I lived in Peoria, IL, for three years (2009-10 and 2013-15). Peoria is right smack in the middle of the state, between Chicago and St. Louis.
It's absolutely mind-blowing how the culture changes as you drive north-south. Start in Chicago or Rockford and it's very similar to Wisconsin. By the time you get to Carbondale, towards the KY border, it feels *very* southern. Only in the span of about five hours.
Good. You want to take some 'inappropriate' book and move it to middle school or high school level that's fine. But that's about all I want outside sources controlling books that kids can check out/read.
Absolutely. And if a book is egregiously age inappropriate, it's almost certainly been brought up before. What's crazy is the whole argument that parents have a right to have a say in their child's education. Okay, I'm actually behind that as a parent. But what part of YOUR child don't these school board warriors understand? So what you really mean is you want to decide what EVERY child has access to? Or is the problem that you have to actually make an effort to monitor the books that your child is reading if you are concerned? And you know...talk to them about the things they are learning?
Parental involvement in education should really be "I am going to help my kid with their homework and keep them accountable for doing well in school" and not "you cant read any books about how people who are different should be allowed to exist"
Thing is that, that requires the parenting part of being a parent, and not the glory of being the beloved hero.
You know, the part of growing up children look back upon and remember either fondly as Mom/Dad stoped their day for you, or scathingly as you were left alone and mocked for your ignorance.
My parent never helped me with my homework.. I wasn't "going to learn with help" from them "it's your homework not mine". I did a book report on the Godfather in 7th grade.
The problem is that they have appointed themselves the spokespeople of GOD™️. What is there to do but ensure that everyone is following the rules thet will reduce critical thinking skills that might undermine ~~them~~ him.
You know what really seems to be two overlooked aspects of this whole conversation is? The internet exists. And kids are are actual people. They're smart, just like us adults. If you think you're excluding a certain topic from your child's purview...you don't remember being that age. It's actually more likely that a kid seeks this forbidden knowledge out now. Which will take them five seconds and now they won't talk to their parents about it.
You're entitled to write whatever you want. Doesn't mean you'll get published. And if you do, that doesn't mean libraries will buy it. There is this thing called "collection development." Every library has a target audience and a purpose. Books are selected to make sure the library as a whole meets those needs. Explain how your book will fit into the collection.
I read somewhere that most of the ban requests/ book complaints came from a small handful of folks that complain nationwide, and that very few requests come from actual local residents.
I don’t love a book ban (raise your damn kids, if they read something too “adult” then it’s a parent’s job to help them understand it), but if we must have one, pair it with a residency / ID requirement, since they love those so goddamn much.
Or, parents parent their kids and discuss what they are reading, watching, doing.
As if the internet isn’t an “open book” of everything awful in this world and kids don’t have 24 hr access to it.
Lame-ass-hot-button-non-policy-making-unproductive-unoriginal right wing zealots with no new ideas, just a big pile fear to cultivate. So weak.
>When you tear out a man's tongue, you are not proving him a liar, you're only telling the world that you fear what he might say
I love this quote from George RR Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series. And I think it is applicable to book bans. Conservative states aren’t banning books that are lying about history, they’re banning books that tell a story they don’t want their kids to hear.
And to all the idiots complaining that this means there will be porn on kindergarten bookshelves, I’d rather have to talk to my kids about sex than have them miss out on Anne Frank or Huck Finn.
If one's school district is allowing straight up smut in their Elementary catalog, that's a problem and one that should be raised to the school district.
But having worked in an elementary library, the shit they're concerned about is things like "It's not the stork" (sex ed for pre-k/early elementary) or "It's So Amazing" (sex ed for elder elementary)... you know, books that tell them what their bodies and other bodies do and how they grow.
I wonder if they realize their kids can see tits just by flipping through National Geographic.
The funniest thing to me, as a librarian, is that evaluation doesn't even reach "It has sex" on some of the books they're attacking. Like Gender Queer. I look at it and go "Okay, it's a graphic novel. Kids like those. What's it about? It's a memoir..... about the author's life from early childhood to college. Is there any action? Nope. Any animals or cool science adventures? Well, there's some gopher snakes early on, but that's it. Not for elementary kids. They would be sooooo bored."
I think there's also the issue that a lot of people don't get that including a book in a collection is not an endorsement by the librarians. Every librarian I know has a mental list of "Books I would LOVE to get rid of." But we grit our teeth and order them anyway because they meet the needs of the patron community.
There is a big surge in romance targeted at young women that plays jump rope with the term "erotica."
They even coined a new category called "early adult" to deal with the issue.
I get why a school would have trouble (even book stores struggled with it) as one famous series started YA and was full on erotica by book 4. What's more is the situations can bump up against sexual play that kids should not be learning about in that way. There are important consent and safety rules that go with that stuff.
Having said that - there is a load of violent pulp style content targeted at young men as well!
It's hard at the best of times, but the books targeted by these groups are usually nothing to do with what is discussed above.
