Originally published at: Alabama library flags a children's book because of author's "sexually explicit" last name | Boing Boing
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Reboing
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Each piece of news I read from USA makes me think the country is doomed. Day after day I see evidence of more hatred, stupidity and a “culture of oversimplification” where everything is the same as everything, and everything at the same time.
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It strikes me that part of the problem is that you’re only getting part of the story, probably because the problems we have with sensationalistic news coverage isn’t just an American problem…
But, hey, thanks for ignoring all of us who are regularly fighting against this shit. We don’t matter after all… /s
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Of course you matter, but what I see from abroad is by far a predominance of Boeberts, Kanyes, Kardashians, Musks, Trumps and friends. How the situation got as ugly?, something was given for granted???. One way of the other, it is what it is. The regular citizen is comfortable drinking Big Gulps, watching the game and ignoring the obvious. When those folks go to vote, they vote what is also more comfortable, what is more spectacular, what is simpler, and what he/she sees on the news. Happened in USA, happened in Brazil, happened in Argentina, happened in my country. BUUUUUT the difference is USA influences all over the world. Please do something to avoid “Idiocracy”, please.
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You look at that, and assume it’s all a dumpster fire, so yeah, that tells me you’re not getting the best of information about what is actually happening.
The same fucking way the far right started to get a foothold in other places.
Once again, you’re going off stereotypes about Americans, and not really engaging with the reality.
But thanks for your “concern” I guess.
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Assholes assumed most people didn’t give a shit and took advantage of apathy?
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The book banning movement is made of like five people.
Everyone just goes along because of it’s part of the Republican brand now.
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Indeed. And their active supporters are a vast minority of the country, even as they managed to carve out a media bully pulpit to spread their bullshit.
But once again, far too many people are willing to buy into those narratives and assume that most of us are lazy, right wing, racist assholes. I’m kind of sick of that…
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How did I guess that the authors last name is Gay?
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Midwesterner here and what they’ve said sums up the average Midwest resident pretty much to a T.
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Wait until they discover the works of Gay Talese
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Exactly. I work from South America as a consultant for a big company in Missouri. My boss told me on last election day “hey dude I am leaving for a couple of hours, but if the queue is long I will return right away. I do not care who wins, mehh, whatever”. He is an Accountant, with a PhD, educated, speaks two languages (a huge deal for Americans, regular everywhere else). On the other hand I met a girl once that participated in unions, politically concerned, informed. But she was / is an island in a sea of “mehhh whatevers”.
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What are the steps we can all follow to stop this idiocy? I’m honestly asking. Write to congress person(s)? What else?
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Yes, because stereotyping every single person in the midwest as a bigot is superhelpful… That Minnesota is such a red shithole, for example. What’s that you say? The governor is a member of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor party! But I heard all midwesterns are right wingers!!! /s
So, you’re basing your beliefs about what all Americans are like on two people. Cool, cool.
Vote the assholes out. Figure out a way to end partisan gerrymandering. Make fascists afraid to share their ignorant views in public again. But yeah, writing to your congresspersons is one thing you can do. Also: Join demonstrations against the far right. Financially support organizations pushing for progressive change. The same things that have always moved the needle, greater involvement on all our part, in whatever capacity you have to do so…
But what definitely does not help is assuming everyone who happens to live in one part of the country must be a backwards, ignorant, bigot and talking about how all “those” people are the “real” Americans. We’re all real Americans and its time that those of us who aren’t bigoted assholes do all we can to make our voices heard and to push back hard against this stuff. It can be done, because it was done before.
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When the reality is that the ugly part is a tiny island in a sea of regular people who you wouldn’t be able to pick out from regular people anywhere on the planet.
So, yeah, as @Mindysan33 hints at above, your view of the USA is like looking through a broken kaleidoscope.
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All of Michigan’s highest elected officials are Democrats, as is the majority in the house and senate. We definitely didn’t get to this point by being complacent, lazy and politically inactive.
But sure the midwest is a monolith of hayseed yokels chugging oversized sodas. 
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