The Kindle Monologues

thelibrarianontherun:

Should the value of a local independent bookstore be measured in more than dollars and cents?

“Part of the argument is that [they think] something is going to happen to the culture…that people are going to read less and it’s going to be very bad for literature,” he said. “I think that some of the smarter bookstores will survive, but I’m mostly reacting to the idea that if bookstores die, literature dies, and I think that’s obviously not true.”

But Saul argues that stores like hers do foster a literary culture: “We do offer a gathering space, a place where there’s human interaction, which I think is often a very good thing.”

Can you think of another “gather space, a place where there’s human interaction?” - How about, a library? Bookstores may disappear, but Lord help us if our libraries do.

It’s nice to know that the proprietor of Type Books - the bookstore where this video, which ends with that ooh so elitist claim “There’s nothing quite like a real book” believes that it’s not a question of “either or”, when it comes to physical books and eBooks.

As for “cultural” gathering of people - you could argue the same applies to sporting events. The 20 sporting clubs that make up the English Preimer league, have an average attendance per club, of 34,445 people, per weekend. Now, while there are those who would consider the notion of the Premier League being worthy of classification as culture, in the same vein as independent bookstores, or libraries laughable - think about it for a moment.

• [For the most part] Football is a family friendly environment. Yes, there are still issues to be dealt with - the issue of homophobia within the sport, the fact that certain clubs do still harbour a racial undercurrent - but on the whole, it’s a family friendly event.
• Football has - current race issues not withstanding, helped knock down barriers between communities / people from different ethnicities. There’s still alot to be done, but as a sport, it’s come a long way from the dark days of the 1980s, when black players such as Cyrille Regis, were sent bullets through the post, on the eve of his debut for the England National team.
• Despite the fact a number of top flight footballers appear to be as thick as a plank of wood, football clubs work hard, at encouraging children to stop in school, and continue with their education. Most clubs have community out reach programmes, targeted at “vulnerable” children, that attempt to steer them away from making decisions that could harm themselves, families, and others.

There are plenty more examples - not only of how football could be attributed the same degree of cultural significance as bookstores and libraries, but of other sporting events that could also apply.