Book-swapping on library or store displays...idiotic or merely immature?

[Richardo]

Poll question: Book-swapping on library or store displays...idiotic or merely immature?

We've seen one thread after another that some people think it's the height of hilarity, wit and political expression to go to a bookstore or library and cover right-wing books with liberal books. Of course, Freepers think the same thing, covering left-wing books with the spawn of Regnery Publishing.

Little if any thought is given to the following facts:

1) If it's a national bookstore chain, display space is mandated by the vagaries of Marketing and little or no control is exercised at the store level.

2) The cost involved in inventory, re-shelving and non-productive searching for books is ultimately borne by the customer, or in the case of libraries, we the tax-paying people.

3) In addition, in-store assistance can be adversely affected because time is spent re-shelving, or, the books sought are not where they are supposed to be.

4) A lot of liberals are the first to (rightly) invoke the first amendment when the other side tries to stifle free speech or dissent.

5) The first amendment works both ways.

6) Many booksellers/librarians, being avid readers and therefore more enlightened than most, are progressives also, and are being made to work that much harder to keep up with maintenance for at best a spurious reason.

[sniffa]

1. where's the choice for

"i work in a bookstore and have to constantLy cLean up after you LittLe punks?"

[Richardo]

5. See #6 - which is of course MY answer.

:D sniffa!

[mrboba1]

2. hahaha! I laugh every time I do this...

check this out, no one's ever done this before: every time I go in, I put sex books in the religion section!!!

*snicker*

...ooohhh... it's a choice here?

:D

[felonious thunk]

3. It changes the world

Oh, man, I can tell you how many people's political viewpoints were changed by this.

[Richardo]

8. It's how I became a liberal. Someone put "Anarchist's Cookbook"

...over the "Conscience of a Conservative" and the rest is history.

[felonious thunk]

9. For me...

It was when they put The Jungle on top of Atlas Shrugged. That was one smart liberal!

[DBtv]

4. "If any of you HOMOS touch my books, I have to kill you!"

Lighten up, Francis.

[GOPisEvil]

6. I think it's childish.

I despise the conservatives and their crappy books, but if someone wants to reveal their low intellect by buying one, that is their business. A bookstore should be one of the last bastions of free speech. Just because someone has a criminally stupid idea, it's not for me to say that it can't be printed and displyed.

[Wickerman]

7. Its nearly, not quite, on par with stealing opposing campaign signs

[HughBeaumont]

10. Must everyone resort to scolding on this one?

Calling people immature and all? Isn't there a better way to get through to people?

[Richardo]

11. Read this thread and see if the first word that comes to mind is 'mature'

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x2318358

I'm just sayin'

[Christof]

12. I think it's immature.

It doesn't accomplish anything, right?

Free Speech is intended for EVERYONE--the left, the right, the middle, the up, the down, anyone. I hate it when someone silences me. I'm sure the right hate it when someone silences them, right?

Besides, it gives the employees more work to do. We don't want them to get extra work, eh?

[sangh0]

13. If you get rid of the "extra" work

the bookstores will get rid of the "extra" employees

[sangh0]

14. Neither

1) Don't care what the corporate bosses want

2) Good!! If prices get high enough, people will use the libraries. Corporate profits will go down for the corps that insist Bush* books go on top, and libraries will benefit from the support of readers. Also, at the library, people pay an appropriate price for crappy book, and get a bargain on the good ones.

3) Good. I don't see why I should care about the service levels of a for-profit corp

4) It has nothing to do with the 1st Amendment. The 1st limits the GOVERNMENT's power to censor. It does nothing to limit MY actions.

5) See #4. It helps to read the Consitution.

6) Most bookstores are owned by behemoth corporations, and the owners don't give a damn about progressive values.

[Richardo]

15. Have fun with your fellow anarchists.

1) Don't care what the corporate bosses want. Yeah, we'll just all live at the collective. Who needs a job?

2) Good!! If prices get high enough, people will use the libraries. Corporate profits will go down for the corps that insist Bush* books go on top, and libraries will benefit from the support of readers. Also, at the library, people pay an appropriate price for crappy book, and get a bargain on the good ones. ..and where will this public funding come from? In case you haven't noticed, libraries are at the top of every list for budget cuts. Hours, librarians, books, and facilities all are disappearing. Plus what better way to promulgate a political philosophy than through political funding?

3) Good. I don't see why I should care about the service levels of a for-profit corp. You're a DREAM customer! Say that next time your airline is 3 hours late and double booked. Or when your restaurant meal is cold. Or when you're waiting in line at the grocery store.

4) It has nothing to do with the 1st Amendment. The 1st limits the GOVERNMENT's power to censor. It does nothing to limit MY actions. It still gets invoked.

5) See #4. It helps to read the Consitution. See #4. It helps to read the Consitution.

6) Most bookstores are owned by behemoth corporations, and the owners don't give a damn about progressive values. Who said anything about the owners? I was talking about the workers. Solidarity, comrade. :eyes:

[sangh0]

16. Anarchist?

Are you sure you can't do better than name-calling?

1) Got a job, and it probably requires more education that your does. It probably pays more, too.

2) More library patrons will mean less corp profit, and more political support for libraries

3) I don't fly. I cook my own meals, and grow a good deal of it. When I buy food, it's at local stores where the owners know my name. If you don't get good service, maybe you should get to know the owner by name.

Oh wait!! You can't. The owner of B&N would never set foot in your neighborhood.

4) SO does the Bible. I don't care what dummies invoke.

5) See #4

6) You spoke of the owners, and the workers are not progressive. They're underpaid.