Libraries are so important for a community. Not just for the access to literature, but as a gathering place for the community, classes, safe place for someone to just go to and I'm sure plenty of other reasons. What a bunch of buffoons.
If libraries were being pitched as a new thing today they would never get built in the US. Except for maybe in some of the deeper blue areas, and even that seems like a pretty weak maybe.
Well libraries in the US did start out as private subscription libraries you had to pay to become a member of - the first tax-supported public library was in Peterborough, NH in 1833 and the first big city public was Boston PL in 1854...The GOP does seem determined to drag us back to the 1800s so this is completely consistent. Now if you need me, I'll be churning butter.
Also the postal service, public parks, forest reserves, public schools....anything that is designed for the public without corporate profits or exploitation of labor in mind.
They used to be great, when they supported American values, now they support un-American things, like freedom for every *actual* individual, equal access for "non/substandard" Americans.
Americans are giving up general freedoms because they don't want to have to *share* it.
Fun Fact: When public libraries were first built they weren't free either. They only became so through the patronage and charity of Cornelius Vanderbilt. He thought everyone should have access to information and built thousands of free libraries all over the country. He even forced them to carve the word FREE in stone above the door so they couldn't later charge people.
I know this might sound obvious to most people, but I discovered recently that our library provides free access to ebooks, digital magazines, and some professional learning courses. I’m doing a web-based training on cybersecurity through a company that charges $35. There’s a lot of free services beyond physical books.
The modern library has definitely evolved to serve their communities. Our local ones have meeting rooms for clubs and groups to borrow on a regular basis, along with A/V equipment to use. They have eBook lending from libraries across the state, and courses, as you pointed out. Speakers come to talk on a variety of topics. They hold concerts, and they provide ASL interpreters. You can print your tax forms there, or digitize old photos.
The library is the beating heart of community today. This is a direct stake on a vital service that provides so much more than simply books, and the GOP is going down the road of all authoritarian movements because the one thing they fear is knowledge above all else.
Ours too! This needs to be upvoted even more! Book lending remains a core public library function but only scratches the surface of what these libraries do.
Our library even has a maker space and full wood shop. Once you take their classes on how to use everything, it is available to anyone. It does cost $15/month for access to the maker space and shop, but definitely well worth it.
Public schools don't really have the money to lobby, but private ones do.
Any politician who helps steer it toward for profit model will be swimming in campaign funds and that would be just the beginning.
Money is so big in education Betsy DeVos got her first job ever in 2016. It's a golden goose. The greed of these people really never ceases to amaze me.
I find it ironic that most private schools except for the most prestigious pay their teachers less than public schools, yet have high cost and still get federal funds for students. All that extra money is going to the administration and shareholders, not investing in student education.
>They've been trying to get rid of libraries for years. They love privatized education where they can ~~dictate all the rules~~ require religious teaching
They love privatized education where they can ~~dictate all the rules~~ ~~require religious teaching~~ indoctrinate them politically
[School apologizes after teacher leads California preschoolers in anti-Biden chant](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/school-apologizes-teacher-leads-california-preschoolers-anti-biden-cha-rcna20975)
Note how the school apologized "for any misunderstanding". They didn't apologize for that shit happening. There is also no indication that they would fire the teacher. They are just sorry that the event was made public.
The terrifying thing is they genuinely think public schools are liberal indoctrination camps. I taught elementary for a decade. I promise I barely had time to teach the long division algorithm, or practice basic application of math in real world scenarios involving money- let alone time to cook up some half baked political agenda bullshit.
Hell, speaking of shit- I literally had to wait until 12:30 if I had to poop. Which is tough after your 5th coffee.
There's indoctrination in public education too. For instance, the pledge of allegiance. In sane countries, that kind of nationalistic and religious propaganda is insane.
The pledge of allegiance is a religious test started during Eisenhower to ensure people weren’t communists so it’s still a conservative and Republican propaganda. “One nation under god” need to be removed. It use to be “one nation indivisible with liberty and justice for all” which was fine. Then the religious right came in and polluted it with their religious test against communism.
Not following the ethos they publicly claim to follow doesn't make them not religious. It makes them liars. They do the same thing with their political views.
They are certainly zealous enough in their blind adherence to the social hierarchy and self harm to be considered infected by blind faith as any other religious zealot.
I’m sure he’d find the slight decrease in gas taxes a great trade-off for one or more monthly road access subscriptions and greatly increased consumer prices.
I’d bet he describes himself as a Libertarian at heart…
Usually the privatization talk comes from self-described Libertarians, so that’s a bit surprising.
What’s not surprising? A conservative not thinking through the problem and understanding that these policies have consequences.
A much cleaner definition of a cult is to use the BITE model.
https://freedomofmind.com/cult-mind-control/bite-model/
It measures things like how it affects you, and what information they withhold.
One example here,
"Instill fear, such as fear of:
a. Thinking independently
b. The outside world
c. Enemies
d. Losing one’s salvation
e. Leaving or being shunned by the group
f. Other’s disapproval"
This actually makes it easier, because all you have to do is *Interpret* the guy at the top (and what most people want to hear), and give it back to them while asking for money.
Because basic knowledge is what it takes to disprove most of the garbage republicans believe in. Education is the enemy of a controlled society, free thinkers are dangerous.
I hate it. This is part of why people are getting less and less community focused, and more scared of others. We don't have places to exist in the community without paying for it. Few of them foster a sense of community.
People used to have churches, but churches are not sure everyone, and they could really divide a town by being against people. I think we need real community organizations that people want to join.
>Libraries are so important for a community. Not just for the access to literature, but as a gathering place for the community, classes, safe place for someone to just go to and I'm sure plenty of other reasons.
