More than eight in 10 Americans don't think books depicting race, history, or ideas they disagree...

[demmiblue]

More than eight in 10 Americans don't think books depicting race, history, or ideas they disagree with should be banned.

Link to tweet

[dalton99a]

1. Kick

[Diamond_Dog]

2. If this is true

Why do these bigoted politicians who support this garbage keep getting elected to office?

[PatSeg]

3. Mind-boggling isn't it?

[Stinky The Clown]

4. My theory: Liberals have been demonized and they are voting AGAINST us, not FOR the loonies.

[CrispyQ]

5. This.

After Trump blew up the agricultural markets with his tariffs some reporter interviewed a group of farmers in Iowa or someplace like that, & reminded them of some great farming legislation that passed years before that was mostly the work of democrats & the farmers' response was, "Yeah, that was great legislation but I would never vote for a democrat."

The best we can hope for from a lot of them is that they're so disgusted with their party/candidate that they just don't vote.

[Diamond_Dog]

8. Sounds about right. I remember years ago

When the ACA was first implemented. A reporter was interviewing a woman in Kentucky. She was a single mom and she told the interviewer that she was able to take her daughter, who was six and had an ear infection, to the doctor for the first time since she was a baby. When pressed about how she voted in the last election, she said she was grateful for the affordable health insurance but she pulled the lever for the R because “I just couldn’t bring myself to vote for a Democrat.”

This is the kind of stupidity we’re up against.

[Richard58]

44. I saw something very similar.

I remember seeing a woman being interviewed right after the 2016 election. She was using the ACA to treat her out of control diabetes. Prior to this she never went to a doctor because she was too poor. When asked who she voted for she said she voted Republican. The interviewer said that the Republicans were against the ACA so why would she vote for a party that was going to take away her healthcare? She replied, and I quote, "I've always voted Republican so I figured why stop now?" I wanted to throw a brick at the television because I was so angry. I don't understand these idiots who vote against their own interests.

[Aristus]

12. Bullet, meet foot.

I'm often called cruel for not sympathizing with the plight of these hammerheads. But honestly, if you continually shoot yourself in the foot, don't come crying to me when you can't walk anymore.

[smirkymonkey]

11. Good theory.

But kind of scary at the same time.

[calimary]

33. And dammit, liberals shouldn't be shrinking violets!

I’m damn proud of being a liberal! And I’m not afraid to say so!

My liberal beliefs include freedom, compassion, empathy, patience, and encouragement of rights without dictating them. Honoring and accepting the individual without judgment. Remaining mindful of your community and how you fit in peacefully and and with consideration of others. Making room for all, because rainbows come in ALL colors, not just one. Support without shame. Accommodation but without compromise.

I make NO apologies for that. And I won’t back down or whine or make excuses for - or apologize for - how I see the world and how I function harmoniously within it.

Being a conservative is rigid and judgmental and closed, not open. It demands that everybody conforms to your cookie-cutter, no matter how selfish, miopic, antiquated, unrealistic, inhuman, intolerant, or prejudicial that may be. And that ain’t me.

I’m damn proud to be a liberal! And from everything I learned in 14 years of Catholic school, our Lord Jesus was a liberal.

[Evolve Dammit]

35. seems that way for sure. 40 years of Limbaugh and 30 years of Faux news

[brooklynite]

45. Um, 80 PERCENT means a lot of liberals are included in those numbers.

[Rabrrrrrr]

50. Yep. It's all about "owning the libtards" nowadays.

That's why the GOP has introduced basically no ideas at all for the last 20+ years - they're just "against". They would much rather keep us from getting anything done versus accomplishing of their own. And some of what they have initiated, they do so knowing that it will either fail or be struck down by the courts.

Like DeSantis going after Disney - he has to know there's not a chance in hell he'll win, but he'll get $tens of millions of free campaign money by saying "I fought the giant! I fought it for Christian values! I fought it for you! And you see how rigged the system is against white Christian guys!! (send me your money)"

Politicians who bring up bullshit/bogus legislation simply as a form of grandstanding so that they get a lot of publicity should be punished for violating campaign finance laws.

[Hekate]

6. Gerrymandering helps them, a lot

[Ray Bruns]

10. All depends who shows up on election day.

[Caliman73]

13. Because they frame the discussion differently.

They tell gullible people that their "history" or "heritage" or "parental rights" are being attacked. They arouse their base emotionally by talking about "those people" or "grooming" or "radical left" all of which have no real definition to those gullible people but which trigger them emotionally.

