Gotta Love a Good Librarian

All things philosophical, related to belief and / or religions of any and all sorts.
Personal philosophy welcomed.
User avatar
Bicycle Bill
Posts: 9015
Joined: Thu Dec 03, 2015 1:10 pm
Location: Surrounded by Trumptards in Rockland, WI – a small rural village in La Crosse County

Gotta Love a Good Librarian

Post by Bicycle Bill »

Don't know if this fits here, but this is as good a place as any.

Image

BANNED BOOKS WEEK (https://bannedbooksweek.org/) is next month (Sept 26 - Oct 2).  Don't be an asshole like this guy,

Image

This is Derrick Van Orden, currently running unopposed for the Republican nomination to take over the 3rd Congressional District seat currently held by long-time incumbent Ron Kind (D), who announced that after 13 terms (26 years) in Congress he would not seek re-election in 2022.
And why is he an asshole (other than the fact that he is a Republican)?    This is why.
Staff at the Prairie du Chien Memorial Library said they felt threatened and intimidated after Republican congressional candidate Derrick Van Orden complained about displays celebrating Pride Month.

Van Orden, who recently moved to Prairie du Chien, visited the library June 17 and began to “aggressively” question the pride display in the library’s children’s section, a staff member said in an interview last Tuesday, adding that Van Orden eventually obtained a library card and checked out all but one book from the display. (sorta says something that he didn't already have one, doesn't it? — comment mine)
https://lacrossetribune.com/news/local/ ... 32df6.html
So proudly pick up and read a banned or controversial book.    Don't let the assholes win.
Image
-"BB"-
Yes, I suppose I could agree with you ... but then we'd both be wrong, wouldn't we?

Burning Petard
Posts: 4050
Joined: Fri Feb 12, 2016 5:35 pm
Location: Near Bear, Delaware

Re: Gotta Love a Good Librarian

Post by Burning Petard »

I thought this was a timely suggestion, so I got online and requested "Lies My Teacher Told Me, 2019 edition, by Loewen

I remember a slight kerfuffle when this first came out. Never even looked at it'd then, but I think the book complained about the left bias in social studies and history texts. Maybe not. I want to like at this newer edition and see what it says about white privilege, George Washington and Thomas Jefferson were fundamentalist Christians; see if it even mentions the IWW and the copper mine squabbles.

snailgate.

User avatar
BoSoxGal
Posts: 18303
Joined: Tue Apr 06, 2010 10:36 pm
Location: The Heart of Red Sox Nation

Re: Gotta Love a Good Librarian

Post by BoSoxGal »

Better to read this:
9CDE4103-72C8-4B02-8674-2CFAED08762E.jpeg
9CDE4103-72C8-4B02-8674-2CFAED08762E.jpeg (34.2 KiB) Viewed 1167 times

At one point I owned both, but only the Zinn survived the paring down of my library when I crossed country a few times.
For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.
~ Carl Sagan

ex-khobar Andy
Posts: 5419
Joined: Sat Dec 19, 2015 4:16 am
Location: Louisville KY as of July 2018

Re: Gotta Love a Good Librarian

Post by ex-khobar Andy »

Why did he start at 1492?

User avatar
BoSoxGal
Posts: 18303
Joined: Tue Apr 06, 2010 10:36 pm
Location: The Heart of Red Sox Nation

Re: Gotta Love a Good Librarian

Post by BoSoxGal »

ex-khobar Andy wrote:
Wed Aug 25, 2021 12:39 am
Why did he start at 1492?
Not because he glorifies Columbus, I promise you. The whole premise of Zinn’s History is telling it from the perspective of the people, not the glorified victors who write most histories. There is much discussion of the indigenous peoples of America and the horrors inflicted on them in the name of human progress.

I wholeheartedly recommend that you read the book, it is really a brilliant (runner up for National Book Award) and delightful read, well worth the time.
For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.
~ Carl Sagan

User avatar
Joe Guy
Posts: 13927
Joined: Fri Apr 09, 2010 2:40 pm
Location: Redweird City, California

Re: Gotta Love a Good Librarian

Post by Joe Guy »

I just had a quick (maybe stupid) thought about U.S. history. Was any history recorded by the original occupants of the U.S. about life here before the invasion by the white man?

