I'm sad to say it because I'm fond of them, but who really needs libraries in the internet age anyway? Most people are very literate but hardly anyone reads actual books anymore, and those who do can either buy them cheaply on Amazon or source them elsewhere online.
Aside from that there's, what, borrowing DVDs, reading newspaper archives, and going online if you somehow don't have the internet at home? They do have value as community spaces, but I doubt he's referring to that, and often that value is subverted by using them as staging grounds for propaganda.
Does having a library in a town have any practical role in making its populace more educated, as he implies?
This is actually a great example of how many progressive beliefs are purely performative. I doubt "KP4NC" and his son have stepped inside a library for years. I think they by default believe that saying "Yay libraries!" is the enlightened, sophisticated position and they don't think even a single step beyond that.
(I'm including his son in that because it sounds like they were sniffing their own farts together for the whole trip, which is sad)
Physical books are more enjoyable to read than electronic. And if you read a lot, like a book every week, the cost will add up. 52 books at $15 = $780 per year. A lot of money for a poor person.
Agreed. And if you're an avid reader purchasing your own books, space quickly becomes an issue too.
I prefer to buy my own but that might be a privileged position. There's certainly value in being able to borrow them.
I don't mind electronic for the convenience, but holding the real thing in your hands, and knowing it can't be fucked with by asshole censors, feels good.
I'm sad to say it because I'm fond of them, but who really needs libraries in the internet age anyway? Most people are very literate but hardly anyone reads actual books anymore, and those who do can either buy them cheaply on Amazon or source them elsewhere online.
Aside from that there's, what, borrowing DVDs, reading newspaper archives, and going online if you somehow don't have the internet at home? They do have value as community spaces, but I doubt he's referring to that, and often that value is subverted by using them as staging grounds for propaganda.
Does having a library in a town have any practical role in making its populace more educated, as he implies?
This is actually a great example of how many progressive beliefs are purely performative. I doubt "KP4NC" and his son have stepped inside a library for years. I think they by default believe that saying "Yay libraries!" is the enlightened, sophisticated position and they don't think even a single step beyond that.
(I'm including his son in that because it sounds like they were sniffing their own farts together for the whole trip, which is sad)
Physical books are more enjoyable to read than electronic. And if you read a lot, like a book every week, the cost will add up. 52 books at $15 = $780 per year. A lot of money for a poor person.
Agreed. And if you're an avid reader purchasing your own books, space quickly becomes an issue too.
I prefer to buy my own but that might be a privileged position. There's certainly value in being able to borrow them.
I don't mind electronic for the convenience, but holding the real thing in your hands, and knowing it can't be fucked with by asshole censors, feels good.