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Missouri lawmakers move to strip library funding, retaliate for book ban lawsuit

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Re: Missouri lawmakers move to strip library funding, retaliate for book ban lawsuit

#41

Post by mulmen »

izzydata wrote: post #18

If they are willing to go to such extremes to censor books how do they feel about the internet? The internet has a reach that is orders of magnitude greater than books, but I never hear about lawmakers attempting to shut down the internet or part of the internet. Is it just too decentralized to even attempt or is their pursuit of book censorship just for show to impress their followers?

Libraries are a lot more than just places to check out books. Most libraries provide Internet access and other information services, such as classes and workshops. So by cutting this funding they may well be depriving people of Internet access.

> but I never hear about lawmakers attempting to shut down the internet or part of the internet

They definitely like to meddle there too.

Re: Missouri lawmakers move to strip library funding, retaliate for book ban lawsuit

#42

Post by prasadjoglekar »

izzydata wrote: post #18

If they are willing to go to such extremes to censor books how do they feel about the internet? The internet has a reach that is orders of magnitude greater than books, but I never hear about lawmakers attempting to shut down the internet or part of the internet. Is it just too decentralized to even attempt or is their pursuit of book censorship just for show to impress their followers?

It's not censoring books; rather a state choosing which books to publicly fund in school libraries. No one is banning parents from buying those books on their own dime.

Schools are publicly funded by taxes; those taxes are apportioned by elected representatives. The legislature has the right to dictate what the money can and can't be used for. That's not censorship.

Re: Missouri lawmakers move to strip library funding, retaliate for book ban lawsuit

#43

Post by tekmate »

atoav wrote: post #8

As a european that frequently discusses political topics with people from the US, I recall times when conservatives over there were all about "small government" and "freedom of speech" and how they would literally fight for those rights (that's what the second amendment was written for in their eyes). Where are those people today? Why are they not more vocal? Or were these values always just a veneer for something el…

if you frequently discuss these topics you should be aware that those were always just nice sounding soundbites that were never rooted in any kind of conviction

Re: Missouri lawmakers move to strip library funding, retaliate for book ban lawsuit

#44

Post by anigbrowl »

izzydata wrote: post #18

If they are willing to go to such extremes to censor books how do they feel about the internet? The internet has a reach that is orders of magnitude greater than books, but I never hear about lawmakers attempting to shut down the internet or part of the internet. Is it just too decentralized to even attempt or is their pursuit of book censorship just for show to impress their followers?

I don't think the Tiktok discourse from politicians is in entirely good faith either. The chair in the committee hearing yesterday was making lofty denunciations of the sort they would condemn if they came from the other party.

Re: Missouri lawmakers move to strip library funding, retaliate for book ban lawsuit

#45

Post by [deleted] »

atoav wrote: post #8

As a european that frequently discusses political topics with people from the US, I recall times when conservatives over there were all about "small government" and "freedom of speech" and how they would literally fight for those rights (that's what the second amendment was written for in their eyes). Where are those people today? Why are they not more vocal? Or were these values always just a veneer for something el…

[deleted]

Re: Missouri lawmakers move to strip library funding, retaliate for book ban lawsuit

#46

Post by nostromo »

mrguyorama wrote: post #21
eastof wrote: post #16

Does this law apply for students of all ages? Surely "sexually explicit" materials are a requirement for sexual education right? What am I missing?

You're missing that most of these people want to kill sexual education too. They are openly against modern education, and think the father of the household should have final say on anything and everything.

Some of the material that was available in school libraries shocked even me as a gay man. Here are two pages from a book (Gender Queer) that caused a bunch of this controversy:

(Caution: these links might be NSFW, but they are blurred)

https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/Screen...

https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/Screen...

(Edit: only one page is from Gender Queer, another is from a different book that was removed.)

If a parent wanted to give this book to their child at an appropriate age, that'd be fine, but just hanging out on a shelf at primary schools with very young kids seems like too much.

I really wish schools would focus on the basics: reading, mathematics, writing. There are too many educators that are trying to mold them into indoctrination facilities for politics and new theories of identity. There is plenty of time to do that at university.

Re: Missouri lawmakers move to strip library funding, retaliate for book ban lawsuit

#47

Post by barbazoo »

mulmen wrote: post #41
izzydata wrote: post #18

If they are willing to go to such extremes to censor books how do they feel about the internet? The internet has a reach that is orders of magnitude greater than books, but I never hear about lawmakers attempting to shut down the internet or part of the internet. Is it just too decentralized to even attempt or is their pursuit of book censorship just for show to impress their followers?

Libraries are a lot more than just places to check out books. Most libraries provide Internet access and other information services, such as classes and workshops. So by cutting this funding they may well be depriving people of Internet access. > but I never hear about lawmakers attempting to shut down the internet or part of the internet They definitely like to meddle there too.

Might also make it more difficult to apply for government programs and register to vote etc...

Re: Missouri lawmakers move to strip library funding, retaliate for book ban lawsuit

#48

Post by ensignavenger »

eastof wrote: post #16

Does this law apply for students of all ages? Surely "sexually explicit" materials are a requirement for sexual education right? What am I missing?

The law clearly exempts sex education and scientific works.

Re: Missouri lawmakers move to strip library funding, retaliate for book ban lawsuit

#49

Post by barbazoo »

nostromo wrote: post #46
mrguyorama wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You're missing that most of these people want to kill sexual education too. They are openly against modern education, and think the father of the household should have final say on anything and everything.

Some of the material that was available in school libraries shocked even me as a gay man. Here are two pages from a book (Gender Queer) that caused a bunch of this controversy: (Caution: these links might be NSFW, but they are blurred) https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/Screen... https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/Screen... (Edit: only one page is from Gender Queer, another is fr…

> Some of the material that was available in school libraries shocked even me as a gay man. Here are two pages from a book (Gender Queer) that caused a bunch of this controversy:

> (Caution: these links might be NSFW, but they are blurred)

> https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/Screen...

> https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/Screen...

> If a parent wanted to give this book to their child at an appropriate age, that'd be fine, but just hanging out on a shelf at primary schools with very young kids seems like too much.

> I really wish primary schools would focus on the basics: reading, mathematics, writing. There are too many educators that are trying to mold them into indoctrination facilities for politics and new theories of identity. There is plenty of time to do that at university.

I've read that book and it's not aimed at children. No sane educator or library person would offer that to a young child.

Also what you're leaving out is that behind the pixelation isn't a penis but a strap on. The second image isn't contained in the book at all.

Stop spreading misinformation.

Re: Missouri lawmakers move to strip library funding, retaliate for book ban lawsuit

#50

Post by kimbernator »

mulmen wrote: post #34
kimbernator wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's comically evil to cut such a small amount of money for the state's public libraries under pretty much any circumstance (The total budget is ~50 billion dollars). Libraries should be considered some of our crowning achievements: (nearly) free and unprivileged access to as much knowledge as we can cram into a single building. Unfortunately, one of the primary political parties is actively waging war on education a…

> The total budget is nearly 3 billion dollars According to the article the total budget is $50 billion.

Woops, I was looking at the wrong figure and just trusted it in haste. Thanks for the correction.
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