• themeatbridge@lemmy.world
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    3 months ago

    Killing libraries is not about saving money, it’s about restricting knowledge. Beware the leader that doesn’t want the people to read.

  • gedaliyah@lemmy.world
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    3 months ago

    Can’t they just sell one of those sound-weapon equipped tanks from the NYPD to cover the entire library budget?

  • Asafum@feddit.nl
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    3 months ago

    You don’t understand though, that’s millions we could throw at building another stadium for a private individual to own and profit off of!

    It’s the same with the federal budget and NASA. It pisses me off to no end to see the only x-ray telescope we have get the axe so we can throw fucking Raytheon more money to bomb Palestinians.

    DON’T YOU CARE ABOUT THE POOR BILLIONAIRES!?

  • SOB_Van_Owen@lemm.ee
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    3 months ago

    It’s shocking to see the assault on libraries across Appalachia. Sad to see it’s a broader problem. For as little finding as they require they provide critical services. So many nasty politicos trying to win some points with the lowest common denominators of humanity must see them as an easy target.

    • MonkeMischief@lemmy.today
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      3 months ago

      Yeah, across the whole country even, I think people have been discouraged from reading in general. (Heck, it’s hard to feel like you have time to just sit and read a book…Audiobooks FTW…)

      But I’m convinced this recent anti-library culture-war push is absolutely just a big PsyOp by private and public owner-class types.

      Making it about drag queens and racy books on the surface is an easy way to rile up the uneducated, to remove public free access to information without commercial motive.

      Further discouraging education by cutting off access to cultural and community events, outreach, and collections is a great way to isolate people back down to consumer-individuals and grow the hate-base.

      Libraries are absolutely under attack for being easy targets too, you’re right. And often from the inside! Our local library district has an immensely corrupt board and executive staff. It’s likely seen as an easy stepping stone to pad a resume for big CEO jobs or public office. They can get away with a lot without many people really looking too hard…

      • NιƙƙιDιɱҽʂ@lemmy.world
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        3 months ago

        is absolutely just a big PsyOp by private and public owner-class types.

        Bro, I think people just don’t ready physical books anymore lol

        • cheesepotatoes@lemmy.world
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          3 months ago

          Libraries offer far more than just books. They often double as community centers and offer lots of free services that could really help lower income demographics. They actually also offer audiobooks a lot of the time.

          Besides all that, of all government services that are available, they’re cheap as fuck to operate comparatively speaking. The only reason to target libraries is because it gets the mouth breathers thumping. Nobody burning books (metaphorically and literally) has ever been on the right side of history.

        • Gigasser@lemmy.world
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          3 months ago

          Nah they definitely still do. But reading stuff takes time, and many people in the US just don’t have that time to dedicate. So many people have to work long ass hours, and then they come back home and do you think they want to read? If they have a family or have a significant other, I think it far more likely that they would think it’s the best usage of their time to spend time with them, and in alot of ways it is. Lack of leisure time is the problem.

        • Glytch@lemmy.world
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          3 months ago

          That’s why a lot of libraries let you check out ebooks and audiobooks through apps.

          Properly funded libraries keep up with technology to better serve the community.

        • surewhynotlem@lemmy.world
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          3 months ago

          Do you think that company owners want to pay more or less for employees?

          Do you think you would pay more or less for an employee that doesn’t have any other good options for a job?

          What is the best way to expand your job options?

          Companies and politicians are absolutely incentivized to keep a good portion of the populace stupid. Critical thinking and education are detrimental to both, except where you provide some service that requires it.

    • psvrh@lemmy.ca
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      3 months ago

      It’s hysterical to hear right-wing commentary about how New York Democrats are socialist Marxist communist hippies when the reality has much more goose-stepping to it.

    • FlashMobOfOne@lemmy.world
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      3 months ago

      It was wild to see, but New Yorkers seem to love picking the guy who promises to be the biggest asshole to homeless people.

      • Crikeste@lemm.ee
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        3 months ago

        I had the homelessness situation described to me yesterday as such: When people see homelessness, they equate it to crime. But when people think of crime, they think of violent robberies and murders. This makes those people view the homeless only through a lense of prosecution. And this view and subsequent treatment only exacerbates the problem.

  • DigitalTraveler42@lemmy.world
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    3 months ago

    As the cousin of a NY public librarian, fuck mayor Adams, but for so many more reasons than this.

    Stop voting cops in as mayor’s, because at the end of the day they’re still just corrupt cops.

  • randon31415@lemmy.world
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    3 months ago

    The picture included makes me think we should challenge the mayor’s hotshot skier son to a race down Triple Diamond run, and if we win the library will be saved for us punk kids to use on Sundays.

  • commie@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    3 months ago

    I asked nypl to let me pay for a library card. they won’t issue. they will issue if I walk into a branch, but it’s a temporary card unless I can prove residency.

    I don’t think they should have their budget cut but I would pay a subscription fee to access it from out-of-state.

  • BigMacHole@lemm.ee
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    3 months ago

    Good! How else are we supposed to fund POLICE OFFICERS who get to PICK and CHOOSE what crimes or people to Investigate if we don’t defund School and Libraries?

  • moosetwin@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    3 months ago

    why is it called ‘new york public library’ if it only serves downstate new york

    that is less than half the state, I live in new york and there are no new york public library locations near me

    are you really going to let us be beaten by new jersey? new jersey?

    disclaimer

    I have a public library 5 minutes away, (though I guess not a ‘new york public library’) this comment was made mostly for the funny and more importantly to shit on new jersey

    this comment was written after staying awake over 30 hours and I am (very faintly) hallucinating the factorio express belts moving on my screen

  • therealjcdenton@lemmy.zip
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    3 months ago

    I don’t care if libraries get used or not, they NEED to be kept open. For the sake of information keeping and internet for those who don’t have any at home