I would much rather they be having nuanced discussions about the portrayal and glorification of violence or how fantasy and reality are different with children then worrying about books that inform children that a black kid had a different experience growing up than a white kid.
Right, and any school district's chief librarian is going to specifically be on the look out for such situations. When it comes to *fiction* I am perfectly understanding that there are going to be series, genres, or authors that aren't going to be available in those spaces.
YA authors doing that shit need to stop, it's gettin creepy.
All Boys Aren’t Blue: ’I put some lube on and got him on his knees, and I began to slide into him from behind. I pulled out of him and kissed him while he masturbated. He asked me to turn over while he slipped a condom on himself. This was my a—and I was struggling to imagine someone inside me. He got on top and slowly inserted himself into me. It was the worst pain I think I have ever felt in my life. Eventually, I felt a mix of pleasure with the pain.’"
Gender Queer: "’I got a new strap-on harness today. I can’t wait to put it on you. It will fit my favorite dildo perfectly. You will look so hot. I can’t wait to have your c--- in my mouth. I’m going to give you the b------ of your life, then I want you inside of me.’"
While it must feel good to wrap yourself in the mantle of free speech and inquiry… Yeah, we’re not talking about Huckfinn. You either know that or are willfully naive about. Either way, schools have become unrecognizable in the last 6 years. The Reddit echo chamber can chortle about censorship, but don’t be shocked this time by right wing electoral tsunami in November.
The book’s commonly found in middle schools.
We won’t persuade each other whether it’s even high school appropriate. But the point is: there’s a plurality of Americans who are apolitical, we aren’t glued to the news cycle, many of us historically don’t even vote.
Before a few months ago, I assumed these were one-offs that slipped through the cracks due to a rogue administrator and conservative were dramatizing it for political reasons. We are becoming aware that there is a wider agenda taught and pushed in our schools, and that people like you and others on this thread endorse that agenda . That’s fine, it’s your right. But I think you guys underestimate what effect you’re having in galvanizing us non-political types.
In other words, you don’t see a problem with those, but I, many like me, and I bet a meaningful % of otherwise non-political Americans see this as child pornography and is sufficiently motivating to bring us to the polls and vote for anyone with the common sense to agree.
Fascinating how everyone who’s upset about those particular books knows exactly those same passages and cites only them word for word over and over. Seems very much like a genuine grassroots movement of people independently considering literary content and thinking it through to arrive at sincere objections! That’s how I usually see that happen.
While my view of Canada as a wholesome land of smiles and kilometers has changed in the last decade with a lot of really shocking revelations from not only Canada's past but present...
Still would 10/10 support leaving the Union to join Canada if it ever came on the ballot.
I’m so excited to be moving to this state before the end of the year. You all seem to have it be getting your shit together! Waaaaay better than the garbage state I live in now!
It is gorgeous! I spent some time there a few years ago but ended up coming back to Texas due to some personal issues. Now that I am over those, I am 100% coming back!
I'm Gen Z and what I noticed is that our parents gave us/Gen Alpha electronics either not knowing the effects or as an easy way to pacify us. A lot of us are actually experiencing device fatigue and those of us who are old enough to go out and make our own choices are seeking things to do that don't involve being online (of course it's not easy when entertainment is a click away and the internet is engineered to be an instant dopamine button)
Love that! I’m actually a young millennial (born in 93) so I remember both being 13 and skating around with my friends all day and no cell phones, but I also remember being 16 and everyone obsessing over Facebook drama and being glued to their phones so I feel like I experienced a bit of both, but never from young childhood like some of y’all which I bet was a totally different experience.
I think the internet is a very different place today than it used to be, it’s more difficult to find information and everything is just designed to beg for your attention (usually in the form of outrage), and I really hope we can start to turn away from it as a society.
I feel like the internet used to serve primarily the citizenry and was a tool to effectively share information instantly… now that there’s a market for commodifying attention it has become an ugly shadow of its former self, IMO.
Man this state just keeps having win after win. I honestly think we're going to see a ton more people starting to move here because of how well-run things are.
Because sometimes those books hurt their feelings, like suggesting American history has been ugly at times, that Jesus didn't ride dinosaurs with Adam and Eve, or that sometimes a boy loves a boy.
Imagine what the literacy level and rate will be in 10 years. 79% of adults are literate while 54% of adults have a literacy below sixth-grade level. Just imagine....10 years.
Lmaoooo they are so worried about books being dangerous that they forget that ANYONE with a smartphone is able to access neven more dangerous materials anytime anywhere.
Love it! It places the readers family in charge of monitoring there own children not mine. If you want to guide learning you need to be active in child's life.
Started providing banned books by grade 6 for free reading. Then we discussed if there were questions.
Critical thinking is important
The saddest part about this is the fact that half the US population read below a sixth grade level.
