So it’s not just derpism, it’s snobbery too.
5 Likes
What would it matter what a backwards hick like me thinks anyway?
I never called anyone a hick; I would call anyone in any environment, urban, suburban or rural, in any part of any country, scum for being the kind of person who’d be offended by something like this and lodge a complaint.
8 Likes
I think the real issue here is the Creeping Socialism™ represented by the “share the books” philosophy being foisted upon decent Americans, real Americans.
5 Likes
That’s a point, for sure.
1 Like
Yeah, not Florida or Arizona this time, so there’s that…
1 Like
I could be wrong, but I don’t think anyone’s slam against Kansas was in reference to “hick-ness”. Probably more a note on this sort of thing that has been in the news for the last few years:
When a few religious zealots turn your state into a laughingstock for anti-science (and I may add anti-modern thought) reasons, you can expect a few snide comments here and there from the pro-education, pro-science, anti-religious dogmatism crowd.
2 Likes
Cut a hole in the side, add a perch, and tell the town idiots that it is a bird house. End of problem.
1 Like
And that is the lever by which we shall move the world. Little boy needs to catalogue the town’s birdhouses, doghouse and other unattached structures, and report every single one.
3 Likes
Sorry I didn’t use the exact derogatory term that was used, but a general one everyone was thinking.
Yeah, except this story has nothing to do with any of those other things. Or parking RVs to tempt tornadoes.
It’s not an attack on education or science (from an area where ~75% have at least a bachelors degree). When you move to a ritzy area with home owners associations and tight city ordinances, you’re entering a social contract to maintain certain standards. Sorta silly and “snobbish”, I guess, but I don’t think people are idiots for enforcing it either. People in Leawood move there for a reason and know what they are getting into. Don’t like it, don’t live in such an exclusive community.
1 Like
Nah, I get that the specific locale has characteristics that don’t match the stereotypical jabs that people are making at the state (a good example being the tornado one), and that in this instance it probably is precisely what you say; ritzy neighbors not wanting some kid’s homemade project on display regardless of his motive.
That being said, I’ll repeat my comment that when your state as a whole is known widely for anti-education religious zealotry and attacks on the educational system, an attack on something that could be regarded as promoting education (or literacy etc… whatever) is likely to be stereotypically interpreted by folks not familiar with the demographics of the specific locale in question.
A good comparison would be that here in CA, we actually do have a lot of pretty conservative “red” (mostly) rural areas, but folks from the rest of the country know us all as uber liberal “fruits and nuts” (actual quote from someone I met out of state). Something that happens in a town with a name not known to someone out of state is likely to be interpreted from the point of view that the area of the story must be a liberal pro-LGBT area (which may be entirely incorrect).
2 Likes
Weird.
We’ve got a couple of these Little Free Library units in our neighborhood. Been there for years without incident.
Sad thing is the original article says they actually received two complaints. Wow. Asshole neighbors.
2 Likes
Go to the “City of Leawood” page on Facebook and post a one star review. There are only a few reviews so yours would really make a difference on the average rating.
Or just attach it to the house, perhaps with two thumbtacks and a buried length of fishing line. Presto, it’s no longer an unattached building.
Usually there’s a minimum size code for building w/out a foundation or permit. Otherwise people would have to permit every shed they erect. Here in Los Angeles, you can build a 10’x10’ structure which may have overground electric, but no plumbing. Near my own neighborhood, there is a family who does have a curbside “library” (take one-leave one on a small book shelf). As far as I know, they’ve never been bothered by the local police.
I did check, and in King county it looks like: “Under the 2003 International Residential Code, in unincorporated King County, you may build a detached residential storage shed with a floor area of 200 square feet or less without a permit. In addition, you must meet all zoning code requirements including setbacks, clearing limits, and lot coverage.”
I have a feeling this has more to do with the (huh!?!) complaints than the structure itself.
This really is a shame. One of my favorite women in history is Charlotta Bass. With her husband, she helped run the newspaper The Eagle. When he became sick, she took over as editor, renamed it the California Eagle, and used it to help combat racism. She retired from the paper in 1951.
Then, in 1952, she ran as the first African-American woman to ever run for Vice President (on the Progressive Party ticket). When she later retired from politics, she kept her garage open for years as a neighborhood library in Los Angeles for people to get books from. What an amazing woman! As far as I know, most people alive today have never even heard her name.
7 Likes
Back in my amateur radio days there was talk of putting stupendously tall antennas on wheels to exploit that loophole.
1 Like
‘living garbage’?? I have sympathy for those who share actual rooms with you.
Birdhouses are bad anyway. We must end the bird welfare state and encourage those birds to go out and build their own houses.
5 Likes
Yay, breaking the “law”!
Does someone else want to start an indiegogo campaign to pay the fine and buy more books…
Well, which is it?
14 Likes