User avatar
BoSoxGal
Posts: 18303
Joined: Tue Apr 06, 2010 10:36 pm
Location: The Heart of Red Sox Nation

Re: Gotta Love a Good Librarian

Post by BoSoxGal »

Joe Guy wrote:
Wed Aug 25, 2021 2:39 am
I just had a quick (maybe stupid) thought about U.S. history. Was any history recorded by the original occupants of the U.S. about life here before the invasion by the white man?
Read James Wilson’s The Earth Shall Weep.
For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.
~ Carl Sagan

User avatar
MajGenl.Meade
Posts: 20707
Joined: Sun Apr 25, 2010 8:51 am
Location: Groot Brakrivier
Contact:

Re: Gotta Love a Good Librarian

Post by MajGenl.Meade »

Joe Guy wrote:
Wed Aug 25, 2021 2:39 am
I just had a quick (maybe stupid) thought about U.S. history. Was any history recorded by the original occupants of the U.S. about life here before the invasion by the white man?
Do you mean was any history of the original occupants recorded BEFORE the invasion?

Or do you mean was any history about life here before the invasion RECORDED by the original occupants?

I guess that's a way to ask, by "original inhabitants" do you mean the people actually alive on the North American continent before 1492? Or do you mean descendants of those original inhabitants - given the distinction of being members of the "first people"?

And by recorded, do you mean written down before the invasion? Or remembered before and vocalized later? Or do you refer to archeological "records" as discovered by diligent diggers?

PS who were the "original occupants"?
For Christianity, by identifying truth with faith, must teach-and, properly understood, does teach-that any interference with the truth is immoral. A Christian with faith has nothing to fear from the facts

User avatar
Gob
Posts: 33642
Joined: Tue Apr 06, 2010 8:40 am

Re: Gotta Love a Good Librarian

Post by Gob »

"It is reflective of a society that we need to think more closely about."

A campaigner has suggested that The Tiger Who Came To Tea, one of the most popular children's books of all time, reinforces gender inequality, describing the book as "problematic."

Rachel Adamson, from Zero Tolerance, a charity that works to end men's violence against women, said that the classic children's book portrayed women and family dynamics in an "old fashioned" style.

The Tiger Who Came To Tea tells the story of an uninvited tiger who joins a young girl and her mother for tea, eating all the food in the house and drinking everything before leaving.

Whilst Adamson did not call for the book to be outright banned, she did say it could be used to "raise a conversation" in nurseries.

Speaking to BBC Radio Scotland, she said: "We know that gender stereotypes are harmful and they reinforce gender inequality, and that gender inequality is the cause of violence against women and girls, such as domestic abuse, rape and sexual harassment."

The campaigner continued: "We need to recognise these aren't just stories…

"I know this will make a lot of people unhappy, but one of the books is The Tiger Who Came to Tea... Judith Kerr is a wonderful author.

"However, it is reflective of a society that we need to think more closely about."

She questioned why the tiger was not female or gender neutral, and highlighted the "old fashioned, stereotypical" ending in which the father comes home from work and "saves the day" by taking his family to a cafe.

In response, a spokesperson for the Scottish Conservatives said that parents would be "bemused" by the claims.
“If you trust in yourself, and believe in your dreams, and follow your star. . . you'll still get beaten by people who spent their time working hard and learning things and weren't so lazy.”

User avatar
MajGenl.Meade
Posts: 20707
Joined: Sun Apr 25, 2010 8:51 am
Location: Groot Brakrivier
Contact:

Re: Gotta Love a Good Librarian

Post by MajGenl.Meade »

She questioned why the tiger was not female or gender neutral
Anyone care to have a guess?

(What a dork)
For Christianity, by identifying truth with faith, must teach-and, properly understood, does teach-that any interference with the truth is immoral. A Christian with faith has nothing to fear from the facts

User avatar
BoSoxGal
Posts: 18303
Joined: Tue Apr 06, 2010 10:36 pm
Location: The Heart of Red Sox Nation

Re: Gotta Love a Good Librarian

Post by BoSoxGal »

MajGenl.Meade wrote:
Wed Aug 25, 2021 11:14 am
She questioned why the tiger was not female or gender neutral
Anyone care to have a guess?

(What a dork)
Well duh, obviously a female tiger would be home having tea with her cub(s).

Also, eating all the food and drinking all the tea before sauntering off is total male behavior.
Last edited by BoSoxGal on Wed Aug 25, 2021 1:05 pm, edited 1 time in total.
For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.
~ Carl Sagan

Big RR
Posts: 14053
Joined: Thu Apr 15, 2010 9:47 pm

Re: Gotta Love a Good Librarian

Post by Big RR »

By Adamson's way of reasoning, the Cat in the Hat was a child molester grooming the kids by encouraging them to do all the things their parents said not to do after he arrived[ give him a few more visits and who knows what they would have ended up doing. As Freud is reputed to have said, "sometimes a cigar is just a cigar." Then again, what do I know; I always thought Little Black Sambo was one of the first books (or at least first children's books) in which the mail character was black and emerged a hero, turning all the tigers into pancake batter--acting with intelligence and ingenuity, something usually not attributed to black persons at the time it was published.

ex-khobar Andy
Posts: 5419
Joined: Sat Dec 19, 2015 4:16 am
Location: Louisville KY as of July 2018

Re: Gotta Love a Good Librarian

Post by ex-khobar Andy »

Sean Lock - one of the funniest guys on UK TV - who died last week did a modern retelling of "The Tiger Who Came For Tea" on 8 out of 10 Cats Does Countdown.