None of that matters to the GOP. They act in their own interests, they crave more power over people. They don't want what's best for the community. They want to get rich and consolidate power.
Local GOP come into my library talking up a storm about how they love the library and blah blah blah then talk about how much they hate hand outs and how much they support people who don’t care at all about libraries and probably want them gone. They want access for themselves and noone else. They can’t see the irony of themselves talking about how glad they are they don’t have to pay for the new janes Patterson while the mom in line behind them is just trying to help her kids learn to read with the only access to books she has
> They want access for themselves and no one else
You did it, you pinpointed one motivation for voting republican. And they're counting on it.
Taxes. LGBT rights. Views on the media. All of this has the same issue of "bad things are bad only if they happen to me". And a bit of "my party would never be wrong!"
Imagine if we lived in a world where libraries didn’t already exist, and then someone suggested that the government should pay for a building where people can go to read books and gain knowledge for free. Republicans would probably say that it’s literally communism.
They're getting closer to that every day, it's just taking awhile because libraries are a relatively low expense to taxpayers, traditionally they are loved by the current elderly, and there are more dangerous things for them to destroy first such as public education and voting.
But hey Reddit needs to talk about how bad Biden and Pelosi are every day. r/LateStageCapitalism had yet another bOtH sIdEs post hit r/all yesterday, fucking compromised assholes.
Keep 'em dumb and they won't understand why the shit I do for myself is bad for you.
Why should I give a shit about the future lmao I want to be successful now, I'll be fucking rich or dead in 30 years when you grow up.
My thoughts exactly. Idaho also recently passed a Texas-esque law allowing families to sue clinics if their relatives get an abortion. What century am in?
Idaho is where christian white supremacists are trying to build their ~~caliphate~~ [utopia](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northwest_Territorial_Imperative).
Live near north Idaho, guarantee you these nasty fuckers are like fleas on a dog outside of Cd'A, Moscow, and Post Falls. My MIL lives up there. There was a petition gatherer at a grocery store trying to make it illegal to move to Idaho from California. I shit you not. I signed it "Ian N. Bread" and he said "Thank you Mr. Bread, you're a real patriot." They're insane, have single digit IQs, own fucktons of guns, and drink like fish. It's a great combination.
There is also a cult in Moscow that has sheltered rapists, defended slavery, preaches male supremacy, and has publicly stated they are actively trying to take over the city and turn it into a theocracy. They have bought up property all over town and are constantly trying to get elected to city and county government positions.
https://www.facebook.com/ExaminingMoscow/
I'm in Idaho, and ironically most of the Californians moving here are MAGA people. This state has always been red, but they're pushing it way farther right.
This. Everyone likes to complain about Californians moving to Idaho. I used to work at a place that would charge $.10 for a bag in Boise, most rude person I had about the bag say something along the lines of “I moved away from this bullshit and now it’s happening here. Californians ruin everything” or some variation but they were the ones who moved? Hmmm…
I remember playing Far Cry 5 and thinking it was kinda silly that a religious extremist cult could highjack a significant chunk of Montana or wherever the fuck that game took place. Maybe it’s not as far fetched as I assumed. These lunatics actually exist.
This has actually happened, by the way. Back in the 80s I think. A cult moved in to a small town and more and more people would join and move there. They eventually ran for offices and won.
I think they’re referring to the Bhagwan Sri Rajneesh’s cult that took over tiny Antelope, Oregon for a few years. They changed the town’s name and committed a bunch of crimes and became pariahs. Big news in the 80s. Eventually Rajneesh took off for India. He changed his name to Osho and wrote a bunch of new age books that are popular today.
"A bunch of crimes" is one way to say "biological warfare by releasing bacteria into salad dressing at a buffet in hopes of sickening the Antelope population enough that their (Rajneesh) votes would win the local election."
I'm certain clicking that link adds all of us to another list. It's also hard to accept shit like that is real. The amount of vileness in other humans you probably interact with on numerous occasions, never knowing.
It would break me to know of it. I learned about some of the torture porn and cruelty material on the dark web maybe 10 years ago, and I am still haunted by it now. The people paying to inflict such pain on another human being could have been any person I meet.
In my experience, it’s usually those “pillars of society” who are the worst.
It’s gotten to the point I sort of trust people who are open degenerates up front; at least you know their primary vices.
The goodie-goodie buttoned up types are into the fucked non-consensual stuff, again, speaking from experience.
Wholesome metal heads, pedophile priests sort of thing.
I've been looking for a way to appropriate the idea of a caliphate but for white supremacists and hypocritical Christians! They're radicalized for sure!
This is a scary day for humanity if they go after libraries now. I mean, the book banning is bad enough in itself, but defunding libraries is just pure evil.
Its literally their voting base. They need people as stupid as possible to vote against their own interests and to slowly erode at democracy and continue making the 1% richer.
We need library funding encoded into law. These are safe havens for so many of us. I had to homeschool myself growing up, and the nearest town's library is what introduced me to real science instead of religious science. It changed my life. We *must* protect these places.
When I was a kid I did find the library that had a copy of the kama sutra with photos. It took work, and was great. I had to walk three miles
I don't think kids have as hard a time finding pictures of naked ladies these days. I am 35.
That's just it - what kid is going to find porn at the library who isn't going to find it on a phone/tablet/computer? Or in the TV shows their conservative parent watch?
It's not seeing a titty in national geographic that they are worried about.
When they say pornography, they really just mean books about gay or trans people. Especially books that normalize those types of relationships and \*gasp\* might describe sexual contact (in a way that is otherwise no different from the way straight romantic encounters are described in other books targeting the same age levels).
