The View: Week of 2/27/2023

[KittyQ]

Joy makes it sound as though keeping particular books out of school libraries also keeps the general public (in the town) from reading the book. Unless this school library is the singular source of reading material, this is a gross overstatement. 

I am against book bans, but I also know that not every book should end up in a school library, especially an elementary school. I've worked in and with libraries, so I also know that books considered for a library typically go through a staff review, because libraries have acquisition budgets, and they have to decide what books and materials they want to spend the money on, including replacement copies of materials already in the collection. I imagine for schools, there's another group of people aside from the library staff that may have influence over what gets bought. So, my question about some of these stories is how did the questionable books get purchased in the first place? Once a book has been acquired after all the reviews, there should be a process in place to manage complaints that doesn't depend on knee-jerk reactions. 

Frogmore Cottage eviction - This seems like a planted story, because really, who cares which members of the RF live where. I seem to recall that H & M were unhappy with the original assignment of Frogmore to them, and now they live in California, so where is the problem? It sounds like Andrew is getting moved in, and I think it is a downsize for him. He's already had a lot taken away from him due to him being accused of rape, so making him move into a less grand location is a tacit sanction on him. 

I haven't read Spare, but from what I've heard from reviews and people who've read it, it does sound like a lot of therapy material. Even if Harry is 90% in the right, he can't imagine that his family will just roll over and play dead in response. Heck, my family isn't the RF by any means, but there are plenty of grievances between members that still come up years later. Also therapy material, not a book.

[Gemma Violet]

I wish someone would have pushed back on Sunny when she smirked, "No lies detected," about Harry's statements about Camilla.  How does Sunny know that?  We have only Harry's word on things.  No doubt his dislike of Camilla has colored his opinions, so I take everything he says about her with a grain of salt.  

[Axie]

I’ve had jury duty 6 times and will be thrilled when I age out of the system. 

[After7Only]

4 hours ago, KittyQ said:

Joy makes it sound as though keeping particular books out of school libraries also keeps the general public (in the town) from reading the book. Unless this school library is the singular source of reading material, this is a gross overstatement. 

I am against book bans, but I also know that not every book should end up in a school library, especially an elementary school. I've worked in and with libraries, so I also know that books considered for a library typically go through a staff review, because libraries have acquisition budgets, and they have to decide what books and materials they want to spend the money on, including replacement copies of materials already in the collection. I imagine for schools, there's another group of people aside from the library staff that may have influence over what gets bought. So, my question about some of these stories is how did the questionable books get purchased in the first place? Once a book has been acquired after all the reviews, there should be a process in place to manage complaints that doesn't depend on knee-jerk reactions. 

 

The book bans I've seen discussed, are removing books already in school libraries.   Yes, kids can still access in public libraries and on line, but there are many children whose only exposure to a library is the one in their school.   

I agree that there should be a process in place to manage complaints.  And that should be managed by the local school district rather than the state/federal government.   

 

[KittyQ]

23 minutes ago, After7Only said:

I agree that there should be a process in place to manage complaints.  And that should be managed by the local school district rather than the state/federal government.   

Yes. You'd think that the states or federal government have enough to do without re-vetting every book on the school library shelves. I'm sure the citizens of every state aren't so satisfied with the way their state is run that they think this is a good use of time and resources. My opinion is that every school district and school should review whatever the current process is (assuming they have one) and ensure that there's a well understood, fair, and consistent way to respond to complaints.

[bluegirl147]

My question is if these are books that have been in the school library for a long time why are they now in need of banning?

Edited March 4, 2023 by bluegirl147

[KittyQ]

2 hours ago, bluegirl147 said:

My question is if these are books that have been in the school library for a long time why are they now in need of banning?

I looked at a couple of websites* and it seems that a number of books are challenged/banned due to things like sexual content, offensive language, unsuitable for a particular age group (may include sexually explicit content, drugs / drinking, violence, etc.). As you mention, the question is, if the book was already approved for the library (especially if it wasn't recent), then why the need to challenge or ban now? I think one reason is that social norms and accepted attitudes change over time. What was ok 50 years ago may no longer be considered desirable or even benign. 

On the somewhat positive side, it looks like the number of books being banned has gone down over the past 20 years. 

* 35 Reasons Why Books Are Banned: The Effects Of Censorship | Purple Shelf Club 

* 15 Banned Books and the Reasons for Their Censorship - Invaluable 

[Haleth]

I don’t know. I still think librarians are better equipped to judge what is appropriate for school libraries than politicians. That’s their job. 

[munchiewoman]

I loved Adam's response to Alyssa saying she had a crush on him during his Idol time, which showed that it wasn't obvious he was gay. Yes, you can have a crush on a gay man. I also think the person who really should have come to mind is Clay Aiken when they were talking about it ... He didn't come out for quite a while after Idol. And I was a huge fan of his with my own crush, but I can't say I was shocked when he came out. 

I like Alyssa a million times more than her predecessor, but her pride in having turned her back on Trump finally does annoy me. She supported years of lies and basically attempted dictatorship. I mean, good, she finally wised up, but the insurrection wouldn't have happened if the entire Republican party hadn't chosen to support him and his lies and his undermining of democracy in the first place.  Too little too late. I would love to hear her say she wished she had stopped supporting him sooner.