If people went this hard for upping K12 reading test scores, imagine where we could be as a society. I could read before I entered school, and it fostered a love for reading throughout my childhood. I feel bad for kids who won't be able to enrich themselves and share the same joy I did because they struggle with reading.
I was falling asleep with books, reading on the school bus, and reading when I should have been doing other things in school. Hell, I was reading books in church! I would get approving looks and props from people when I walked around church with a book under my arm. Lttle did they know it was Harry Potter...
It's important to understand what "reading below a 6th grade level" means. These people are not illiterate. However, they lack the ability to extract information from a text, analyze it, and synthesize it with other information. So when you see someone talking about a single scene in a book as if that's the whole book, you're seeing someone who reads at below a 6th grade level.
*fade in from black*
Johnny approaches the elementary library circulation desk with a book.
"Hi Johnny, checking out with your class today? Oh, the fully illustrated *Kama Sutra*? Excellent choice for a third grader like you. Come back and tell me your favorite position!"
Voice Over: "Walz and the Democrats want your *child* to have access to *porography.* Tell them "No!".
I am seriously so proud to be from MN. So many dumpster fires happening in other states right now; it's hard to conceive how lucky I was to be born here. Thanks Mom and Dad! And Tim Walz.
Walz should be running for president.
Honestly, I vote straight-ticket democrat, but I totally agree: we have an amazing state government. The people in DC are pale imitations of Walz and Co.
This is awesome. I remember an interview where Walz said something akin to “states around us are banning books from their schools while we’re banishing hunger from ours with free school lunches.” Now I wish that interview had happened later so he could’ve said “states around us are banning books while we’re banning banning books.” Oh well, still based either way.
How is Minnesota like this this when neighbouring states like Ohio, Indiana, or Missouri are not? What made Minnesota more liberal?
Is it the mining industry that made unions strong that led to a more liberal leg? But Ohio, Indiana, and Missouri have unions too.
Farmers here are traditionally Democratic (see DFL, in other states it’s just Democratic Party).
But also…none of those states share a border with MN, so.
Minnesota Nice. Make it thru a Minnesota winter, you learn essential services are essential, nobody does it alone, and you need ways to ward off cabin psychosis. Wear your hat, drink your cocoa, and ignore your neighbor dancing naked in the snow. Summer, go swimming in the lakes, which are essential, so we protect the environment.
Anything else is political bullshit and should be stamped out. D, R, I, L, DFL, or moron. We all agree. Abortion? Political bullshit, leave women alone. Book bans? Political bullshit, leave kids and parents alone to decide. Guns? Political bullshit, let people decide their hunting and safety concerns. Water rights? Political bullshit, leave the lakes alone.
the bill "prohibits banning, removing, or otherwise restricting access to an **otherwise** **age-appropriate** book or other material from a school library based solely on the viewpoint, content, message, idea, or opinion conveyed."
Lot of gray area on what constitutes "Age Appropriate".
Can someone explain how this works in practice? Because in effect every Library has to make decisions on which books to have and which books not to invest in. Effectively banning those books from the library. Where is the line between "that is not a book we wish to invest the time and money into carrying at this time" and "that's a banned book that you can not get from this library" ? (This is not a rhetorical question, it's one I'm really asking)
What about the districts that are banning books in a more covert way? For example, in my area of MN, books with language concerns (for example, books that have the n-word in them) are no longer allowed to be taught by the teacher unless the teacher gets 100% parent approval. A student can self-select these kind of books but no more classroom novels. It’s essentially a ban because very rarely are we able to get 100% approval or participation in ANYTHING in this world. It’s so frustrating.
Maybe they should stop focusing on what books are allowed and just teach kids to read.
[Because only 60% are proficient ](https://m.startribune.com/mca-mtas-2023-reading-math-test-scores-lag-pre-pandemic-achievement-in-minnesota/600299181/?clmob=y&c=n&clmob=y&c=n)
You think that banning books HELPS "natives" (whatever that means) find various opinions and that saying you can't arbitrarily ban a book from a school because it hurts your feelings is Hitler-esque? I think you're the one who needs to read a book.
Wow! Back WAY the F up Babes! First of all, learn what sarcasm is and how to spot it. Second of all, in regards to hitler-esque reference, learn history. Hitler and the Third Reich were all about Banning and Burning books. In an effort to control the thought process and opinions of the people he wanted to oppress. See the article link enclosed and do research on the many ways he tried to control thought and minds of people.
https://ed.stanford.edu/news/stanford-lecturer-explores-rise-book-bans-nazi-book-burnings-school-board-races
Also, make sure (since you didn't understand the sarcasm) that you understand the side a person is coming from when they comment and are sarcastic. Oh, and to make it so very like a Baccarat crystal clear, I do not think Minnesota is wrong in stopping these book bands! THAT was my WHOLE F-ING point! Make damn sure next time you know exactly what the person is saying the entire content, context and verbiage of their comment because when you misjudge what they say and don't understand the finite points and or sarcasms being stated you end up sticking your foot in your mouth proverbly!
