[lbo-talk] People's libraries

shag carpet bomb shag at cleandraws.com
Thu Nov 17 16:36:33 PST 2011


I was reading some librarians on twitter earlier and one of them pointed to a Bay of Rage (Oakland Commune) action, Books Not Banks, that happened back in June, documented here: http://www.bayofrage.com/featured-articles/booksbankspigs/

The section where the librarian speaks was moving, she was talking about how libraries are so often refuges for the homeless, sometimes entire families live there. Anyone who uses public libraries is familiar with that one. She speaks at around 4:00

Why do they hate Rihanna? :) Oh, and the bit at 2:30ish, where they're arresting a guy who wants everyone to know he's not a leftist was pretty funny!

http://vimeo.com/25434940

<> <> <> <> <> shag <> <> <> <>>Today's people's library makes all the handwringing over the death <> of <> <> print, the death of reading, and how kids these days are hopelessly <> <> demobilized by technology seem quaint. <> <> <> <> gulick <> <> <> <> Please. There may be myriad problems with such handwringing, and <> <> I'll confess to being guilty of reductive handwringing from time to <> <> time. <> <> Yes, the OWS'ers devotion to the People's Library (now chucked in a <> <> trash <> <> bin by the NYC fuzz, yes?) is inspiring, but hardly represents a <> <> significant <> <> counter-trend to the dominant tendency. (Do you really believe that <> <> the <> <> Occupations at present, whatever promises they carry, could <> effectuate <> <> such a widespread cultural revolution? Crazy.) Or, it only <> represents <> <> a <> <> counter-trend if the advocates of the "handwringing" perspective <> <> argued <> <> that ALL young-uns are addicted 24-7 to their gadgets, which they <> <> never did. <> <> <> <> I swear, shag, your game lately seems to be one of playing gotcha, <> and <> <> not <> <> very adeptly either. <> <> Oh, I'd agree. There's not one person I work with who gives two shits <> about Occupy. Most of the more "progressive" folks I know don't even <> give one shit. The democrats only care if it can get them votes. The <> more conventional leftists I've worked with are totally confused. <> <> I've mentioned before that the most "hippy" of my friends, a big <> Quaker, from whom I've learned a ton about consensus democracy in the <> past two years, thinks that the kids should start small businesses <> like he did, that will solve their problems! That's why I've referred <> to this, for the fourth time now, as 1776 all over again. It may lay <> the ground work for something much different, but right now, it is <> simply not big enough. I am hoping for more communization, please. <> Hopefully in front of the White House. <> <> As for the handwringing, I should have taken the time to look up the <> book's title and author I was thinking of. Nicholas Carr's awful book, <> The Shallows, wherein he claims an inexorable trend that even an <> author such as himself cannot escape. The internet makes us stupid, <> and I know says Carr, it makes me stupid! That's basically his <> argument, since the research he marshalls doesn't hold up to scrutiny. <> <> <> ___________________________________ <> http://mailman.lbo-talk.org/mailman/listinfo/lbo-talk <>

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