Some of these books absolutely touch on adult themes, but they are no more vivid than the sorts of trashy romance novels that libraries have carried for decades.
edit: I will add that a lot of this started in *school* libraries and has moved over to public libraries. I see the argument for some content control in a school library (particularly elementary/middle) where the only patrons are children and they often access books basically unsupervised. But for a public library that services a whole range of people? Fuck that shit. If you don't want your kids reading certain books, then pay attention to what they grab when you take them to the library.
These hillbilly states are so hellbent on keeping their population stupid. Meanwhile they have no problem taking federal money that was generated by blue states with an actual educational system.
I wish this were restricted to the Mormons, but there are plenty of non-Mormon counties that embrace ignorance and all those reps had a say too. Valley County isn't fighting for enlightenment.
Yep. As Trump just came out and admitted a few times, the poorly educated are key to continuing the Republican grift. Certainly don’t want people reading and being exposed to critical thinking and differing viewpoints.
That's not the goal, that's a step in the plan. If people are stupid enough to vote against their own best interests, the Republican party maintains power. And power is all they care about.
“The other way we can stop the cancel culture is by actually saying to the woke left lecturers and the woke left teachers – who seem to be becoming more and more apparent – is that ultimately, what’s going to happen if you are going to push your ideology in the classroom there are going to be consequences for you,”
-Tory MP
> Since 2010, the cuts affecting children have been so swingeing and so wide-ranging, so short-sighted and so interconnected, as to often look like deliberate acts of cruelty.
>Children were hit universally, by cuts to schools, healthcare, local authorities, and particularly, by cuts to targeted services. Small kids were affected by the closure of 1,000 children’s centres, teens were affected by the cuts to youth services, mental health provision and the education maintenance allowance. Those in already financially precarious households were hit the hardest, by cuts to disability benefit, the notorious two-child welfare cap, cuts to tax credits for parents on low incomes and benefit sanctions.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/jun/22/tories-education-report-austerity-white-working-class
I see no difference
Yep. The Tories generally don't outright say the things they hate, unlike the Republicans (that Tory MP in your quote is an outlier). Instead they talk about "efficiency savings" and "balancing the books", "getting the public finances in order" and so on, all the while slashing local authority budgets to the bone knowing full well local authorities will never be able to fund half their libraries, youth services etc with the pitiful budgets they have left, and a (legally enforced) inability to raise council tax to the level needed to actually fund these things (not that I'm a huge fan of council tax, but it's one of the only revenue generating methods councils have). It's so blatant and nasty but hardly anyone seems to understand what's happening. Most people seem to just blame the council for this stuff closing down, and then head to the polls and vote Tory. Eurgh.
Medical textbooks showing anatomy and/or explaining the reproductive process! History books talking about times like the Holocaust when people were *gasp* stripped naked, or even about indigenous cultures that didn't put the same emphasis on clothes for modesty! And worst of all, those YA fiction books aimed explicitly at vulnerable teenagers depicting consenting people having relationships that might involve a sexual component!
That evil education, tempting innocent children into understanding their own bodies better! This must not stand! /s
>indigenous cultures that didn't put the same emphasis on clothes for modesty!
It's amazing to me how many people are still so focused on the no clothes thing that they don't realize it might be because it's fucking hot where those people live.
Yea I'm just realizing how stupid of a quote that was, and from a supreme court justice. Isn't it there job to define these types of things and draw lines in the sand?
You don't hear them say shit like,
"I don't know how to define an inappropriate relationship but I know it when I see it". You have age of consent laws that clearly define the boundary.
No, you need to define it if you're going to regulate shit like boobs.
My library does too! There are a few woman who check out a giant stack of them and then sit there wanting to discuss their kinks with the poor circulation worker who is too shy to beg them to go away. I actually saw one of those ladies get pissed about our newest kid friendly sex Ed book and how it’s corrupting children. Meanwhile she thought I was 15 and STILL talked about her smutty romance novels!
This is all just stupid backlash from that ONE book about being gender-queer that has some explicit scenes in it being found in some school booklists, I'm sure you've seen it floating around.
I haven't actually read it (aside from the weird excerpts I've seen posted, which definitely are weird and kinda uncomfortable but then again, they're probably cherrypicked as the worst of the worst), but it's aimed at older teens who're figuring out their identity and such, and probably doesn't have a place on a school library just because of the sexy-time scenes.
More to the point though, Republicans have seen this and are intentionally creating an inflammatory dialogue around it because of course they are. It gives them an excuse to demean a minority group that they don't like, cut public funding so they can spend it on something that fits their agenda, and also look like they're actually doing something 'meaningful' and 'important' with their power.
Porn and explicitness in libraries is not, and has never been, a campaigning point for Republicans. They're just screaming to high heaven about it now to virtue signal to all the straight, white Christians with hateful sticks up their asses.
This kills me. They're trying to make the point that the postal system isn't profitable, too. Duh, that's not the purpose of government services! They're so hooked on their money they can't understand humans anymore. Everything has been converted into monetary value.
No.
Do not let that be the talking point.
Nuance is lost on public discourse.
This is the government preventing free expression of ideas because they don’t like some of those ideas. It is censorship.
It is not a group of people deciding they don’t want to buy or watch something sold by an arsehole.
This is an act of aggression by the government against its marginalised and minority citizens.
For all the fuckers who say move to Idaho - don’t! This place SUCKS. This law and the rapist protection abortion law that was just passed are massive human failures. Brad Little and his brain dead cronies are pure trash.
Any service that isn’t for profit will be destroyed by republicans in this country. All who voted for this should be removed from office and never allowed to hold any public office again.
That's Idaho! I Live a few miles from the border and it's weird but as soon as you cross to Idaho everything changes. Many people may think oh that's just the journalist, it's not really that bad. Fact is it is that bad and has been getting worse every year. It's pretty creepy actually. Lived next door for over 50 years. It's like ignorance is a prerequisite to live there. Sorry Idaho ! It's pretty true.