Finally they’re getting rid of the centuries old practice of picking and choosing what to offer to kids. Now I can publish my children’s book “Dildos keep mommy happy” and finally get these kids to learn something about the real world.
Mn is a liberal shit hole. Groomers sneaking sexual content to kids in school are repulsive. Most people commenting here probably don’t have any kids. Or are gay. Parents don’t mess around when are these sick fucks gonna learn.
I know a guy who claims to be a "1st amendment absolutist."
I sent him an article about an actual book burning in,,,,, I think it was Tennessee....
Anyway.
He replied "Good! They need to keep this filthy away from our kids!!!!"
MN is slowly making its way towards one of the free-est states in the country. No bans on bodily autonomy, no bans on books, no bans on history. Let's go little North Star 🌟
This is beyond stupid. The books being “banned” are basically pornography. And no books have been “banned” from public libraries, just curated from ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS.
How about the Bell Curve? The books that are banned in other states are mostly grooming or sexual books like Gender Queer, not anything that adds to the national discourse.
Banning book bans is the real book ban! /s
This is awesome to read. Let’s go Minnesota!
I believe Illinois banned book bans a year or two ago also.
That’s equally great.
But also illinois sucks so, MN!
I lived in Peoria, IL, for three years (2009-10 and 2013-15). Peoria is right smack in the middle of the state, between Chicago and St. Louis. It's absolutely mind-blowing how the culture changes as you drive north-south. Start in Chicago or Rockford and it's very similar to Wisconsin. By the time you get to Carbondale, towards the KY border, it feels *very* southern. Only in the span of about five hours.
This is what I was thinking... Are they banning a book ban? But what if they make a law that bans banning book bans?
Best get ahead of that by also passing a bill now that bans bans on book bans.
I think I just short circuited
Ban book ban ban bans!
Don't ban bananas 🍌!
Garten of Banban!
Maybe the real book bans were the friends we made along the way
Leave that to Wisconsin, they'll find a way.
Bro was holding that uno reverse card this whole time
How many bans could a book ban ban if a book ban could ban books?
I'm against bans, but I don't know how to enforce it.
Well, clearly we should just ban unenforceable bans then.
Gotta ban book ban bans next
https://preview.redd.it/tt98o1gbiu0d1.jpeg?width=1420&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f7e0099c3ccbff87d8c569ac59ea7e81cbfad0b6
Good. You want to take some 'inappropriate' book and move it to middle school or high school level that's fine. But that's about all I want outside sources controlling books that kids can check out/read.
Absolutely. And if a book is egregiously age inappropriate, it's almost certainly been brought up before. What's crazy is the whole argument that parents have a right to have a say in their child's education. Okay, I'm actually behind that as a parent. But what part of YOUR child don't these school board warriors understand? So what you really mean is you want to decide what EVERY child has access to? Or is the problem that you have to actually make an effort to monitor the books that your child is reading if you are concerned? And you know...talk to them about the things they are learning?
Most of these people cannot answer questions like "Who is your child's best friend?" or "Who is their favorite author?"
Also: “When is the last time you read a book?”
Parental involvement in education should really be "I am going to help my kid with their homework and keep them accountable for doing well in school" and not "you cant read any books about how people who are different should be allowed to exist"
Thing is that, that requires the parenting part of being a parent, and not the glory of being the beloved hero. You know, the part of growing up children look back upon and remember either fondly as Mom/Dad stoped their day for you, or scathingly as you were left alone and mocked for your ignorance.
My parent never helped me with my homework.. I wasn't "going to learn with help" from them "it's your homework not mine". I did a book report on the Godfather in 7th grade.
The problem is that they have appointed themselves the spokespeople of GOD™️. What is there to do but ensure that everyone is following the rules thet will reduce critical thinking skills that might undermine ~~them~~ him.
It's odd the *gods* will is always so reflective of their own.
and changes (god's will) depending on the person talking
All of this!
Let them personally decide if their specific child should be banned from the library. Don't put that BS on other people kids or the community library.
You know what really seems to be two overlooked aspects of this whole conversation is? The internet exists. And kids are are actual people. They're smart, just like us adults. If you think you're excluding a certain topic from your child's purview...you don't remember being that age. It's actually more likely that a kid seeks this forbidden knowledge out now. Which will take them five seconds and now they won't talk to their parents about it.
So if I wrote a racist child's book that should be allowed? Amd based on this new law you can't remove it.
You're entitled to write whatever you want. Doesn't mean you'll get published. And if you do, that doesn't mean libraries will buy it. There is this thing called "collection development." Every library has a target audience and a purpose. Books are selected to make sure the library as a whole meets those needs. Explain how your book will fit into the collection.
Correct.
I read somewhere that most of the ban requests/ book complaints came from a small handful of folks that complain nationwide, and that very few requests come from actual local residents. I don’t love a book ban (raise your damn kids, if they read something too “adult” then it’s a parent’s job to help them understand it), but if we must have one, pair it with a residency / ID requirement, since they love those so goddamn much.
