I am still peeved! There was an editorial in one of our local papers in which someone expressed relief that our city's Read It/Share It program had been dismantled. I was so pissed off that I emailed a response.
The program solicited suggestions for a book for the city to read. A title was chosen, the library would buy lots of copies, and then the library would host discussion groups. So the woman says a "hallelujah!" and bitches that there are not enough copies of best-sellers. What I found profoundly irritating were her little attempts at being funny and hip in only the most trendy, post-modern way. For instance, she said that she would never attend a discussion group as it would be a waste of time since there were other books to read. So obviously she doesn't really give a shit about what she reads. It seems that, for her, reading is about getting an ephemeral thrill - shame on you if you dare think about what you read. She also knocked the concept in general by saying that it was an example of "group-think", whatever the fuck that is, and that this scared her. Of course, it is not a case of "group-think" for everyone to go out and read the latest opus from Dan Brown because it's on some NYT list.
If the program was 86'd because of budget constraints, why not speak of those? And why not say 1 good word about the librarians who bust their balls in loom of decreasing funds?
It never ceases to bug the shit out of me seeing people being fucking cheerleaders for the lowest common denominator. Let's make everything for stupid people. Fucking philistine!
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