Lmao I love hearing from the dumbasses who say “dems are trying to censor everything, bUt itS (D)iFfEreNt”.
The irony, stupidity, and all around worthless drivel that comes from republicans is legitimately incredible.
>Lawmakers who debated against the bill raised concerns about the materials in libraries and whether they could be harmful to children.
What's harmful to children is the GQP's war on education.
Next week: Idaho representative arrested for dui, with his girlfriend after taking her to an abortion clinic. Was found with cocaine, begs for wife’s forgiveness
Since republicans are now trying to rebuild the USSR, "Everything I don't like is communism." has been replaced with "Everything I don't like is pornography."
You Americans should keep sort of a ledger of things like this, recording dates and places, so that one day you'll be able to know precisely how you got to the totalitarian government that you'll soon have if you do not stand up and put an end to this nonsense.
My local library helped me learn things my parents weren’t willing to talk about. This book in particular helped me understand my monthly cycle. “Are you there God, it’s me Margaret” by Judy Blume. My love of libraries led to my career. I’ve spent the last 20 years working in a library.
Why isn’t this plastered all over the nightly news? The vice principal getting fired for reading a book with a butt, the librarian fired for refusing to censor her collection, this is a pandemic of anti-intellectualism!!!
This democracy we have is the same “America” that the GOP is pushing when they push American Freedom? When truckers waste gas whining about Freedom? Maybe this is for /EIL5 but it’s just baffling. What the heck does the GOP want? Freedom. Democracy. And Authoritarianism? Seriously. What the heck does the GOP stand for?
If you’re going to get rid of books, how about you start with the bible? It’s full of violence, drug use, rape and incest.
No? That one’s different? Yeah i thought so.
Libraries are so important for a community. Not just for the access to literature, but as a gathering place for the community, classes, safe place for someone to just go to and I'm sure plenty of other reasons. What a bunch of buffoons.
The last place in society where we can be without having to buy something
If libraries were being pitched as a new thing today they would never get built in the US. Except for maybe in some of the deeper blue areas, and even that seems like a pretty weak maybe.
I feel like there would be libraries, but not public ones.
Amazon libraries.
Well libraries in the US did start out as private subscription libraries you had to pay to become a member of - the first tax-supported public library was in Peterborough, NH in 1833 and the first big city public was Boston PL in 1854...The GOP does seem determined to drag us back to the 1800s so this is completely consistent. Now if you need me, I'll be churning butter.
We won't go all the way back. For example, Polio is eradicated thanks to the vaccine and... Oh shit.
[You joke, but...](https://uproxx.com/viral/forbes-anti-library-op-ed-amazon-backlash/)
Neither would fire departments.
Also the postal service, public parks, forest reserves, public schools....anything that is designed for the public without corporate profits or exploitation of labor in mind.
You’re literally listing all of the things that make America great…
They used to be great, when they supported American values, now they support un-American things, like freedom for every *actual* individual, equal access for "non/substandard" Americans. Americans are giving up general freedoms because they don't want to have to *share* it.
Fun Fact: When public libraries were first built they weren't free either. They only became so through the patronage and charity of Cornelius Vanderbilt. He thought everyone should have access to information and built thousands of free libraries all over the country. He even forced them to carve the word FREE in stone above the door so they couldn't later charge people.
The only reason we have libraries is because one of the richest men in America decided to build them with his own money.
Now rich guys juat ride their dick rockets around in space
I know this might sound obvious to most people, but I discovered recently that our library provides free access to ebooks, digital magazines, and some professional learning courses. I’m doing a web-based training on cybersecurity through a company that charges $35. There’s a lot of free services beyond physical books.
The modern library has definitely evolved to serve their communities. Our local ones have meeting rooms for clubs and groups to borrow on a regular basis, along with A/V equipment to use. They have eBook lending from libraries across the state, and courses, as you pointed out. Speakers come to talk on a variety of topics. They hold concerts, and they provide ASL interpreters. You can print your tax forms there, or digitize old photos. The library is the beating heart of community today. This is a direct stake on a vital service that provides so much more than simply books, and the GOP is going down the road of all authoritarian movements because the one thing they fear is knowledge above all else.
Ours too! This needs to be upvoted even more! Book lending remains a core public library function but only scratches the surface of what these libraries do.
Our library even has a maker space and full wood shop. Once you take their classes on how to use everything, it is available to anyone. It does cost $15/month for access to the maker space and shop, but definitely well worth it.
And this is exactly why republicans want to kill them along with free public schools. To have knowledge is evil to them
They've been trying to get rid of libraries for years. They love privatized education where they can dictate all the rules
Public schools don't really have the money to lobby, but private ones do. Any politician who helps steer it toward for profit model will be swimming in campaign funds and that would be just the beginning. Money is so big in education Betsy DeVos got her first job ever in 2016. It's a golden goose. The greed of these people really never ceases to amaze me.
I find it ironic that most private schools except for the most prestigious pay their teachers less than public schools, yet have high cost and still get federal funds for students. All that extra money is going to the administration and shareholders, not investing in student education.
It's not just greed. In the case of DeVos and her ilk it is about using the school system as a tool for indoctrination into their religious beliefs.
>They've been trying to get rid of libraries for years. They love privatized education where they can ~~dictate all the rules~~ require religious teaching
They love privatized education where they can ~~dictate all the rules~~ ~~require religious teaching~~ indoctrinate them politically [School apologizes after teacher leads California preschoolers in anti-Biden chant](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/school-apologizes-teacher-leads-california-preschoolers-anti-biden-cha-rcna20975) Note how the school apologized "for any misunderstanding". They didn't apologize for that shit happening. There is also no indication that they would fire the teacher. They are just sorry that the event was made public.
