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— Literature Alliance Scotland (@LitScotland) May 24, 2024
Golly gee, how did that get there. It’s all so very puzzling.
A slip; a mistake; a typo. It’s a very elaborate typo, just a few accidental keystrokes behind that one monkey (of the infinite number) who happens to randomly bash out the entire works of Shakespeare on their typewriter
Trans people who see TERF books or ‘gender criticism’ in a bookshop will understand that the bookshop doesn’t want them there.
Funny how that doesn’t work for literally any other topic. Books taking opposite positions on pretty much any issue are commonplace in book shops, and are not an indication that people who disagree with one or the other are unwelcome. Even if only one side is represented, people who disagree are free to browse and spend their money. That’s how shops work. It’s like saying that a supermarket is unwelcoming to vegans because it also sells meat.
The main local bookstore is Christian-affiliated and sells a lot of bibles and Christian-themed books. They are missing some of the more non-religious or anti-religious books that I might consider buying. They also sell a fair number of gay-themed and trans-themed books, and few if any of the major ‘gender critical’ titles I search for. I don’t feel unwelcome. I’m a small part of their audience, they are catering to different demographic groups. I find plenty there that I like.
One of my local bookshops has a wall dedicated to “banned books.” My son had a conversation with the bookseller about how these displays were never neutral but always politically slanted. The bookseller didn’t understand. He asked where Roald Dahl’s original, uncensored work was, where Dr. Seuss’ And To Think I Saw It on Mulberry Street was, where Abigail Shrier’s book Irreversible Damage was. He said it may seem that only the right wing wants to ban books, but the left wing works just as hard to ban books, and if they wanted everybody to feel welcome at the shop they should present a more balanced display.
Papito, that’s sort of similar to how often people point out that the bible is one of the most banned books. The assumption is that it is atheists that are banning it, because they never point out that it is Christians banning the “wrong” bible.
A slip; a mistake; a typo. It’s a very elaborate typo, just a few accidental keystrokes behind that one monkey (of the infinite number) who happens to randomly bash out the entire works of Shakespeare on their typewriter
Funny how that doesn’t work for literally any other topic. Books taking opposite positions on pretty much any issue are commonplace in book shops, and are not an indication that people who disagree with one or the other are unwelcome. Even if only one side is represented, people who disagree are free to browse and spend their money. That’s how shops work. It’s like saying that a supermarket is unwelcoming to vegans because it also sells meat.
The main local bookstore is Christian-affiliated and sells a lot of bibles and Christian-themed books. They are missing some of the more non-religious or anti-religious books that I might consider buying. They also sell a fair number of gay-themed and trans-themed books, and few if any of the major ‘gender critical’ titles I search for. I don’t feel unwelcome. I’m a small part of their audience, they are catering to different demographic groups. I find plenty there that I like.
One of my local bookshops has a wall dedicated to “banned books.” My son had a conversation with the bookseller about how these displays were never neutral but always politically slanted. The bookseller didn’t understand. He asked where Roald Dahl’s original, uncensored work was, where Dr. Seuss’ And To Think I Saw It on Mulberry Street was, where Abigail Shrier’s book Irreversible Damage was. He said it may seem that only the right wing wants to ban books, but the left wing works just as hard to ban books, and if they wanted everybody to feel welcome at the shop they should present a more balanced display.
It didn’t help, but he felt better.
Papito, that’s sort of similar to how often people point out that the bible is one of the most banned books. The assumption is that it is atheists that are banning it, because they never point out that it is Christians banning the “wrong” bible.