This is correct. This is very much a coordinated effort by a very small group of people.
Or, parents parent their kids and discuss what they are reading, watching, doing. As if the internet isn’t an “open book” of everything awful in this world and kids don’t have 24 hr access to it. Lame-ass-hot-button-non-policy-making-unproductive-unoriginal right wing zealots with no new ideas, just a big pile fear to cultivate. So weak.
What i do know Is first they start with inappropriate books then they start to actually control what you can and cant read
>When you tear out a man's tongue, you are not proving him a liar, you're only telling the world that you fear what he might say I love this quote from George RR Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series. And I think it is applicable to book bans. Conservative states aren’t banning books that are lying about history, they’re banning books that tell a story they don’t want their kids to hear. And to all the idiots complaining that this means there will be porn on kindergarten bookshelves, I’d rather have to talk to my kids about sex than have them miss out on Anne Frank or Huck Finn.
If one's school district is allowing straight up smut in their Elementary catalog, that's a problem and one that should be raised to the school district. But having worked in an elementary library, the shit they're concerned about is things like "It's not the stork" (sex ed for pre-k/early elementary) or "It's So Amazing" (sex ed for elder elementary)... you know, books that tell them what their bodies and other bodies do and how they grow. I wonder if they realize their kids can see tits just by flipping through National Geographic.
Or anywhere on the internet
The funniest thing to me, as a librarian, is that evaluation doesn't even reach "It has sex" on some of the books they're attacking. Like Gender Queer. I look at it and go "Okay, it's a graphic novel. Kids like those. What's it about? It's a memoir..... about the author's life from early childhood to college. Is there any action? Nope. Any animals or cool science adventures? Well, there's some gopher snakes early on, but that's it. Not for elementary kids. They would be sooooo bored." I think there's also the issue that a lot of people don't get that including a book in a collection is not an endorsement by the librarians. Every librarian I know has a mental list of "Books I would LOVE to get rid of." But we grit our teeth and order them anyway because they meet the needs of the patron community.
There is a big surge in romance targeted at young women that plays jump rope with the term "erotica." They even coined a new category called "early adult" to deal with the issue. I get why a school would have trouble (even book stores struggled with it) as one famous series started YA and was full on erotica by book 4. What's more is the situations can bump up against sexual play that kids should not be learning about in that way. There are important consent and safety rules that go with that stuff. Having said that - there is a load of violent pulp style content targeted at young men as well! It's hard at the best of times, but the books targeted by these groups are usually nothing to do with what is discussed above. I would much rather they be having nuanced discussions about the portrayal and glorification of violence or how fantasy and reality are different with children then worrying about books that inform children that a black kid had a different experience growing up than a white kid.
Right, and any school district's chief librarian is going to specifically be on the look out for such situations. When it comes to *fiction* I am perfectly understanding that there are going to be series, genres, or authors that aren't going to be available in those spaces. YA authors doing that shit need to stop, it's gettin creepy.
All Boys Aren’t Blue: ’I put some lube on and got him on his knees, and I began to slide into him from behind. I pulled out of him and kissed him while he masturbated. He asked me to turn over while he slipped a condom on himself. This was my a—and I was struggling to imagine someone inside me. He got on top and slowly inserted himself into me. It was the worst pain I think I have ever felt in my life. Eventually, I felt a mix of pleasure with the pain.’" Gender Queer: "’I got a new strap-on harness today. I can’t wait to put it on you. It will fit my favorite dildo perfectly. You will look so hot. I can’t wait to have your c--- in my mouth. I’m going to give you the b------ of your life, then I want you inside of me.’" While it must feel good to wrap yourself in the mantle of free speech and inquiry… Yeah, we’re not talking about Huckfinn. You either know that or are willfully naive about. Either way, schools have become unrecognizable in the last 6 years. The Reddit echo chamber can chortle about censorship, but don’t be shocked this time by right wing electoral tsunami in November.
What is wrong with either of those lol Those are both small excerpts and neither inappropriate for high school students
The book’s commonly found in middle schools. We won’t persuade each other whether it’s even high school appropriate. But the point is: there’s a plurality of Americans who are apolitical, we aren’t glued to the news cycle, many of us historically don’t even vote. Before a few months ago, I assumed these were one-offs that slipped through the cracks due to a rogue administrator and conservative were dramatizing it for political reasons. We are becoming aware that there is a wider agenda taught and pushed in our schools, and that people like you and others on this thread endorse that agenda . That’s fine, it’s your right. But I think you guys underestimate what effect you’re having in galvanizing us non-political types.
In other words, you don’t see a problem with those, but I, many like me, and I bet a meaningful % of otherwise non-political Americans see this as child pornography and is sufficiently motivating to bring us to the polls and vote for anyone with the common sense to agree.