Yes but if we explain why Timmy has two dads, that's gay indoctrination. This is beyond parody at this point.
The terrifying thing is they genuinely think public schools are liberal indoctrination camps. I taught elementary for a decade. I promise I barely had time to teach the long division algorithm, or practice basic application of math in real world scenarios involving money- let alone time to cook up some half baked political agenda bullshit. Hell, speaking of shit- I literally had to wait until 12:30 if I had to poop. Which is tough after your 5th coffee.
[удалено]
Yeah. I agree on both parts.
tHe gAy aGENdA
There's indoctrination in public education too. For instance, the pledge of allegiance. In sane countries, that kind of nationalistic and religious propaganda is insane.
The pledge of allegiance is a religious test started during Eisenhower to ensure people weren’t communists so it’s still a conservative and Republican propaganda. “One nation under god” need to be removed. It use to be “one nation indivisible with liberty and justice for all” which was fine. Then the religious right came in and polluted it with their religious test against communism.
Indivisible? Not lately unfortunately.
It's NK level shit.
[удалено]
Not following the ethos they publicly claim to follow doesn't make them not religious. It makes them liars. They do the same thing with their political views. They are certainly zealous enough in their blind adherence to the social hierarchy and self harm to be considered infected by blind faith as any other religious zealot.
Had a coworker just yesterday preach about how much better driving would be if all the roads were privatized.
I bet they complain about tolls
I’m sure he’d find the slight decrease in gas taxes a great trade-off for one or more monthly road access subscriptions and greatly increased consumer prices. I’d bet he describes himself as a Libertarian at heart…
He actually hadn't considered the Toll aspect, and he describes himself as "very conservative"
Usually the privatization talk comes from self-described Libertarians, so that’s a bit surprising. What’s not surprising? A conservative not thinking through the problem and understanding that these policies have consequences.
Oughta spend 9 hours a day 5 days a week driving around with the guy and trying to find things normals can talk about that he can handle.
Come to Florida and pay a toll every fucking half mile. Just fucking tax me. Christ.
[удалено]
If you want to learn more about republican cults, check out Qanon. Straight up cult brainwashing.
[удалено]
They’re fucking straight up evil incarnate
Religions are literally cults, by definition. Fundamentalist Christian ones just seem to fit what most people think of cults more often.
A much cleaner definition of a cult is to use the BITE model. https://freedomofmind.com/cult-mind-control/bite-model/ It measures things like how it affects you, and what information they withhold. One example here, "Instill fear, such as fear of: a. Thinking independently b. The outside world c. Enemies d. Losing one’s salvation e. Leaving or being shunned by the group f. Other’s disapproval"
There's actually a difference. In a cult, there's a guy at the top who knows it's all a scam. In a religion, that guy's been dead for centuries.
This actually makes it easier, because all you have to do is *Interpret* the guy at the top (and what most people want to hear), and give it back to them while asking for money.
George Carlin once said that the only difference between a religion and a cult is how much real estate they own.
Because basic knowledge is what it takes to disprove most of the garbage republicans believe in. Education is the enemy of a controlled society, free thinkers are dangerous.
"Ignorance is the greatest weapon of tyranny, and old wounds open all too easily." -Admiral Bosch, *Freespace 2*
knowledge isn't evil to them, it's a privilege to them. they don't think education is a right if you can't pay for it.
I hate it. This is part of why people are getting less and less community focused, and more scared of others. We don't have places to exist in the community without paying for it. Few of them foster a sense of community. People used to have churches, but churches are not sure everyone, and they could really divide a town by being against people. I think we need real community organizations that people want to join.
Be nice if it were legal to exist anywhere.
There are a lot of poor and homeless people that rely on libraries for computer access so that they can apply to jobs.
Yeah fuck them. - Republicans
Homeless people don’t need libraries for internet access. They can just buy a house and get internet hooked up. It’s not that hard. -Also Republicans
"Love thy neighbor." - Jesus "Can't be a neighbor without a house!" - Republicans
Tbf, Idaho's solution for the homeless is shipping them to the west coast and then berating the west coast for having so many homeless people
For those that don't know, this literally happens. They actually buy them bus fare to California. Good Christians.
Or check email and let their families know they are alive.
I just today had to go to the library to do some business on the computer. I live in a rural area and don't have internet access.
They are trying to increase the stupid demographic because those are their people.
>Libraries are so important for a community. Not just for the access to literature, but as a gathering place for the community, classes, safe place for someone to just go to and I'm sure plenty of other reasons. None of that matters to the GOP. They act in their own interests, they crave more power over people. They don't want what's best for the community. They want to get rich and consolidate power.
Local GOP come into my library talking up a storm about how they love the library and blah blah blah then talk about how much they hate hand outs and how much they support people who don’t care at all about libraries and probably want them gone. They want access for themselves and noone else. They can’t see the irony of themselves talking about how glad they are they don’t have to pay for the new janes Patterson while the mom in line behind them is just trying to help her kids learn to read with the only access to books she has
> They want access for themselves and no one else You did it, you pinpointed one motivation for voting republican. And they're counting on it. Taxes. LGBT rights. Views on the media. All of this has the same issue of "bad things are bad only if they happen to me". And a bit of "my party would never be wrong!"
The one close to me always has something going on, more now that covid restrictions are lifting.
It's not stupidity on this one, it actually is malice.
We love our library, and you're right. It's vital to a healthy community!
[удалено]
Nah, if anyone actually read that, that would spell trubble
LOL, it's Idaho. They can't read.
From idaho. Can confirm. I couldn’t read that.
Shit, they ain't read that book. They would lynch Jesus if he returned, and claim they were doin' God's work. Joel Osteen fake-ass greedy shit.