[IronLionZion]

14. Their voters feel more strongly about it

it drives turnout and CRT has been a winning issue for them. Our side isn't as passionate about it.

[AZProgressive]

17. ?Are we sure it is a winning issue

The Trump administration had one of those CRT bans and he still lost the election.

In Youngkin’s race he had a surge of older voters and base turnout was higher for the Republican side. The point is the analytics didn’t match up with the conventional wisdom. Also those math books that were banned didn’t contain anything close to Critical Race Theory which is post graduate course taught in law school.

I can tell you teachers unions are passionate about this since these laws are directly impacting them.

[IronLionZion]

19. It shouldn't be but it seems to drive turnout for them

Voters don't know what it is. And Florida is also banning LGBT stuff from schools. GOP seem to think it's a winning issue for them in several states.

[maxsolomon]

15. Because bullshit works.

Propaganda works.

Also, American voters are flibberdigibbets.

[Wednesdays]

22. Flibbertigibbets

I had to look up that one. It's not a new word--it's been around since the Middle Ages.


Flibbertigibbet is a Middle English word referring to a flighty or whimsical person, usually a young woman. In modern use, it is used as a slang term, especially in Yorkshire, for a gossipy or overly talkative person.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flibbertigibbet

[maxsolomon]

24. I try to think of a better word that describes a low-information voter

who'd vote for Bush Sr. then Clinton, then Bush Jr., or for Obama, then Trump, then Biden, and that's the best I've ever come up with.

I learned it from the Mother Superior in Sound of Music: "A flibbertijibbet! A will-o’-the wisp! A clown!".

I have a diminishing respect for the intelligence of the American Voter.

[jaxexpat]

27. Tattoos eat brain cells.

Making it impossible to anticipate the future in any context. Tomorrow? Just a rumor. Next month? Do I have to pay rent again? Next year? I might win the lottery or my mom might win the lottery and give me it. Old age? Stuff happens to old people so stay away from them.

[ShazzieB]

38. What do tattoos have to do with anything?

This theory doesn't work for me, because I know loads of liberals with tattoos, especially in the younger age groups. They were associated with people considered "lower class" (for lack of a better term), the less educated, criminals, etc., when I was growing up in the 50s and 60s, but it hasn't been that way for quite a while. Ask any Gen Xer, Millennial, or Zoomer, and they'll tell you tattoos are quite mainstream now, as far as they're concerned.

It's true you can tell a lot about people from the content of their tattoos, but making assumptions based purely on whether they have any tats of any kind is not likely to yield any reliable data.

[ChazInAz]

37. How about "Clotpoll"?

[maxsolomon]

49. Never heard of that. Pretty obscure but I like it.

A variant of "Clodpole", which is nice and alliterative.

It isn't in a Rodgers and Hammerstein song everyone knows, though.

[uponit7771]

16. +1, because they own the messaging getting help from the outside

[DetroitLegalBeagle]

25. Simple

Its a combination of 2 things. Mainly, this isn't an important issue for most of the voting public. They have an opinion on it but don't care enough about it for it to affect their vote. Secondly, for the handful of people who this IS important too, they skew more so on the side who support banning them and they make sure they vote for it. This is the similar issue to gun control. Much of the population agrees with some gun control proposals, but ultimately don't care about it enough about it to actually vote specifically for it. On the other side, pro gun people have a high propensity of being a single issue voter and a politicians stance on gun control will make or break their support of them. Therefore little gets done because the choice a politician has to make is support something that will not gain them much support but guarantees they will stoke a passionate group of voters against them.

[wryter2000]

30. My guess

Outright banning is different than removing from schools. I think you'd get a different response if you asked that question.

I'm pretty sure a large majority would agree those books shouldn't be removed from schools, either, though. And I'm certainly against doing that. IMHO, schools with trained teachers are exactly where those subjects should be taught, along with lessons about being skeptical about "everyone knows that..."

[sakabatou]

36. Because they want to keep their base and feed them red meat

[sinkingfeeling]

7. Proving the general public has more sense than GQP elected officials.

[Ligyron]

9. As usual, out of step with the vast majority of American citizens.

Problem is those views are associated with the label "Democrat".