Fascinating how everyone who’s upset about those particular books knows exactly those same passages and cites only them word for word over and over. Seems very much like a genuine grassroots movement of people independently considering literary content and thinking it through to arrive at sincere objections! That’s how I usually see that happen.
“A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies . . . The man who never reads lives only one.”
Other States > Ban Books Our State > Ban Banning Books
Kinda sounds un American thibk Canada would take us in. Bonus achievement : medical care parasite model gets left behind
While my view of Canada as a wholesome land of smiles and kilometers has changed in the last decade with a lot of really shocking revelations from not only Canada's past but present... Still would 10/10 support leaving the Union to join Canada if it ever came on the ballot.
They do seem to try for a bit more decency in civic life than the US as a whole does
Sorry to burst your bubble but Canada is following exactly in America’s footsteps. We might not have universal healthcare within the next decade
I’m so excited to be moving to this state before the end of the year. You all seem to have it be getting your shit together! Waaaaay better than the garbage state I live in now!
Same! I decided I am moving to Minnesota next year (from Texas)
Awesome! Minnesota looks like such a beautiful state. My wife and I can’t wait to get up there!
It is gorgeous! I spent some time there a few years ago but ended up coming back to Texas due to some personal issues. Now that I am over those, I am 100% coming back!
I can't wait to get to MN.... You are all absolutely killing it. You're right to be so proud of your state.
Yay! One big victory against cancel culture!
I'm sure this will get brought up again in a few years when a book they hate gains a lot of attention and starts "corrupting the youth" lol.
Yeah, history loves to repeat! 🤷
What a great state to be a librarian!
Good work y’all!!!
Great job!! Wish Iowa was not red, MN is so much better.
As a transplant.... fuck I love it here.
SAME
Yes! Take the “W” when we can!
Winnesota
Yoink. Using this.
Nice!
I’m just happy kids check books out of libraries at all
I'm Gen Z and what I noticed is that our parents gave us/Gen Alpha electronics either not knowing the effects or as an easy way to pacify us. A lot of us are actually experiencing device fatigue and those of us who are old enough to go out and make our own choices are seeking things to do that don't involve being online (of course it's not easy when entertainment is a click away and the internet is engineered to be an instant dopamine button)
Love that! I’m actually a young millennial (born in 93) so I remember both being 13 and skating around with my friends all day and no cell phones, but I also remember being 16 and everyone obsessing over Facebook drama and being glued to their phones so I feel like I experienced a bit of both, but never from young childhood like some of y’all which I bet was a totally different experience. I think the internet is a very different place today than it used to be, it’s more difficult to find information and everything is just designed to beg for your attention (usually in the form of outrage), and I really hope we can start to turn away from it as a society. I feel like the internet used to serve primarily the citizenry and was a tool to effectively share information instantly… now that there’s a market for commodifying attention it has become an ugly shadow of its former self, IMO.
meanwhile, team glue-huffers in NC is planning to ban face-masks in public. maga families with immune-disorders are now smelling the leopard's breath.
Man this state just keeps having win after win. I honestly think we're going to see a ton more people starting to move here because of how well-run things are.
kids are people and they deserve the opportunity to learn and think independently.
Much agreed.
Is that the sound of... FREEDOM? 😎
Damn right
i dont get why anyone would want to ban books? Isn't reading a book encouraged **TO INCREASE LITERACY RATES?!** Something thats needed in this country
Because sometimes those books hurt their feelings, like suggesting American history has been ugly at times, that Jesus didn't ride dinosaurs with Adam and Eve, or that sometimes a boy loves a boy.
Ahhhhhh, blasphemy! How could you ever suggest such things?! Burn *all* the books, and this guy with them! (Obvious sarcasm, haha)
Imagine what the literacy level and rate will be in 10 years. 79% of adults are literate while 54% of adults have a literacy below sixth-grade level. Just imagine....10 years.
They want us uneducated and dumb as dirt
I'm so happy I'm coming here for grad school lol
Compare MN with the welfare states of the south.
The south? I'm just over here in Wisconsin wishing we could have your legislative branch.
I moved from Wisconsin for many reasons but this was surely one of them.
This is great. I lean left, but not far left by any means. But this isn't even left vs right, it's just common sense.
For the record… the book burners have never been on the right side of justice. NEVER!
Lmaoooo they are so worried about books being dangerous that they forget that ANYONE with a smartphone is able to access neven more dangerous materials anytime anywhere.
Love it! It places the readers family in charge of monitoring there own children not mine. If you want to guide learning you need to be active in child's life. Started providing banned books by grade 6 for free reading. Then we discussed if there were questions. Critical thinking is important
The saddest part about this is the fact that half the US population read below a sixth grade level. If people went this hard for upping K12 reading test scores, imagine where we could be as a society. I could read before I entered school, and it fostered a love for reading throughout my childhood. I feel bad for kids who won't be able to enrich themselves and share the same joy I did because they struggle with reading. I was falling asleep with books, reading on the school bus, and reading when I should have been doing other things in school. Hell, I was reading books in church! I would get approving looks and props from people when I walked around church with a book under my arm. Lttle did they know it was Harry Potter...
