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Comment by deanCommie | Hacker News Reader

Hypothetically, what would you say if the subject was The Holocaust, and would you say that a library that was under pressure for having books about it should carry books that deny it ever happened to show that they’re neutral and carry both sides?

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Yes, this is US, not Europe. There are no laws against denying historical events.

If people really want to read things like that, then the publicly funded local liberal should carry them.

In fact, many US public libraries already do carry such books. Here's a search for books by David Irving in the catalogue of Brooklyn Public Library. [1] He is often accused of being a Holocaust denier. [2]

[1]: https://www.bklynlibrary.org/search?search=david+irving

[2]: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Irving

> If people really want to read things like that, then the publicly funded local liberal should carry them.

Do US libraries typically offer books that glorify 9/11? (I mean the second 9/11 of 2001, not the first of 1973.)

> Do US libraries typically offer books that glorify 9/11?

I don't know any such books. If you have a specific one in mind, I will check to see.

But they do carry 9/11 truther books [1], which often claim that it was "an inside job" or "a hoax" or something.

[1]: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/9/11_truth_movement

If they did there is a protected right to carry such materials. These same draconian censorship rules removed Maus, a kids book, from libraries.

> Maus, a kids book

If Maus were rated according to TV standards, there's no way it'd get less than TV-14. Unless you think shows rated TV-14 can be kids' shows, I think that disqualifies it as a kids' book.

> If Maus were rated according to TV standards, there's no way it'd get less than TV-14. Unless you think shows rated TV-14 can be kids' shows,

Are 14 year olds adults?

No, but 8 year old are kids too and Maus is definitely not for them.

In the world of fiction, they are very decidedly YA. So, yes.

Maus might be a “comic” (graphic novel) but isn’t really a “kids” book.

Pretty sure the Maus case was on no longer using it in the syllabus.

It was still in the library.

The board voted to remove it from the curriculum. But they removed it because they thought it was inappropriate for adult supervised 8th graders. Leaving it in a library where younger children could read it alone would be strange. How do you know it was still in the library? I checked 3 articles. None said.

The school board doesn't run the public library. You can search the local library's catalogue here, to confirm they do have Maus: https://tenv.agverso.com/?cid=TENV&lid=FISHER

No one said public library. Schools have libraries too.

> Do US libraries typically offer books that glorify 9/11?

I don't know the titles of any such books to search for, but my local public library has several books by notorious holocaust denier David Irving. So probably they wouldn't have a problem with a pro-9/11 book either.

edit: I didn't read the thread carefully, looks like Cato already pointed this out.

Holocaust denial laws are not a general European thing, they exist mostly in formerly axis countries. And general laws against denying historical events even less so.

Opposing censorship doesn't make you a Nazi. I agree that librarians should be paid more though.

First of all, those are erroneous and egregious comparisons. Secondly, it's quite possible that your local public library might have a copy of The Anarchist Cookbook [1]. For example, NYPL does carry it. [2]

[1]: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Anarchist_Cookbook

[2]: https://browse.nypl.org/iii/encore/record/C__Rb21741991

> books on how to commit murder, torture, arson, or mass shootings in a school?

The Anarchists Cookbook used to be found in libraries. I'd hope it still is, along with books on energetic backyard chemistry. Not a 100% match, but in the ballpark.

> photo books portraying motorcycle crash victims or war casualties?

Not sure about motorcycles, but I'm sure you can find war casualties. Napalm girl https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phan_Thi_Kim_Phuc at the very least.

> Hard core rape pornography?

Libraries do not typically carry porn. In fact, that's part of what the detractors would say this is about - that the pro-trans books sometimes contain pornographic images. (Of course, no one cares about 50 Shades or bodice rippers...)

the pro-trans book actually did contain pornographic content and it was one of the reasons it should not be on display for kids

Since you're throwing this accusation around like confetti, the article explicitly states the book was in the adult section.

doesn't change the fact that teenagers (the most vulnerable population to fake trans dysphoria) can and will read this book.

If you ever been to library, kids section is for elementary/middle school, but high schoolers absolutely do read adult section books

Teenagers choosing for themselves to seek this book out in the adult section is a teensy tiny bit different than it "be[ing] on display for kids", don't you think? Do you just habitually lie to people? Can you simply not help yourself but make things seem worse than they are?

it is not different, you seem like haven't visited public library for a very long time. If you ever been to libraries in heavy left-leaning woke towns, like Mountain View Public Library, you would see trans books on display in kids area and in Curated by librarian section.

I'd like to see proof of that

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