It’s National Library Week, so I’ve been thinking a lot about knowledge and the idea that knowledge should be readily available – for all. An informed populace is crucial to the health of the nation and a bulwark of democracy. The ability to think, to reason, to avoid being fooled, all these notions are tied to reading and easy access to the wisdom of the ages.
And this is exactly why libraries – and their contents – are under siege these days.
HuffPost’s Jennifer Bendery recently told readers:
“Librarians are living in constant fear. They have become the targets
of Republican politicians and far-right groups like Moms for Liberty
Liberty that are hellbent on burning books about LGBTQ+ people,
people of color and racism. Some librarians are quitting their jobs
because of constant harassment; others are getting fired for
refusing to clear shelves of books that conservatives don’t like.”
If that’s not bad enough – and it is – Bendery informs us there’s another evil twist in the tale: “The GOP’s censorship campaign has shifted from book bans to legislation threatening librarians with jail time.” Idaho’s tried several times to enact such legislation; this February, West Virginia passed a bill “making librarians criminally liable if a minor comes across content that some might consider obscene.” Idaho, Iowa, Alabama, and Georgia are also considering various means of keeping books they don’t like off the shelves...and they’re not alone.
The American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom shared some frightening statistics: “The number of titles targeted for censorship at public libraries increased by 92% over the previous year, accounting for about 46% of all book challenges in 2023; school libraries saw an 11% increase over 2022 numbers.”
Given these ever-more-frequent, ever-more-strident attacks, what can a concerned reader do to stem the tide of book-banning?
PEN America, an organization whose mission “is to unite writers and their allies to celebrate creative expression and defend the liberties that make it possible,” offers a number of ways to make one’s voice heard. Whether you’re a student, a parent, an author, or a librarian, PEN America provides advice, assistance, and resources to keep you informed and ready to push back.
The need to support the nation’s libraries is more urgent than ever. In Bendery’s HuffPost piece, American Library Association President Emily Drabinski draws a chilling conclusion: “What gets lost in conversations about book banning is that it’s really about eliminating the institution of the library, period. It’s not about the books. Well, it is about the books, but the books are the way in to gut one of the last public institutions that serves everyone.”
“You don't have to burn books to destroy a culture,” Ray Bradbury once said. “Just get people to stop reading them.”
Bradbury was one of the 20th century’s finest fabulists, the author of The Martian Chronicles, Something Wicked This Way Comes, and the worldwide blockbuster Fahrenheit 451. Published in 1952, the novel Fahrenheit 451 is set in a future where books are illegal and firemen don’t put out fires – they start them. Printed matter is what they burn.
Bradbury was writing in the tense, paranoid early years of the McCarthy era. But he might as well have penned those words last Thursday.
Support your local library. Speak up for the voices the hate-mongers would shut down. Before – as history’s proven again and again – they try to shut down yours.
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Students fight a book ban by giving away free banned bookswww.youtube.com
The New York Public Library has also weighed in on the matter, you can find its suggestions here.
Will You Partake In The Metaverse Of Madness?
Since the beginning of time, technology has never been stagnant – it’s constantly evolving. Most of us are used to these fleeting technology trends and apps. We first started virtually communicating on MySpace and then ventured into the world of avatars with Snapchat's snappy 10-second stories.
We – or should I say Millenials and Gen Zers – are used to new ideas. But even we couldn’t conceive of a virtual world where people can live, interact, and earn money until . . . the Metaverse was born.
October 28th 2021 will go down in history. That’s when the company formerly known as Facebook rebranded as Meta fully committing to a 3D version of the internet know as the Metaverse.
Metaverse-Metaverse-Metaverse it’s all over the place. But what is it exactly? Simply put, it’s a virtual world that blurs the lines between online and offline communication.
Hold on! Virtual reality? My grandparents are only just getting used to taking my video calls, and now I have to introduce them to the Metaverse – a world where their avatar can walk, talk, and even get married?
During the last few years when people couldn’t interact IRL, a virtual world was ideal. People – or should I say Avatars – could meet and engage in a rocking virtual party. That wasn’t too extreme, but then people started buying property !?! This resembled a piece of land you can own and do with whatever you please. I cannot imagine living in a Metamansion – unless it’s in a game of Sims.
Then came NFTs – or did they come before? – it’s super hard to keep track of. But NFTs are Non-fungible tokens – digital assets like art, music, videos are bought and sold online through cryptocurrency. Oh-yeah, then there’s cryptocurrency. It’s a digital or virtual currency that’s secured by cryptography, which makes it close to impossible to counterfeit or double-spend. Cryptocurrency revolutionized the finance world with people making a ton of money through bitcoin.
Slowly, the fashion industry moved into the Metaverse as well. A Gucci - Roblox bag recently went for 350,000 Robux (close to $4000) on Roblox – a site where you can purchase upgrades for your avatars. I mean, your Avatar can’t be roaming the Metaverse in just jeans and a sweater, they need high-end fashion.
Obviously, with so many items moving into the Metaverse, it made sense for people to secure virtual insurance. I cannot believe this – Virtual insurance! So if you break or lose, or your artwork gets stolen, it makes sense to have a cover. Soon enough, educational institutions imagine digital classrooms, and medical professionals visualize a world where junior doctors practice medicine digitally.
There doesn’t seem to be a limit.
Since we cannot physically inhabit the virtual world, most of these ties make sense until Coke-Cola recently announced a limited edition Coca-Cola® Zero Sugar Byte.
Coke promises that it tastes just like pixels. “The drink’s bright, upfront taste is reminiscent of powering up a game. And its refreshing finish makes for a perfect gaming companion.”
Personally, I don’t understand the concept of creating a beverage for the Metaverse. And I’m so not interested in tasting pixels – I anticipate something chalky and salty. But if you pick up a Zero Sugar Byte before they hop back into the Metaverse, you are one brave individual.
In addition to this drink, Coke is hosting an immense digital experience that includes an original, augmented reality game. Then there’s Pixel Point, an island designed by Coca-Cola where fortnight players can experience this refreshing soda and enjoy a few mini-games.
Now that beverages are being created for the Metaverse, the big question is what next? Will our Avatar’s start grocery shopping in a virtual Target to survive?