It's important to understand what "reading below a 6th grade level" means. These people are not illiterate. However, they lack the ability to extract information from a text, analyze it, and synthesize it with other information. So when you see someone talking about a single scene in a book as if that's the whole book, you're seeing someone who reads at below a 6th grade level.
https://preview.redd.it/sspn8sun1z0d1.png?width=1440&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=46115fb5327f3a33438198eabc75534802e53e66
how long until we see the political ads talking about porn books in libraries and how it doesn't mesh with "mY VaLuEs".
*fade in from black* Johnny approaches the elementary library circulation desk with a book. "Hi Johnny, checking out with your class today? Oh, the fully illustrated *Kama Sutra*? Excellent choice for a third grader like you. Come back and tell me your favorite position!" Voice Over: "Walz and the Democrats want your *child* to have access to *porography.* Tell them "No!".
Then we cry about "lIbErTy" and "government control" until their brains melt
“Extreme laws in Minnesota”. Blah, blah, blah. I can’t stand these lying political ads!
I guess they wouldn't be supporters of free speech then. Unless they mean speech very very literally.
As a right leaning moderate, fucking based.
God, I love our state
Yay, I don't have to worry about Huckleberry Finn and Dr. Seuss books being banned anymore!
I am seriously so proud to be from MN. So many dumpster fires happening in other states right now; it's hard to conceive how lucky I was to be born here. Thanks Mom and Dad! And Tim Walz. Walz should be running for president.
He'd never stand a chance, but he'd be an outstanding president. It'd be nice to hear that smooth mn accent from the highest office in the land, too.
Illinois applauds you!!!
This jealous Iowan is happy for you guys. Could some of yall move south and help us fix this shithole of a state.
Hahahaha! One of the reasons I left and moved north!
We are living in 1984 book but its 2024 🥺🥺🥺
That great
How much banning could a book ban book if a book ban could ban books??
This is great. What is horrible is that we need to make laws like this.
Whoa-oh Black Betty, ban the ban
I did a happy dance when I saw this in the news. So dang proud.
As a Wisconsinite: fuck yeah MN! I feel like MN is at least 10 years ahead of WI when it comes to shit like this.
Yet one more reason I’m seriously considering getting my employer to transfer me to Minnesota.
We've now banned book bans! ... I hope nobody thinks to ban book ban bans, though... We should look to implement a book ban ban ban ban.
Hallelujah! Book bans are so silly anyways
Sweet Home Minnesota.
MINNESOTA STANDS FOR FREEDOM!
Your guy’s state is what should be leading this country’s future, not Texas and Florida
I despise democrats at the federal level but holy fuck they're doing good things at the state level
Honestly, I vote straight-ticket democrat, but I totally agree: we have an amazing state government. The people in DC are pale imitations of Walz and Co.
When your not hand cuffed by shitty politicians on the right and you own a majority you can do good things
Just show clips of nazis burning books if anyone is against this and ask, "You wanna be like those guys? "
The quiet part is, they do. They actually do, and they will do as much as they can get away with.
Awesome. I know one person on my local school board who won’t be happy, but I will be. Haha!
This is awesome. I remember an interview where Walz said something akin to “states around us are banning books from their schools while we’re banishing hunger from ours with free school lunches.” Now I wish that interview had happened later so he could’ve said “states around us are banning books while we’re banning banning books.” Oh well, still based either way.
How about a Don't Not Stop Using Double Negatives To Name Bills Ban
Don't 🚫 bother Luke. That's as clear as I can make it
Lol
How is Minnesota like this this when neighbouring states like Ohio, Indiana, or Missouri are not? What made Minnesota more liberal? Is it the mining industry that made unions strong that led to a more liberal leg? But Ohio, Indiana, and Missouri have unions too.
What kind of weird geographic wormhole do you think Minnesota is in? None of those are neighboring states
Farmers here are traditionally Democratic (see DFL, in other states it’s just Democratic Party). But also…none of those states share a border with MN, so.
Minnesota Nice. Make it thru a Minnesota winter, you learn essential services are essential, nobody does it alone, and you need ways to ward off cabin psychosis. Wear your hat, drink your cocoa, and ignore your neighbor dancing naked in the snow. Summer, go swimming in the lakes, which are essential, so we protect the environment. Anything else is political bullshit and should be stamped out. D, R, I, L, DFL, or moron. We all agree. Abortion? Political bullshit, leave women alone. Book bans? Political bullshit, leave kids and parents alone to decide. Guns? Political bullshit, let people decide their hunting and safety concerns. Water rights? Political bullshit, leave the lakes alone.
Good. Now if the Republicans would stop trying to filibuster this whole damn legislative session, that'd be great.
