swanksalotIllinois becomes the first state in the U.S. to ban book bans. Citing a “vitriolic strain of white nationalism,” Gov. JB Pritzker signed the measure withholding state grant money from libraries if they ban books. https://www.wbez.org/stories/illinois-bans-book-bans/6239c73d-4ce5-451f-b97b-7dc73161f321 #Illinois #censorship #civilLiberties #libraries
Shepherdess@swanksalot wow. I had to read that three times to understand. It feels radical to be so explicit about making space for all kinds of books.
Tony Diep (He/Him)Congratulations America!
"Libraries that ban books" wins for most Orwellian invention of the month!
Mushifoot@swanksalot Now THAT'S the kind of blue state pre-emption law I've been waiting for!! Now do "constitutional sheriffs"
Tim Richards@swanksalot @pmcneil Well done Illinois
Pepperbike@swanksalot I am very proud of my home state. Wish I was still there
TeamRose@Pepperbike @swanksalot
A #Michigander here…2nd’s the feeling.
It’s been hard taking all the hate & violence directed at…
Those trying to make a difference.
I applaud Illinois…taking action against the complacent folks…
Too lazy or afraid to defend our #democracy
A #Michigander here…2nd’s the feeling.
It’s been hard taking all the hate & violence directed at…
Those trying to make a difference.
I applaud Illinois…taking action against the complacent folks…
Too lazy or afraid to defend our #democracy
Patricia Kayden@swanksalot Every blue state should do the same!!
CautionWIP 🎃+🇨🇦+🏳️🌈= 
@swanksalot Ok, I’m Canadian, so please correct me if I’m wrong, but this feels like it’s actually setting up librarians for an even tougher time.
Book bannings are almost never the result of librarians choosing to do so. The decision is made by the local board, and the librarian risks being fired if they go against it. This doesn’t protect them from the threat of harassment or firing, it just changes it from unfair pressure to a catch-22. There’s no way to win.
@cautionwip I think you are right that the bans are not by library staff but by local mouth breathing politicians. This law sends a message to the book banners not to proceed
@swanksalot Yah, but it relies on them giving a rat’s ass about the library losing additional funding that’s specifically internees for increasing access. They got involved to *limit* it. They don’t want that funding.
Now, they can choose between getting the book banned or degrading service. Heck. They can do both. First get the library disqualified for funding, then ban books at will until everything suits their agenda and they have complete control over public borrowing.
Now, they can choose between getting the book banned or degrading service. Heck. They can do both. First get the library disqualified for funding, then ban books at will until everything suits their agenda and they have complete control over public borrowing.
@swanksalot What would have been far more effective (though I’ve no idea as to how feasible it is) would be to make a law that disbands library boards/school councils who don’t follow that particular set of standards.
ETA : I grant that this is basically a sort of soft-power manoeuvre to get the communities to do that instead through local action, but that hasn’t proven effective in the past.
Voron@swanksalot @cautionwip bingo, you nailed it
@voron @swanksalot Thanks, and I do hope that folks in Illinois take this opportunity to either end the voucher system as it stands or at least alter the requirements to leverage its renewal for librarian empowerment. Because seriously, librarians kick all kinds of ass, even the religious ones, probably.
Veebs@cautionwip @swanksalot
Also, though I havent read the specific language of this, does this mean hypothetically if a library stocks the protocols of the elders of zion or some other nonsense no one would be able to do anything about that without risking funding? functionally, how does that work with requests for titles? Could libraries just systematically and quietly deny requests of a certain genre without an outright ban to get around this?
Also, though I havent read the specific language of this, does this mean hypothetically if a library stocks the protocols of the elders of zion or some other nonsense no one would be able to do anything about that without risking funding? functionally, how does that work with requests for titles? Could libraries just systematically and quietly deny requests of a certain genre without an outright ban to get around this?
@SarraceniaWilds @swanksalot Yah, see, I got no idea. The US protection of violent hate-speech & historical revisionism in the name of free speech is pretty much incomprehensible to me, and makes any sort of speculation on how a given judge might apply“partisan” both enraging & pointless.
Sorry, I got nothing for you there, except a hopeful “maybe sanity would prevail?”
🤷🏽
JaneGray@swanksalot Love my governor!
Zoe@swanksalot this man is absolutely based
John McCrylin@swanksalot what? A rule to stop banning of books?
jason_marshall@swanksalot as a child of the Illinois school system, I was surprised to learn that books we were required to read to graduate, like Animal Farm and 1984, were banned in some places, and not part of the curriculum in most others. We also read To Kill a Mokingbird, and bits of Brave New World.
SpicewallaThe fascists want to ban entire libraries. Now they can ban a couple of books and the state will come in and defund the library?
Kinda feels like they just br'er rabbited the democrats into doing exactly what they want.
Ariaflame@Spicewalla @swanksalot Well the libraries can say to them 'sorry, but the law says we can't ban books.'
Jeramee@ariaflame @Spicewalla @swanksalot
Even Nazis know that people won't want to be in a city that gets bad press for closing a vital public institution over bigotry. A scandal like that will also prevent businesses from coming to the town, etc. Basically, relegating it to a city circling the drain.
Maybe the Nazis don't care, but threatening property values is enough to make the liberal business class stand up to them.
Tom Resing@swanksalot I like this
MrClon
xs4me2Gotta be freakin kidding….
Alex@swanksalot "By banning book bans, you're just as bad as the people banning books" - centrists probably l
Callum McNeill@swanksalot thata nice
@swanksalot This is brilliant!
Raccoon 🏳️🌈 
@swanksalot
If you think about it, the only reason to ban a book is because it might make a compelling argument. If it's garbage, no one is going to be swayed, but if it makes a strong case for like, not oppressing every group in existence... Yeah, you wanna ban that if you're a #conservative #authoritarian.
If you think about it, the only reason to ban a book is because it might make a compelling argument. If it's garbage, no one is going to be swayed, but if it makes a strong case for like, not oppressing every group in existence... Yeah, you wanna ban that if you're a #conservative #authoritarian.