images-from-book-gender-queer-which-is-stocked-in-school-libraries-across-iowa/

Graphic novel with graphic oral sex.

[TexasTiger 12,964]

16 hours ago, KansasTiger said:

Weren't some of the books showing sex acts in them, and being put in libraries where school age kids had access to them? I'm all for protecting freedom of speech, but my 12 year old doesn't need access to a book where two men talking about and then perform oral sex on each other. And yes. I've seen this book and read the pertinent pages, it exists. All I'm saying is there is a middle ground on this issue.

There’s two extreme reactions going on. In many places, the Right is having an extreme reaction to ideas, concepts and themes they disagree with, for example certain classic novels with racial themes. The Left is reflexively responding with a similar broad brush and not with proper discernment. Novels graphically depicting sex acts don’t need to be in public schools. Dems don’t need to be in the position of defending EVERYTHING the Right attacks. Defend positions that are easily defendable. For example, strongly call out banning Maya Angelou, but don’t get stuck defending every poor judgment made at the local level.

[KansasTiger 3,248]

Just now, TexasTiger said:

There’s two extreme reactions going on. In many places, the Right is having an extreme reaction to ideas, concepts and themes they disagree with, for example certain classic novels with racial themes. The Left is reflexively responding with a similar broad brush and not with proper discernment. Novels graphically depicting sex acts don’t need to be in public schools. Dems don’t need to be in the position of defending EVERYTHING the Right attacks. Defend positions that are easily defendable. For example, strongly call out banning Maya Angelou, but don’t get stuck defending every poor judgment made at the local level.

Yep. Not everything has to be right and left. This has got to be one of the easiest cases where there is middle ground I've seen in a while. But taking a blanket position on one end of either political spectrum is putting the fight over the benefit of society. Some of these books do need to be banned from being in the hands of kids. Many do not.

[TexasTiger 12,964]

16 minutes ago, KansasTiger said:

Yep. Not everything has to be right and left. This has got to be one of the easiest cases where there is middle ground I've seen in a while. But taking a blanket position on one end of either political spectrum is putting the fight over the benefit of society. Some of these books do need to be banned from being in the hands of kids. Many do not.

It’s not even “banning” books. It’s discerning what needs to be in the school library.

[TexasTiger 12,964]

11 hours ago, TexasTiger said:

It’s not even “banning” books. It’s discerning what needs to be in the school library.

You disagree @AURex? Btw, I’m referring to determining if depictions of sex— straight or otherwise— should be in a school library. I’m not referring to those wanting to prohibit classic works like I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.

[homersapien 11,393]

17 hours ago, TexasTiger said:

You disagree @AURex? Btw, I’m referring to determining if depictions of sex— straight or otherwise— should be in a school library. I’m not referring to those wanting to prohibit classic works like I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.

Or "Beloved" or "The Bluest Eye" by Toni Morrison.

Edited July 2, 2023 by homersapien

[AURex 2,018]

The problem is, (1) Libraries are created and intended to meet the needs and interests of ALL of the community they serve. And (2) the biased interests of one or a few individuals cannot/should not block that purpose. And (3) any demands by a government agency/body to block access to materials is BY DEFINITION censorship and is condemned by the U.S. Constitution as an abrogation of freedom of speech.

The right wing courts (aligning with right wing politicians) have decided to ignore the Constitution in some red states.

The OP pertains to the law in Illinois, which protects libraries from the right wing terrorist attacks of a minority who endeavor to obstruct the role of libraries in their mission to serve ALL of the clientele within their domain, and it penalizes libraries/community governments that censor public library materials.

Note that the Illinois law pertains to PUBLIC libraries, which receive a large portion of their funding from the State. It ensures that constituents with a specific set of beliefs cannot eliminate free access to information, literature, or media based on their ideology or beliefs. And it also establishes that local governments must comply with the principles of the American Library Association that specifically require that libraries (and librarians) must represent the entire community and must not remove library resources based on ideological beliefs, or lose state funding.

 

[Gowebb11 9,343]

I find it ironic that we’re banning books rom libraries to protect kids who are walking around with cellphones and iPads, thus complete access to pretty much every book and topic under the Sun. 

[TexasTiger 12,964]

1 hour ago, Gowebb11 said:

I find it ironic that we’re banning books rom libraries to protect kids who are walking around with cellphones and iPads, thus complete access to pretty much every book and topic under the Sun. 

Young folks can certainly find a lot on the internet, although they might be deterred a bit by filters, etc. But telling parents they shouldn’t care if graphic sex is now in the school library is not a winning political position.

[auburnatl1 4,980]

Establishing appropriateness and pornography laws (or even guidelines) has always been… difficult.

 

Edited July 4, 2023 by auburnatl1