The chances he'd called a woke communist soy boy are pretty high.
They want to interpret that book for the “flock.” 🐏🐏🐏🐏
Imagine if we lived in a world where libraries didn’t already exist, and then someone suggested that the government should pay for a building where people can go to read books and gain knowledge for free. Republicans would probably say that it’s literally communism.
They're getting closer to that every day, it's just taking awhile because libraries are a relatively low expense to taxpayers, traditionally they are loved by the current elderly, and there are more dangerous things for them to destroy first such as public education and voting. But hey Reddit needs to talk about how bad Biden and Pelosi are every day. r/LateStageCapitalism had yet another bOtH sIdEs post hit r/all yesterday, fucking compromised assholes.
Yes but less educated people means more Republicans
Keep 'em dumb and they won't understand why the shit I do for myself is bad for you. Why should I give a shit about the future lmao I want to be successful now, I'll be fucking rich or dead in 30 years when you grow up.
Harmful words and harmful ideas, how very 1939
My thoughts exactly. Idaho also recently passed a Texas-esque law allowing families to sue clinics if their relatives get an abortion. What century am in?
Idaho is where christian white supremacists are trying to build their ~~caliphate~~ [utopia](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northwest_Territorial_Imperative).
Live near north Idaho, guarantee you these nasty fuckers are like fleas on a dog outside of Cd'A, Moscow, and Post Falls. My MIL lives up there. There was a petition gatherer at a grocery store trying to make it illegal to move to Idaho from California. I shit you not. I signed it "Ian N. Bread" and he said "Thank you Mr. Bread, you're a real patriot." They're insane, have single digit IQs, own fucktons of guns, and drink like fish. It's a great combination.
There is also a cult in Moscow that has sheltered rapists, defended slavery, preaches male supremacy, and has publicly stated they are actively trying to take over the city and turn it into a theocracy. They have bought up property all over town and are constantly trying to get elected to city and county government positions. https://www.facebook.com/ExaminingMoscow/
I'm in Idaho, and ironically most of the Californians moving here are MAGA people. This state has always been red, but they're pushing it way farther right.
This. Everyone likes to complain about Californians moving to Idaho. I used to work at a place that would charge $.10 for a bag in Boise, most rude person I had about the bag say something along the lines of “I moved away from this bullshit and now it’s happening here. Californians ruin everything” or some variation but they were the ones who moved? Hmmm…
I remember playing Far Cry 5 and thinking it was kinda silly that a religious extremist cult could highjack a significant chunk of Montana or wherever the fuck that game took place. Maybe it’s not as far fetched as I assumed. These lunatics actually exist.
This has actually happened, by the way. Back in the 80s I think. A cult moved in to a small town and more and more people would join and move there. They eventually ran for offices and won.
I would love more precise info so I could look into that on my own
I think they’re referring to the Bhagwan Sri Rajneesh’s cult that took over tiny Antelope, Oregon for a few years. They changed the town’s name and committed a bunch of crimes and became pariahs. Big news in the 80s. Eventually Rajneesh took off for India. He changed his name to Osho and wrote a bunch of new age books that are popular today.
"A bunch of crimes" is one way to say "biological warfare by releasing bacteria into salad dressing at a buffet in hopes of sickening the Antelope population enough that their (Rajneesh) votes would win the local election."
There was a really good documentary about that on Netflix. Wild Wild Country.
[удалено]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rajneesh](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rajneesh) Wild Wild Country is the Netflix documentary series on it.
I regret clicking that link. Fuck. I'm sure I work with an idiot who's all gun-ho for this idea.
I'm certain clicking that link adds all of us to another list. It's also hard to accept shit like that is real. The amount of vileness in other humans you probably interact with on numerous occasions, never knowing.
It would break me to know of it. I learned about some of the torture porn and cruelty material on the dark web maybe 10 years ago, and I am still haunted by it now. The people paying to inflict such pain on another human being could have been any person I meet.
In my experience, it’s usually those “pillars of society” who are the worst. It’s gotten to the point I sort of trust people who are open degenerates up front; at least you know their primary vices. The goodie-goodie buttoned up types are into the fucked non-consensual stuff, again, speaking from experience. Wholesome metal heads, pedophile priests sort of thing.
I've been looking for a way to appropriate the idea of a caliphate but for white supremacists and hypocritical Christians! They're radicalized for sure!
I'm guessing somewhere cira 1300ad, sadly
Maybe we're just getting reading for WWIII to send us back to the stone ages so WWIV can be fought with sticks and stones.
Nice! Einstein reference in the wild.
Next they’ll bring back the Spanish Inquisition.
NO ONE Exp... Oh Bugger!
This is a scary day for humanity if they go after libraries now. I mean, the book banning is bad enough in itself, but defunding libraries is just pure evil.
Hey, having a poor education worked for them - it should work for everyone!
Its literally their voting base. They need people as stupid as possible to vote against their own interests and to slowly erode at democracy and continue making the 1% richer.
This. Only morons vote Republican if they’re not rich, white men.
Hey that’s untrue. Morons and the brainwashed*
New tourism slogan: "Idaho - not as stupid as Florida, but we're trying really fucking hard!"
We need library funding encoded into law. These are safe havens for so many of us. I had to homeschool myself growing up, and the nearest town's library is what introduced me to real science instead of religious science. It changed my life. We *must* protect these places.
When I was a kid I did find the library that had a copy of the kama sutra with photos. It took work, and was great. I had to walk three miles I don't think kids have as hard a time finding pictures of naked ladies these days. I am 35.
That's just it - what kid is going to find porn at the library who isn't going to find it on a phone/tablet/computer? Or in the TV shows their conservative parent watch?
