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News & ArtsFriday, April 3, 2009
Books Way to Have a Spine, Booksellers
Posted by Paul Constant on Fri, Apr 3, 2009 at 3:44 PM
Mobylives points us toward a Chicago bookstore that canceled a reading by Bill Ayers because the store was receiving death threats.
The proprietors of Anderson’s Bookstore released a statement saying “We are not happy about having to make this decision. Bookstores play an integral part in the process by which ideas are disseminated and debated. Debate is essential in our society, and we take seriously our responsibility to promote ideas, including those that we personally do not endorse or condone …. This week freedom of speech was threatened.”Successfully, apparently.
A suburban Chicago newspaper has (a little bit) more information.
This is bullshit. I believe any bookstore that cancels a reading because of death threats has no business selling books. Locally, I can personally attest to the fact that bookstores can get death threats whenever any politically divisive figure—and by "politically divisive figure" I mean people like Jimmy Carter or Bill Clinton or Michael Moore—does a reading there. Locally, bookstores have had bomb threats, threats to the lives of the speakers, and other intimations of violence when hosting controversial speakers. And you know what? None of them have ever canceled a reading because of those threats. So thanks, Anderson's Bookstore: You've reminded me again that we have a great bunch of bookstores in Seattle.
2
I believe that any business that participates in PR for an admitted and unrepentant terrorist has no business staying in business.
Make no mistake: the guy has a right to write his book. Any really dumb bookstore owner has the right to offer him the publicity of a public reading. And the public has the right to villify said business and never patronize it again. Which is undoubtedly what said bookstore owner smarted up and realized when he exercized his right to cancel the event.
About the only ethical way I can imagine a form to include Ayers would be as an example of the moral bankruptcy of the failed vision of a small group of sociopaths who, in the sixties, managed to delude a far larger group into thinking they were "idealists".
Make no mistake: the guy has a right to write his book. Any really dumb bookstore owner has the right to offer him the publicity of a public reading. And the public has the right to villify said business and never patronize it again. Which is undoubtedly what said bookstore owner smarted up and realized when he exercized his right to cancel the event.
About the only ethical way I can imagine a form to include Ayers would be as an example of the moral bankruptcy of the failed vision of a small group of sociopaths who, in the sixties, managed to delude a far larger group into thinking they were "idealists".
3
If every bookseller in the country was as cool, progressive, courageous, and forthright as Seattle booksellers...
Then what would Seattle booksellers do to claim they were better than everyone else?
Then what would Seattle booksellers do to claim they were better than everyone else?
4
Wow--did someone threaten to blow up the store unless the store acceded to the bombers demands, perhaps delivered in the form of a "manifesto" recorded on a tape? Those people are really bad.
5
I'm guessing the irony of threatening violence against a business for offering a podium to a purported "terrorist" was lost on the threatener(s).
8
BTW, although this post says the store received death threats, the linked articles don't say they received any kind of threat.
9
Hay, that store is in my hometown! That article is from my local bullshit newspaper! I've been in that idiotic store! By the way that place is far from being a "Chicago bookstore." It's way out in the stupid, boring suburbs. Think the Sterling, Virginia sketch that Patton Oswaltt does. I'm kind of surprised that they took a controversial speaker at all considering what kind of store it is. Half of it's stock is children's and young adult books and a good chunk of the rest is religious. It makes the Barnes and Noble down the street look like a place for happenin' intellectuals. In any case, knowing the kind of people they usually get as speakers there I really doubt they have ever received a death threat before, so cut them some slack, okay? Not all bookstores serve the same purpose.
10
Agreed, Tesla, I'm also from Naperville, and I'm not suprised that this was canceled. Everything in that town is plainer than white bread.... Think the 'Truman Show'. Please do not judge Chicago by the reaction to this one event. Side note, bookstore owners are family friends, and actually quite nice, but highly conservative.
12
The title of the book - which you failed to mention - is RACE COURSE AGAINST WHITE SUPREMACY released on Feb. 15 by Third World Press after being held through the election to avoid harming Obama.
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