Weapons against the P: Libraries

Ignorance is bliss. It is also the most common weapon used against the poor and disadvantaged. There are a few lingering bastions of hope that limp on in the desolate landscape of the underprivileged American city and one is: The Library.

Libraries are one of the last rest stops on the road to enlightenment and perhaps the final oasis when it comes to this countries interest in education. Truth is, the stability of the library system does not exist based on the governments and body politics dedication to education and mental prosperity of their citizens; but as bragging points, tax-breaked historical landmarks and family attractions used to lure the outside public into the real estate market. Greed and manipulation lie churning at the core, but luckily, we noble dregs can get to indulge in the creamy after thought that is it's byproduct: free information.

Best thing anyone can do is donate a book. Any book, all books, about anything, ever! The sharing of free information, which lead to things like... um... the internet, is a capitalist nightmare. If it is worth knowing, it is worth having a price tag. The unfortunate thing for the corporation is the innate human trait that allows retention and translation, if we didn't have that, well revenue would reach the heavens. But we can read, remember, process and pass on. Hooray for us.

With that in mind let's talk about your personal responsibility to get smarter! Yep, gonna force a new requirement down your throat, so if you don't want to hear it, you can skip down. YOU SHOULD BE LEARNING SOMETHING NOW! School is a brilliant scheme. Force feed knowledge in predefined standards, curriculum and calendar years until the pupil hones in on that one day when he/she/it can say: "YES! I'm done! No more learning for this fucker! Time for a trip to the Ed Hardy Store!"

The despising of personal growth and knowledge is a key formula in maintaining the submission of any population. Asking "why" is a wise man's game, and wise men don't spend money! Better to build up a subconscious hatred of knowledge and let the cattle chew their cud. As for those fierce minds that never sacrifice their internal interest to expand the borders of their minds... well there is a plan for you assholes too!

On the other side of the coin are the saturators! Here is an overflow of information (now seemingly in the dominant electronic method) to fill the wanton intellect with mountains of useless, constant, petty, inarticulate and over-packaged drivel. Squeezing more links, more ads, more feeds, more headlines, more blogs, more tags, more galleries, more displays, more tweets, more posts, more comments, and more data into basic information that the user eventual has a mental "bleed out" with no focus and no drive. The information superhighway is now congested and lined with billboards and exits only to the mega-mall and multiplex.

Books are a threat because they are simple, focused and direct. That is why the ebook reader craze is such a forced issue. If technology is allowed to supply the hard copy reader, then it will be no time at all when the seduction of "free" information will draw the reader into "ad supported" documentation. Customizable settings and distracting option displays will linger the mind away from thought and content and the self indulgent desire for "interactivity" will dilute the messages of authors... if any still remain.

I love the advertising for ebook technology as well. "Great for people who travel because now they can have a whole library of books with them where ever they go!" How many people do you know who travel finish more than three books in any amount of travel to a particular destination? Oh, how I yearn for the day when weary travelers no longer have to drag their extensive tomes of fiction in heavy, dilapidated wagons through the unforgiving x-ray machine at the airport! Bullshit. Oh and fuck the environment angle as well, make solar powered ebook readers, then you can have that argument.

But we were talking about libraries, right? The necessity of the survivor to make an active effort to seek out new knowledge? Well, I'm sure you know why, but I will tell you anyways:

Knowledge is power. Free knowledge is limitless power. Knowledge will fuel your hate and distract you from your chains... until you learn how to break them. We all have our fixes with the "new" and the "popular," (which, if what the author has to say is valuable enough and you can dip into the mac n' cheese fund, then go for it) but there is so much just sitting in there that you can dive it into without having to dive into your wallet. The unknown will give you perspective and the access to that is unrestricted and usually ignored.

The other awesome fact is that humans are stupid and couldn't possibly grasp the total wealth of information in any library (including an elementary school one) so you can practically pick any location and have a virtual Elysium until you die from cancer!

Libraries also enforce silence. A hidden art to most Americans. BUT HEY, don't our governments and rich want us to be silent!? Nope, they just don't want you to be heard, there is a difference. Noise is essential, it confuses, flusters and overwhelm, it is a very useful tool.. but I will save that for a later day. Quiet makes you truly think, concentrate and study. Silence allows you retain. That's why shutting up is such a hard thing to do in the modern world, because as I stated before, we don't want to learn. (We'll also get to listening later as well, in case you give a shit)

So if you haven't been able to guess my politics on this then here it is in plain American:

Put the fucking device down. Read for real. Learn something.

The greatest mistake of the greedy enemy is the fact that they think that the new market in delivering information will flourish and lead to the end of the hard copy. However, their is a great value in hand-me-downs and as the saying goes: "One man's trash is another man's treasure." This is never so important than with information.

The hard copy promotes one final gem that has been forgotten in the digital age... sharing. Not file sharing, fuckers, but actual loan and return of a physical valuable object. Sharing a book derives the knowledge from the source and then allows it to be carried on to the next (literally). The physical "carrying" requires some form of personal accountability. This is another dry-rot of our society that has cost us as a whole.

To suit the form; some final thoughts:

Did I mention it was free?

You have no excuse. All roads, buses and walking paths lead to a library, so go. And if you try that whole "late-charge argument" thing about cost, then you are done in this world. It's all waiting for you, if you don't want it, you don't deserve it.

Look at all this shit

Libraries have more than books. I like audio books for driving and computer catalog systems for random searches on shit. If you're a die hard traditionalist, they still have books upon books and stuffy librarians. Hell, most libraries now have all the digital media, periodicals and tech crap that the truly electronically enslaved need as well, so once again... no excuse.

Make a game out of it

One of the best things is discovery. I like to pick at random something based on either title or cover art. This has been both successful and disastrous, but it has always been engaging. I am always finding someone new to hate and something entirely tragic and embarrassing to learn about, but hasn't cost me a dime and has kept me distracted from the lump of harden coal I pass in the middle of the night when all the 99 cent store food congeals into a solid mass in my colon. Hey, a good book may keep you from slitting your wrist on the subway, or get you around to finally doing it, who knows?

So as this rant-train comes to it's last stop for the day, think about giving you're electronic slave-master a rest, and curling up with a good free book, from your good free library (or shitty library) and let the daylight be your lamp and the words be as "interactive" as your mind wishes them to be.