User avatar
MajGenl.Meade
Posts: 20707
Joined: Sun Apr 25, 2010 8:51 am
Location: Groot Brakrivier
Contact:

Re: Gotta Love a Good Librarian

Post by MajGenl.Meade »

BoSoxGal wrote:
Wed Aug 25, 2021 1:02 pm
Also, eating all the food and drinking all the tea before sauntering off is total male behavior.
Most sensible answer. :lol:
For Christianity, by identifying truth with faith, must teach-and, properly understood, does teach-that any interference with the truth is immoral. A Christian with faith has nothing to fear from the facts

User avatar
BoSoxGal
Posts: 18303
Joined: Tue Apr 06, 2010 10:36 pm
Location: The Heart of Red Sox Nation

Re: Gotta Love a Good Librarian

Post by BoSoxGal »

By the way for anyone interested in Native American history, this is an interesting piece from The Atlantic:

A New History of the First Peoples in the Americas
For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.
~ Carl Sagan

User avatar
Joe Guy
Posts: 13927
Joined: Fri Apr 09, 2010 2:40 pm
Location: Redweird City, California

Re: Gotta Love a Good Librarian

Post by Joe Guy »

MajGenl.Meade wrote:
Wed Aug 25, 2021 6:40 am
Joe Guy wrote:
Wed Aug 25, 2021 2:39 am
I just had a quick (maybe stupid) thought about U.S. history. Was any history recorded by the original occupants of the U.S. about life here before the invasion by the white man?
Do you mean was any history of the original occupants recorded BEFORE the invasion?

Or do you mean was any history about life here before the invasion RECORDED by the original occupants?

I guess that's a way to ask, by "original inhabitants" do you mean the people actually alive on the North American continent before 1492? Or do you mean descendants of those original inhabitants - given the distinction of being members of the "first people"?

And by recorded, do you mean written down before the invasion? Or remembered before and vocalized later? Or do you refer to archeological "records" as discovered by diligent diggers?

PS who were the "original occupants"?
JESUS H CHRIST!! I was wondering if any people who lived here before us Europeans arrived and took over wrote about their own history. It's not a complicated question.

User avatar
BoSoxGal
Posts: 18303
Joined: Tue Apr 06, 2010 10:36 pm
Location: The Heart of Red Sox Nation

Re: Gotta Love a Good Librarian

Post by BoSoxGal »

There is no written system of language among North American natives pre-European contact, no. There is however oral history among such peoples.
For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.
~ Carl Sagan

User avatar
Joe Guy
Posts: 13927
Joined: Fri Apr 09, 2010 2:40 pm
Location: Redweird City, California

Re: Gotta Love a Good Librarian

Post by Joe Guy »

BoSoxGal wrote:
Wed Aug 25, 2021 7:59 pm
There is no written system of language among North American natives pre-European contact, no. There is however oral history among such peoples.
Thank you.

User avatar
MajGenl.Meade
Posts: 20707
Joined: Sun Apr 25, 2010 8:51 am
Location: Groot Brakrivier
Contact:

Re: Gotta Love a Good Librarian

Post by MajGenl.Meade »

Joe Guy wrote:
Wed Aug 25, 2021 7:46 pm
JESUS H CHRIST!! I was wondering if any people who lived here before us Europeans arrived and took over wrote about their own history. It's not a complicated question.
So, you're asking . . . did any original/first people alive before 1492 write their own history?

I'd guess that's a "no". What do you think they wrote it on? Word1491?
For Christianity, by identifying truth with faith, must teach-and, properly understood, does teach-that any interference with the truth is immoral. A Christian with faith has nothing to fear from the facts

User avatar
BoSoxGal
Posts: 18303
Joined: Tue Apr 06, 2010 10:36 pm
Location: The Heart of Red Sox Nation

Re: Gotta Love a Good Librarian

Post by BoSoxGal »

MajGenl.Meade wrote:
Wed Aug 25, 2021 9:08 pm
Joe Guy wrote:
Wed Aug 25, 2021 7:46 pm
JESUS H CHRIST!! I was wondering if any people who lived here before us Europeans arrived and took over wrote about their own history. It's not a complicated question.
So, you're asking . . . did any original/first people alive before 1492 write their own history?

I'd guess that's a "no". What do you think they wrote it on? Word1491?
Actually incorrect; the Mayans had a very sophisticated writing system, as did the Aztec after them.
For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.
~ Carl Sagan

Post Reply