[Silent3]

18. If you just as "banned" instead of "used in classrooms" you'll get much different answers

Simply asking if books should be banned, which out of context many people will take as a total ban everywhere, isn't the issue that's drawing so-called "concerned parents" to fall for the latest Republican red meat.

[thesquanderer]

41. Good point about the ambiguity. Similarly, the use of "ever" skews it.

For example, maybe someone thinks criticizing U.S. history or depicting slavery should never be part of a book aimed at second or third graders. Agree or disagree, that's not an indefensible position. And if you think such a book should be banned from a curriculum, or from a section of a school library, that can mean a Yes vote. All you have to think of is ONE situation where you think such a book should not be permitted, and the use of the word "ever" could prompt someone to vote "yes."

[Marthe48]

20. Just who are the bullies representing?

Just themselves I guess.

There is no way a 13% minority of dunces should have this much say over our country. The bullying needs to stop. NOW.

[Bucky]

21. Still can't wrap my head around the 13% saying books SHOULD be banned for showing slavery

[hay rick]

23. Translation by a Republican...

I personally would never ban books, but if somebody I wanted to vote for banned books, I wouldn't hold it against them.

[ripcord]

26. But we are fine with college students who block speakers who's views they don't agree with n/t

[The Jungle 1]

28. How did we become minority rule?

What republicans did was create the teabaggers 2.0
Look squirrel! Thing is it works for them and helps destroy our country. Teachers are quitting in droves.

[Sneederbunk]

29. Surprising. I thought there was a Deplorable 1/3.

[infullview]

31. Well, if your intent is to create a new Orwellian order then

You need to implement "newspeak" and make sure all education is made simple so people don't have the ability to think abstract thoughts anymore. Only then can you truly control the masses.

[Paula Sims]

32. Banning ANY book sickens me...

My parents weforced to flee Ukraine while the were children in the 1940s (Dad was 20 and from Володимир, 200 mi to the south in Львів, Mom was 10). In both cases they were forced to read and think in a way that was safe. Either the German or Russian way. It sickened them.

Luckily they raised my brother and me to question, learn, and read , ESPECIALLY that with which we disagree. I have read Mein Kampf in German and English (subtlety makes a difference), Das Kapital in English and Russian and German, and yes, I watch Bill Mahr, Fox Noise, and other stuff that makes me vomit. Why? To learn their talking points, thei arguments, their perspective. I do not plan on converting anyone but I can hold my own in an argument.

If parents are afraid of books influencing their childen -- good!! That's the job of a book. To make a person think. If parents are afraid of their children not following the parents' teaching -- guess the parents didn't do a good job instilling and reinforcing their values. I am 57 - I went to Ukrainian school, every Saturday for 16 years, Ukrainian church every Sunday (4 hours!!!). I am more Ukrainian today than I ever was. I understand the current situation, the Russians, and Putin (personally I believe he has malignant narcissistic personality disorder). I am my own person with my own thoughts. Thanks to books...

Oh, and by the way, I am severely dislexic.

I blame this on a decline in teaching civics, literature (esp the Bible as literature), philosopy and logics, and liberal arts. Now we have employyes that are great at programming but can't think their way out of a wet paper bag. But that's for another post...

Слава Україні

Paula

[Grins]

34. Doesn't matter what 80% think.

Republicans will STILL ban them because THEY want to.

73% of Americans want Roe v. Wade to be left alone.
Republicans don’t care.

Overwhelming majorities want to end gerrymandering, want clean air and water, want to preserve nature and national parks, want safe schools, want politics-free courts, want affordable education, child care, and health care, and more - Republicans don’t care.

[twodogsbarking]

39. Two out of ten Americans are really fucked up.

[randr]

40. This majority of Americans needs to find a collective voice

and start yelling as loud as they can.

[Paladin]

42. Book banners are never the "Good Guys."

No need for a history degree to realize that.

[MissMillie]

43. And yet somehow it's an issue at school board meetings across Red State America

A very tiny band of very loud idiots causes a world of hurt for educators around the country.

It'd be easy to marvel at that thought if it were not for TFG's election, presidency, and insurgency.

[packman]

46. That 17% to 13%, I would wager, are die-hard Repuke Evangelists

That is the backbone of the Republican party.

[Initech]

48. And also the backbone of MAGA / Trump voters.

They say they hate cancel culture when they are secretly for it.

[Initech]

47. Banning books is banning free speech.