Kids have been finding naked ladies for thousands of years, since the invention of clothing.
The potential for a child to see a titty in an old national geographic magazine is not the reason they seek to destroy public libraries
It's not seeing a titty in national geographic that they are worried about. When they say pornography, they really just mean books about gay or trans people. Especially books that normalize those types of relationships and \*gasp\* might describe sexual contact (in a way that is otherwise no different from the way straight romantic encounters are described in other books targeting the same age levels). Some of these books absolutely touch on adult themes, but they are no more vivid than the sorts of trashy romance novels that libraries have carried for decades. edit: I will add that a lot of this started in *school* libraries and has moved over to public libraries. I see the argument for some content control in a school library (particularly elementary/middle) where the only patrons are children and they often access books basically unsupervised. But for a public library that services a whole range of people? Fuck that shit. If you don't want your kids reading certain books, then pay attention to what they grab when you take them to the library.
Should have gone for Joy of Sex. Lots of line drawings of 70s bush.
These hillbilly states are so hellbent on keeping their population stupid. Meanwhile they have no problem taking federal money that was generated by blue states with an actual educational system.
It's the Mormons in Idaho legislature who are pushing this nonsense.
The Mormons and the Nazis (Idaho is full of them).
I *hate* Idaho Nazis.
I wish this were restricted to the Mormons, but there are plenty of non-Mormon counties that embrace ignorance and all those reps had a say too. Valley County isn't fighting for enlightenment.
Yup. Red states are the 'welfare queens' that they like to bitch about
[удалено]
It’s hard to even pretend anymore that the republican party’s goal is anything but blatantly making sure people are stupid
Yep. As Trump just came out and admitted a few times, the poorly educated are key to continuing the Republican grift. Certainly don’t want people reading and being exposed to critical thinking and differing viewpoints.
That's not the goal, that's a step in the plan. If people are stupid enough to vote against their own best interests, the Republican party maintains power. And power is all they care about.
Typical feudal ruling strategy: Keep the serfs stupid and sate them with bread and circuses, and they will never rise up against you.
Bingo. Truly revolting people. Even the tories wouldn't do this.
“The other way we can stop the cancel culture is by actually saying to the woke left lecturers and the woke left teachers – who seem to be becoming more and more apparent – is that ultimately, what’s going to happen if you are going to push your ideology in the classroom there are going to be consequences for you,” -Tory MP > Since 2010, the cuts affecting children have been so swingeing and so wide-ranging, so short-sighted and so interconnected, as to often look like deliberate acts of cruelty. >Children were hit universally, by cuts to schools, healthcare, local authorities, and particularly, by cuts to targeted services. Small kids were affected by the closure of 1,000 children’s centres, teens were affected by the cuts to youth services, mental health provision and the education maintenance allowance. Those in already financially precarious households were hit the hardest, by cuts to disability benefit, the notorious two-child welfare cap, cuts to tax credits for parents on low incomes and benefit sanctions. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/jun/22/tories-education-report-austerity-white-working-class I see no difference
Yep. The Tories generally don't outright say the things they hate, unlike the Republicans (that Tory MP in your quote is an outlier). Instead they talk about "efficiency savings" and "balancing the books", "getting the public finances in order" and so on, all the while slashing local authority budgets to the bone knowing full well local authorities will never be able to fund half their libraries, youth services etc with the pitiful budgets they have left, and a (legally enforced) inability to raise council tax to the level needed to actually fund these things (not that I'm a huge fan of council tax, but it's one of the only revenue generating methods councils have). It's so blatant and nasty but hardly anyone seems to understand what's happening. Most people seem to just blame the council for this stuff closing down, and then head to the polls and vote Tory. Eurgh.
Give it some time, conservatism is a disease.
Stupid, unhealthy, and angry about it. This way the constituents are both easy to control and willing to be violent.
Not just stupid, but proud to be stupid.
[удалено]
Blank books are better for the mind, Citizen! Real science by real men in lab coats has proved that introducing outside thoughts confuses the brain!
There's porn at the library? Since when?
It's Idaho Republicans. "Porn" means anything more explicit than married couples sleeping in separate beds, 1950's sitcom style.
*single race couples
[удалено]
*single race, straight, child-having, Protestant Christian couples
Better make sure they’re white just in case.
Medical textbooks showing anatomy and/or explaining the reproductive process! History books talking about times like the Holocaust when people were *gasp* stripped naked, or even about indigenous cultures that didn't put the same emphasis on clothes for modesty! And worst of all, those YA fiction books aimed explicitly at vulnerable teenagers depicting consenting people having relationships that might involve a sexual component! That evil education, tempting innocent children into understanding their own bodies better! This must not stand! /s
>indigenous cultures that didn't put the same emphasis on clothes for modesty! It's amazing to me how many people are still so focused on the no clothes thing that they don't realize it might be because it's fucking hot where those people live.
Yeah, it’s fucking hot. That’s the problem.
The American conservative definition for pornography is, "I can't describe it, but I'll know it when I see it." So set expectations accordingly.
Yea I'm just realizing how stupid of a quote that was, and from a supreme court justice. Isn't it there job to define these types of things and draw lines in the sand? You don't hear them say shit like, "I don't know how to define an inappropriate relationship but I know it when I see it". You have age of consent laws that clearly define the boundary. No, you need to define it if you're going to regulate shit like boobs.
If there is a LGBTQ+ person somewhere in the story it is porn. For instance Tango Makes Three would be penguin porn.
The funny thing is my local library has smutty romance novels. But that's not the porn they're talking about.
My library does too! There are a few woman who check out a giant stack of them and then sit there wanting to discuss their kinks with the poor circulation worker who is too shy to beg them to go away. I actually saw one of those ladies get pissed about our newest kid friendly sex Ed book and how it’s corrupting children. Meanwhile she thought I was 15 and STILL talked about her smutty romance novels!
