@cstross It’s a brilliant reminder that as an individual, you really can make a difference.

Fml.

@cstross Reportedly, the vast majority of COVID misinformation can also be traced back to a similarly tiny band of assholes (no word on whether there's any overlap between the two groups, but I'd bet that they're not more than a degree or two of separation apart).

There may not be a single reason why we can't have nice things, but this tawdry little coven of Comstocks shows that the total count is often barely in double digits.

@cstross The "11 people" figure might be a little misleading -- the article mentions that one person filed dozens of challenges on behalf of a group she belongs to, the idea allegedly being to "protect other members from public exposure, professional retaliation and harassment". It's not clear whether any of the other "serial filers" were doing something similar.

(Still a tiny number of people in a very large country, though.)

@cstross

The complaint system needs something like the "vexatious litigant" doctrine (i.e. file too many frivolous lawsuits, and get ordered to not file any more unless pre-approved by a judge).

Actually, I wouldn''t even include that escape hatch. It's necessary in civil law because even a vexatious litigant could get hit by a drunk driver or something and have a legitimate case. In this context, if some school library actually put porn on the shelf, there are plenty of others to complain.

@cstross So much else is a popularity contest and minorities get no say. How can 11 have so much power.

Also I worked at making sure my kids had books with as much diversity as possible. I’d more likely reject books that are too similar to the many we alreasy had.

@cstross

But why can those "complaints" even be successful?

Who put the necessary laws or regulations into place, that allow "concerned people" to ban books for all others?