• Zerlyna@lemmy.world
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    9 months ago

    I think a book telling a story about two daughters who get their dad drunk and have sex with them is obscene. Let’s see them ban that one.

  • Rapidcreek@lemmy.worldOP
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    9 months ago

    But if we send these librarians to prison and they work in the prison library, won’t they just emerge as stronger criminals upon release?

  • cmoney@lemmy.world
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    9 months ago

    I’m trying to picture the worst thing that could happen to someone reading a book. You can always stop reading as soon as you sense your fee fees getting hurt.

      • cmoney@lemmy.world
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        9 months ago

        Oh I agree, I just get a kick out of the mental gymnastics people use as the reason why books are evil.

        • Buddahriffic@lemmy.world
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          9 months ago

          It’s the same kind of energy as the people who came up with the story of Adam and Eve, who were punished for SEEKING KNOWLEDGE and not just trusting what their superior told them. And the religious right still resents women even though Adam made the exact same choice (or perhaps more importantly, the whole thing was just made up in the first place).

          But it’s not really mental gymnastics making them go after these books. It’s all about power and they know that their power depends on people remaining stupid as well as LGBT people remaining in denial because each one that willingly comes out of the closet likely won’t continue supporting conservatives and might even bring a few others with them, if they are the “I hate this until it’s someone I love, then I support this” type. As much as we hear about stories of families breaking up because of right wing bullshit, there’s probably a nontrivial amount that decide their relationship is more important than arbitrary hate and don’t stick in the “you’re just one of the good ones” camp.

          And I’ve come to see that the root of the issue is that people on the far right see the world differently from moderates who see things differently from the left. The difference is that the right knows they have to use arguments that resonate with their political opponents, even if they aren’t very effective at it. Words are just one of their sets of tools they can use to either gain power or stall their opponents by making them counter another argument they don’t really care about but still yell loudly.

          • cmoney@lemmy.world
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            9 months ago

            Yes but justifying why you want people to stay stupid is what I mean by mental gymnastics, bypassing critical and rational thought through fear of whatever boogeyman they can dream up and convince they are in need saving from.

    • ImplyingImplications@lemmy.ca
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      9 months ago

      I’ve read a few banned books. I always feel like I’ve been tricked into reading something mediocre. Most of them are banned simply because they contain a paragraph people didn’t like, not because the message or theme of the book is controversial.

  • agent_flounder@lemmy.world
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    9 months ago

    I’m sure horrifically violent books are fine but anything to do with human sexuality and it’s shocked gasps and clutched pearls.

    All because these festering ball sacks think being LGBTQ is a choice. I want to slap some empathy and decency into every one of them.

    So now librarians either quit, yank anything that might be considered “obscene” (see below), or end up with a felony conviction and $25,000 poorer. All so bigots can pass on their bigotry to children to make this world shittier for LGBTQ people.

    How is ‘obscene matter’ defined?

    West Virginia State Code defines obscene matter as anything “an average person believes depicts or describes sexually explicit conduct,” including nudity, sex or certain bodily functions.

    It’s also defined by “anything a reasonable person would find lacks serious literary, artistic, political or scientific value,” according to the bill.

    • Revan343@lemmy.ca
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      9 months ago

      but anything to do with human sexuality and it’s shocked gasps and clutched pearls

      Unless it’s a little drunk father-daughter incest, that’s totally kosher