Bok og bibliotek
02.11.2017
As director for the office for intellectual freedom in the American Library Association you work with issues concerning censorship and restrictions every day.
How would you describe the main challenges in your work?
There are four worrisome streams in the river of American culture. The first is a surge of parental over-protectiveness. This is a cycle in our history. Right now, all children are heavily supervised in ways that sometimes prevent children from exploring, and developing resilience.
Second is a deep suspicion of the public sector. Education and libraries are an example of public infrastructure under attack from commercial interests. Funding is falling. It is much easier to control consumers than critical-thinking citizens.
The need for complex answers
Third is a persistent strain of anti-intellectualism and sexual puritanism in America. We tend to prefer simple answers to complex questions, with little patience for the objectivity and patience of science. The fourt
Gå til medietThere are four worrisome streams in the river of American culture. The first is a surge of parental over-protectiveness. This is a cycle in our history. Right now, all children are heavily supervised in ways that sometimes prevent children from exploring, and developing resilience.
Second is a deep suspicion of the public sector. Education and libraries are an example of public infrastructure under attack from commercial interests. Funding is falling. It is much easier to control consumers than critical-thinking citizens.
The need for complex answers
Third is a persistent strain of anti-intellectualism and sexual puritanism in America. We tend to prefer simple answers to complex questions, with little patience for the objectivity and patience of science. The fourt
