[John Riley]

I built and ran a YA nonfiction publishing house for about 25 years. If you count the years I worked writing and editing and shipping at night after my day job writing tech manuals it's 30. I'm very proud of the work we did. Award-winning books and series on science and science history, music, mathematics, literature, biographies, and more. But the business went away, fast, when schools and public libraries, but the schools most of all, stopped buying books. That isn't an exaggeration. They stopped buying books. Now everything is on Canvas and only the big corporations were able to get into that.

Yesterday, I was sent a tic-tok link from a former author. The video was of a school librarian in Florida standing by giant boxes, the type a school copier or some other machine may have come in. There were four of them, and they were filled to the top with books that state investigators had taken off the shelf. The former author sent me a link because there was box covered with books from our Civil Rights Leaders, Civil Rights Movement, and History of Mexico series. There they were, the familiar covers strung across the top of a huge pile of books. I have no idea how deep into the box our work went. We also did a series on Women in Literature, Women Writers, and a series about Francis Perkins and Victoria Woodhull and Shirley Chisholm, Rosland Franklin, and on. I didn't see those books but if the library had them I know where they are now.

We did high-quality work. While other companies did books on pop stars and sports and such--supposedly to appeal to "reluctant readers" but really because they'd sell more easily than a book about The Great Depression. We won award after award, as well as individual authors being awarded. Our biography of Dietrich Bonhoeffer won so many awards and labels the author complained of having to write them all his thanks.

Now they're all in the trash bin I know about in Florida and I'm sure in other states. This isn't conservatism. It's the opposite of conservatism. I don't care how damn high the price of cheese is, if you vote for these people you are supporting an anti-American, anti-modernity, racist, and most of all frightened, existentially frightened, tumor in America's bloodstream.

I won't call you a fascist if you vote for this. That's not adequate. It's not wise to think it's a mere repetition of what came before. I know enough history to know that to think anything is a repetition of what has come before is always wrong. It may have the same traits, but not have the same limits. This is the end of the United States that was created in 1787 if it isn't stopped.

(BTW, I volunteer as an English and Social Studies tutor at the local high school. You would not believe how behind these kids are. Ninth and tenth graders who don't know what a declarative sentence is or what Congress is for. (And, it has to be said, unfortunately, they are not all African American. My kids are probably 65-35 white/black.) These are the people who will grow up and vote for this tumor. Their appeal is to the weakest, deepest dark in humans. People who will never have use of a declarative sentence.)

[James Brancheau]

Frankly, John, you're being too nice. You have contributed meaningfully. I can't say that I've done the same. When anyone says America is divided, I cringe. Divided in that there are rational people and not rational people? Is that a both sides approach to the zombie apocalypse ? (I hate zombies, btw. What a boring monster. It's a generational thing, but give me a vampire anyday.)

[Mark McDonnell]

It seems likely that this widely shared video is a hoax, John. The school was just having a clear out of old books and it had nothing to do with state intervention. Of course, that’s not to invalidate the fact that there really is a censorious attitude towards school reading material from the Republican Party in Florida. But this particular case looks like an unfounded social media panic.


https://apnews.com/article/fact-chec...a-541386478377

[James Brancheau]

Whether or not there's merit to one specific claim, Mark, it's not a hoax that Florida has gone over the edge. The NAACP officially put out travel warnings regarding Florida. They are not playing politics, in my view. It's warranted. I moved from the states partly because I didn't agree with the atmosphere, Bush jr, etc. Fuck, it's a lot worse than that now.

[Mark McDonnell]

I never suggested it was a hoax that Florida has gone over the edge. I very clearly said that the video being a probable hoax does not "invalidate the fact that there really is a censorious attitude towards school reading material from the Republican Party in Florida".

[James Brancheau]

It's good to see you back, Mark. Not questioning your intentions. Really I am not. How much experience do you have in the states? At what point do you walk out of a room? It's a different place.

[John Riley]

I don’t care if it’s what’s called a hoax. It’s reality.

Nothing I said is a hoax.

[Mark McDonnell]

I don't have much direct experience of the States, James. I visited New York once. My wife and I went for 4 days about 20 years ago. Why do you ask? I don't understand your question about walking out of a room. My only "intention" with my comment was to inform John that this particular video he saw was likely a hoax, or at the very least the woman in it was genuinely misinformed about why those books were in those boxes. It's my belief that if state censorship — which I have no doubt is a genuine issue in Florida — is to be fought, it's best to at least get the facts right rather than rely on unsubstantiated social media outrage. Otherwise it's just more ammunition for the people you're fighting against when the facts do come out.

[John Riley]

I should have investigated more. That’s a lot of books cleared off one libraries shelves. Wonder they’ll use the space for?

[Jim Moonan]

Originally Posted by Mark McDonnell

It seems likely that this widely shared video is a hoax, John. The school was just having a clear out of old books and it had nothing to do with state intervention. Of course, that’s not to invalidate the fact that there really is a censorious attitude towards school reading material from the Republican Party in Florida. But this particular case looks like an unfounded social media panic.


https://apnews.com/article/fact-chec...a-541386478377

Thanks for that fact check Mark.

John has brought up a gut-wrenching issue that hits writers especially hard and clearly he has an extra stake in the fire, namely his livelihood. But it does no good to derail the discussion and risk having it careen into the rock pile of social media detritus by floating material that is fake.

No constructive, instructive discussion can be had if any argument allows misinformation into the arena. We lose all credibility if we allow ourselves the same standards as those who use misinformation to educate the ignorant and the young.

We will either bring our biases to the arena and use them as shields and fight it out using hatred and ignorance or we can choose to continue to persevere using truth as our superpower, patiently, fervently, one-by-one, exposing those who want only darkness to the light. Alternatively we can just wait and watch them self-destruct but it won’t be pretty.

Nearly all my wrath is aimed at the fundamentalist evangelical soulless slime that has weaponized religion and threatens to turn this country into a western-style theocracy with Trump as its high priest. You can't make this stuff up. Shakespeare couldn't make this stuff up (though he comes closest).

Btw, my experience with tiktok has been that it is impossible to rely on it with any certainty as being a reliable source for facts/truth.

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