[rwlevin]

On 3/1/2023 at 8:34 PM, Blissfool said:

I had jury duty in December. I was paid $6. Who's paying $40?

We get $40 in New York but it’s been that amount for at least 15 years. It was actually nice when I was stuck on jury duty while being an underemployed pre-med student. I made more for 8 days of work than I did for my regular job and some days we only had to go in for an hour to hear one witness and then we were dismissed. Interestingly enough, the last time I was called for jury duty was in March 2020. And then the world shut down and my summons was postponed indefinitely. I still haven’t been recalled.

[lurkerbee]

On 3/3/2023 at 12:40 PM, KittyQ said:

Frogmore Cottage eviction - This seems like a planted story, because really, who cares which members of the RF live where. I seem to recall that H & M were unhappy with the original assignment of Frogmore to them, and now they live in California, so where is the problem? It sounds like Andrew is getting moved in, and I think it is a downsize for him. He's already had a lot taken away from him due to him being accused of rape, so making him move into a less grand location is a tacit sanction on him. 

It was Nottingham Cottage at Kensington Palace they were unhappy with. It's not like they were actually living at Frogmore, so to quote Joy, "so what, who cares?" On the rare occasion that they want to visit the UK the Crown has plenty of places they can stay.

On 3/3/2023 at 1:59 PM, Gemma Violet said:

I wish someone would have pushed back on Sunny when she smirked, "No lies detected," about Harry's statements about Camilla.  How does Sunny know that?  We have only Harry's word on things.  No doubt his dislike of Camilla has colored his opinions, so I take everything he says about her with a grain of salt.  

I see the show's discussion of the royals is as predictiable as ever. 

Edited March 4, 2023 by lurkerbee

[RealHousewife]

16 hours ago, munchiewoman said:

I loved Adam's response to Alyssa saying she had a crush on him during his Idol time, which showed that it wasn't obvious he was gay. Yes, you can have a crush on a gay man. I also think the person who really should have come to mind is Clay Aiken when they were talking about it ... He didn't come out for quite a while after Idol. And I was a huge fan of his with my own crush, but I can't say I was shocked when he came out. 

Very true. Adam was and is a good-looking and talented fellow. No reason Alyssa can't still find him hot. I think it only matters a bit if it's a "regular" gay men where you actually hope you have a chance. Crushes aren't as fun when you don't have a shot in hell. Maybe that's where Alyssa came from? There are women (normally very young) who really want to be with Brad Pitt or whoever their dream dude is. 

After the Liam Neeson debacle, do you all think it's okay for the ladies to admit when they find a male guest attractive? Is it okay as long as they don't get all extra about it? 

[bluegirl147]

7 hours ago, RealHousewife said:

After the Liam Neeson debacle, do you all think it's okay for the ladies to admit when they find a male guest attractive? Is it okay as long as they don't get all extra about it? 

Yes.  There is nothing wrong with telling someone male or female you think they are attractive. As long as it is in a polite way.  The Liam Neeson debacle was a debacle because they just kept going on and on and if we the viewers could see he was uncomfortable and it became cringe then the cohosts should have seen it. 

[Welshman in Ca]

On 3/4/2023 at 5:18 AM, munchiewoman said:

 

I like Alyssa a million times more than her predecessor, but her pride in having turned her back on Trump finally does annoy me. She supported years of lies and basically attempted dictatorship. I mean, good, she finally wised up, but the insurrection wouldn't have happened if the entire Republican party hadn't chosen to support him and his lies and his undermining of democracy in the first place.  Too little too late. I would love to hear her say she wished she had stopped supporting him sooner.

She turned her back on him AFTER the insurrection for the simple reason that IT FAILED and she could see the writing on the wall. I have no doubt that had it succeeded she would still be suckling at the Trump teat just like the other deserters would be so all of her self congratulating bullshit needs to stop, if he (gawd forbid) won another term she would be back there on her bended knees seeking forgiveness and nothing she or anyone else says will ever change my mind.

21 hours ago, lurkerbee said:

It was Nottingham Cottage at Kensington Palace they were unhappy with. It's not like they were actually living at Frogmore, so to quote Joy, "so what, who cares?" On the rare occasion that they want to visit the UK the Crown has plenty of places they can stay.

I see the show's discussion of the royals is as predictiable as ever. 

Maybe they could spend some of their reported $150 million from selling their souls and buy their own fucking house for when they visit. You can't have it all ways kiddos.

[flummoxd]

Re Nottingham Cottage, since it only has about 1324 sq. ft. (2 bedrooms and 1 bath) I’m not surprised that Megan Markle (at least) wasn’t thrilled.  We Americans are really spoiled in our housing expectations - and a single bathroom for a royal couple prob pushed Megs over the line!

[lookeyloo]

1 hour ago, flummoxd said:

Re Nottingham Cottage, since it only has about 1324 sq. ft. (2 bedrooms and 1 bath) I’m not surprised that Megan Markle (at least) wasn’t thrilled.  We Americans are really spoiled in our housing expectations - and a single bathroom for a royal couple prob pushed Megs over the line!

I don't blame her. One bathroom Doesn't work for me and Mr lookeyloo.  We spent Saturday night in a hotel. It wasn't a suite hotel. I was tempted to get another room just for the bathroom. And that was just for a night. Yes I grew up with family and one bathrooM but now I am a grown up and don't want to share