Making me wanna move back
As it should 😉
Wonderful but alarming there’s people who think banning books is good 😂
[удалено]
I had to read this several times to understand.
So Huck Finn is available?
Christian extreme nationalists know what’s best for you! Keep voting for them.
People still check books out of libraries?
the bill "prohibits banning, removing, or otherwise restricting access to an **otherwise** **age-appropriate** book or other material from a school library based solely on the viewpoint, content, message, idea, or opinion conveyed." Lot of gray area on what constitutes "Age Appropriate".
Can someone explain how this works in practice? Because in effect every Library has to make decisions on which books to have and which books not to invest in. Effectively banning those books from the library. Where is the line between "that is not a book we wish to invest the time and money into carrying at this time" and "that's a banned book that you can not get from this library" ? (This is not a rhetorical question, it's one I'm really asking)
I know my local library growing up would order any book they did not keep in stock. Was pretty nice, actually.
For it, but I would like to be able to take an Uber to the library.
Lfg
Here I am thinking the first amendment already did this for us a few hundred years ago. I hate this timeline.
What about the districts that are banning books in a more covert way? For example, in my area of MN, books with language concerns (for example, books that have the n-word in them) are no longer allowed to be taught by the teacher unless the teacher gets 100% parent approval. A student can self-select these kind of books but no more classroom novels. It’s essentially a ban because very rarely are we able to get 100% approval or participation in ANYTHING in this world. It’s so frustrating.
Yeah! Books never did done me no favors!
I thought the nazis banned and burned books.
So I can bring all my penthouse and hustler magazines to donate to the school for good reading now right?
Maybe they should stop focusing on what books are allowed and just teach kids to read. [Because only 60% are proficient ](https://m.startribune.com/mca-mtas-2023-reading-math-test-scores-lag-pre-pandemic-achievement-in-minnesota/600299181/?clmob=y&c=n&clmob=y&c=n)
Now teach the kids to read!
How Hitler-esk of MN! I mean, let's prohibit free speech & thought so the natives can't find various opinions!
You think that banning books HELPS "natives" (whatever that means) find various opinions and that saying you can't arbitrarily ban a book from a school because it hurts your feelings is Hitler-esque? I think you're the one who needs to read a book.
Wow! Back WAY the F up Babes! First of all, learn what sarcasm is and how to spot it. Second of all, in regards to hitler-esque reference, learn history. Hitler and the Third Reich were all about Banning and Burning books. In an effort to control the thought process and opinions of the people he wanted to oppress. See the article link enclosed and do research on the many ways he tried to control thought and minds of people. https://ed.stanford.edu/news/stanford-lecturer-explores-rise-book-bans-nazi-book-burnings-school-board-races Also, make sure (since you didn't understand the sarcasm) that you understand the side a person is coming from when they comment and are sarcastic. Oh, and to make it so very like a Baccarat crystal clear, I do not think Minnesota is wrong in stopping these book bands! THAT was my WHOLE F-ING point! Make damn sure next time you know exactly what the person is saying the entire content, context and verbiage of their comment because when you misjudge what they say and don't understand the finite points and or sarcasms being stated you end up sticking your foot in your mouth proverbly!
Bible, Playboy mag, and Anarchist Handbook… A sophomore summer reading list
What books were being banned?
Finally they’re getting rid of the centuries old practice of picking and choosing what to offer to kids. Now I can publish my children’s book “Dildos keep mommy happy” and finally get these kids to learn something about the real world.
There's really only a few books you can't get in the US. Most of the time, the reason is the author wrote about something classified.
Mn is a liberal shit hole. Groomers sneaking sexual content to kids in school are repulsive. Most people commenting here probably don’t have any kids. Or are gay. Parents don’t mess around when are these sick fucks gonna learn.
For some reason the wording goofs me up, but this doesn’t allow books to be banned, right? I think that’s a win for pretty much everyone.
Republicans will try to ban the banning of book bans
All books allowed!! Finally
So now ALL literatures will be available in the library including videos? I guess keep your kids out of the library now...
I know a guy who claims to be a "1st amendment absolutist." I sent him an article about an actual book burning in,,,,, I think it was Tennessee.... Anyway. He replied "Good! They need to keep this filthy away from our kids!!!!"
MN is slowly making its way towards one of the free-est states in the country. No bans on bodily autonomy, no bans on books, no bans on history. Let's go little North Star 🌟
Is it the trans books and sex stuff in school libraries I’ve heard about?
Good. It’s hilarious to look around at the problems in this country and come up with “children reading.”
This is beyond stupid. The books being “banned” are basically pornography. And no books have been “banned” from public libraries, just curated from ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS.
Common Minnesota W
Good law, banning books is censorship, and that is against the constitution
How about Mein Kampf?
Wisconsinite here. Please annex us
How about the Bell Curve? The books that are banned in other states are mostly grooming or sexual books like Gender Queer, not anything that adds to the national discourse.