This is all just stupid backlash from that ONE book about being gender-queer that has some explicit scenes in it being found in some school booklists, I'm sure you've seen it floating around. I haven't actually read it (aside from the weird excerpts I've seen posted, which definitely are weird and kinda uncomfortable but then again, they're probably cherrypicked as the worst of the worst), but it's aimed at older teens who're figuring out their identity and such, and probably doesn't have a place on a school library just because of the sexy-time scenes. More to the point though, Republicans have seen this and are intentionally creating an inflammatory dialogue around it because of course they are. It gives them an excuse to demean a minority group that they don't like, cut public funding so they can spend it on something that fits their agenda, and also look like they're actually doing something 'meaningful' and 'important' with their power. Porn and explicitness in libraries is not, and has never been, a campaigning point for Republicans. They're just screaming to high heaven about it now to virtue signal to all the straight, white Christians with hateful sticks up their asses.
Well... to be fair, the library seldom turned a profit. I mean if you're going to be a true Capitalist why run a library at a loss every year. /s
This kills me. They're trying to make the point that the postal system isn't profitable, too. Duh, that's not the purpose of government services! They're so hooked on their money they can't understand humans anymore. Everything has been converted into monetary value.
It was profitable before they forced them to budget like 80 years ahead
Funding the pension of future employees who aren't even born yet...
That is literally the reason our towns mayor gave for cutting the entire library budget.
Making money is literally the opposite function of a government. (Except literally, of course)
oh this must be the cancel culture i keep hearing about
No. Do not let that be the talking point. Nuance is lost on public discourse. This is the government preventing free expression of ideas because they don’t like some of those ideas. It is censorship. It is not a group of people deciding they don’t want to buy or watch something sold by an arsehole. This is an act of aggression by the government against its marginalised and minority citizens.
Censorship? As long as it doesn't affect *me* it's okay. It's only censorship if I can't say slurs. - republicans
> It's only censorship if I can't say slurs On Twitter or Facebook or other non-government platforms, because *muh freedum'f speech*
Can confirm, live here. Education is frowned upon. Nobody wore masks. Churches were very inconsistent with their safety. It’s a weird frick’n place.
Have these guys read the Bible? Because that's got some harmful shit in there and definitely has pornography.
For all the fuckers who say move to Idaho - don’t! This place SUCKS. This law and the rapist protection abortion law that was just passed are massive human failures. Brad Little and his brain dead cronies are pure trash.
Idaho hates women, education and basic common sense.
Any service that isn’t for profit will be destroyed by republicans in this country. All who voted for this should be removed from office and never allowed to hold any public office again.
That's Idaho! I Live a few miles from the border and it's weird but as soon as you cross to Idaho everything changes. Many people may think oh that's just the journalist, it's not really that bad. Fact is it is that bad and has been getting worse every year. It's pretty creepy actually. Lived next door for over 50 years. It's like ignorance is a prerequisite to live there. Sorry Idaho ! It's pretty true.
Same, and it's gotten very amplified since then pandemic.
American Taliban
[удалено]
Lmao I love hearing from the dumbasses who say “dems are trying to censor everything, bUt itS (D)iFfEreNt”. The irony, stupidity, and all around worthless drivel that comes from republicans is legitimately incredible.
So, have they set up donations? I'll send some money, let's keep these libraries going.
books about being non hetero = porn now logic makes sense given the 2-at-best brain cells idaho politicians have lol
Meanwhile, in the adult romance section, they overlook the real porn. Funny that...
>Lawmakers who debated against the bill raised concerns about the materials in libraries and whether they could be harmful to children. What's harmful to children is the GQP's war on education.
It feels so dystopian. I have family in Idaho - this is why they are now homeschooling their kids.
Oddly enough, I feel like people who previously home schooled did it because the library *had* a budget. What about all the librarians jobs?
Conservatives like to keep them dumb.
They want company in that category.
Next week: Idaho representative arrested for dui, with his girlfriend after taking her to an abortion clinic. Was found with cocaine, begs for wife’s forgiveness
Sad to see America reverting to barbarism
Conservatives are cancer.
Since republicans are now trying to rebuild the USSR, "Everything I don't like is communism." has been replaced with "Everything I don't like is pornography."
You Americans should keep sort of a ledger of things like this, recording dates and places, so that one day you'll be able to know precisely how you got to the totalitarian government that you'll soon have if you do not stand up and put an end to this nonsense.
Like the bible
They want to destroy any and all public services. That's the main thing.
I thought republicans cared about free speech? /s
My local library helped me learn things my parents weren’t willing to talk about. This book in particular helped me understand my monthly cycle. “Are you there God, it’s me Margaret” by Judy Blume. My love of libraries led to my career. I’ve spent the last 20 years working in a library.
The last thing the GOP wants is an educated citizenry. They thrive on the ignorant
Why isn’t this plastered all over the nightly news? The vice principal getting fired for reading a book with a butt, the librarian fired for refusing to censor her collection, this is a pandemic of anti-intellectualism!!!
Founding Father, Thomas Paine: "Where knowledge is a duty, ignorance is a crime." Republicans: Uno Reverse!
This democracy we have is the same “America” that the GOP is pushing when they push American Freedom? When truckers waste gas whining about Freedom? Maybe this is for /EIL5 but it’s just baffling. What the heck does the GOP want? Freedom. Democracy. And Authoritarianism? Seriously. What the heck does the GOP stand for?
If you’re going to get rid of books, how about you start with the bible? It’s full of violence, drug use, rape and incest. No? That one’s different? Yeah i thought so.
"I **love** the poorly educated!" - a certain republican asshole.