With signature modesty, the ‘protestors’ assert some imagined territorial and proprietary claim to a shared space that these self-indulgent shit stains are merely passing through, while deliberately frustrating anyone else’s attempt to use the space for its intended purpose. They disregard normal boundaries and behave obnoxiously, selfishly, because it makes them feel important, and powerful.
And yet they imagine themselves as righteous and heroic.
The Librarian is a faculty member, and so he must have once been a human wizard. A strong wave of magic, altering reality, transformed the Librarian into an orang-utan, Pongo pongo, native of Bhangbhangduc and nearby islands; at that time, his colleagues still remembered how he looked as a human (The Light Fantastic). Back then, wizards were much too busy to help him get back to his original human form (although there is no record of his asking for help, either). After things settled down, the Librarian's colleagues found that he liked being an orang-utan, and fought all efforts to transform him back to human. The Librarian found out that opposable toes come in very handy when climbing up the book-shelves and sorting books. Also, a very large and strong orang-utan has more plausible arguments when talking about dog-ears and overrun return deadlines. Although the senior wizards looked very hard for one, there are no rules in the university constitution forbidding an orang-utan to be a member of the college council.
Sadly not unlike libraries in the UK now. I went to one after not visiting one for about twenty years, and the difference was palpable.
Where once a stern librarian enforced quiet to allow others to read, now it was practically bedlam. Twats lounging around talking loudly on phones, groups loudly conversing, even a fucking creche in the corner with small kids running around screaming.
Presumably enforcing quiet now is not 'inclusive', so anything goes. Every time I hear a weepy appeal about local councils being unable to fund libraries (they can, of course), I remember what it was like.
At the end as he walks away someone shouts “....back to Beijing”.
It’s indistinct, but I think what’s being shouted is actually “Whose university is this?” So not a racial comment, but quite presumptuous.
It’s not unlike barging into a church, a synagogue or a funeral service and then belching loudly and repeatedly, before congratulating yourself for your own imagined daring. Selfish disregard somehow construed as righteousness.
Another analogy comes to mind. You book a hotel room and then spend the night running up and down the corridors, banging on doors and shouting through a megaphone. When challenged by the manager and other guests, you look indignant and shout “Whose hotel is this?”
... while deliberately frustrating anyone else’s attempt to use the space for its intended purpose.
The purpose is to be obnoxious, not to persuade or to even express displeasure at some (imaginary) offense. After all, it's hard to imagine a modern, left-leaning university library being chock full of the sort of people the miscreants are seeking to evangelize. The whole episode is merely a bunch of wankers trying to slap an SJW patina on there on childishness.
And, being self-indulgent wankers, the quiet was only temporary, lasting maybe five seconds. Because the protestors’ need for loud and fatuous grandstanding overrides the needs of anyone else trying to study or do actual work.
With signature modesty, the ‘protestors’ assert some imagined territorial and proprietary claim to a shared space that these self-indulgent shit stains are merely passing through, while deliberately frustrating anyone else’s attempt to use the space for its intended purpose. They disregard normal boundaries and behave obnoxiously, selfishly, because it makes them feel important, and powerful.
And yet they imagine themselves as righteous and heroic.
What they’re indulging in is basically a public self-congratulation session. They’re announcing themselves, quite loudly and at length, as pious and therefore superior. Chiefly by barking slogans through a megaphone for half an hour and listing all of the ‘isms’ and ‘phobias’ that they claim to oppose. It’s a collision of preening and spite. That this grandstanding is done at the expense of others - by imposing on hundreds of people needlessly, gratuitously, and by making it impossible for those people to work – and is therefore strikingly selfish - doesn’t seem to register as an issue. Because they frame their own colossal self-indulgence as an attempt to ‘educate’.
And because they’re too busy shouting about how righteous they think they are.
Librarians are some of the most consistently, virulently leftist of academic staff. They control what books are in the library, and they use that power ruthlessly.
Where once a stern librarian enforced quiet to allow others to read, now it was practically bedlam.
I know around here there seems to be a powerful movement to turn libraries into a kind of community center, providing activities and services completely unrelated to the housing and cataloguing of books, even in cities that already have ample community centers.
If only he'd followed up with a swinging leg kick, knocking the insufferable idiot with the megaphone into a bottomless pit, that would have made my day.
I think the barista thing is a parody but it's an excellent one.
The tell is the ending, plus a few phrases that sounded kinda fishy, such as "As a Hillary Clinton supporter, I only care about other people's dreams."
Don't know that anyone other than the barista was in on it though.
It’s interesting just how often “social justice” posturing entails something that looks an awful lot like spite or petty malice, or an attempt to harass and dominate, or some other obnoxious behaviour. Behaviour that, without a “social justice” pretext, might get you called a wanker or a bitch. A coincidence, I’m sure.
Lessee . . . attempting to claim that a library is a location for staging a rally . . . According to current headlines, I believe such a claim is now known as an alternative fact, with the literate and adult still referring to that as lying . . .
"As a Hillary Clinton supporter, I only care about other people's dreams."
The sentence following that should be "That's all right I'll tell you what to dream."
I know logic and self reflection are not awfully common in leftist circles. But I don't think the librarian or the people being annoyed had equal power to the yelling mob.
Secondly how can a large group of people have equal power? Or is that another way of saying you have no power but like everyone is special means that nobody is.
Members of a university have ample opportunity to debate. That, to a large extent is what universities are for. There are informal conversations with fellow students, informal conversations which also include senior members of the university, more formal debates in clubs and societies set up for that purpose, student publications and so on. If there isn't a forum to explore what you want to explore, then you can easily set up a club to enable you and those of similar mind to do just that. While at university, the people around you are open to engagement and inclined to be indulgent.
If you find yourself at university and unable to express yourself except in the manner seen in the clip above, then you probably shouldn't be at university. You're wasting time and money. You are, in short, a twat.
I really think (hope) that starbucks video is a parody, if for no other reason than that women took her shrieky adrenaline dump for over two minutes and no one intervened to tell her to shut the hell up and move along.
On the note of the changing role of libraries, I have realised that my local definately falls into the 'community centre' variety. There is a kids play area full of bleepy bloopy toys right next to the 'study desks'. Twice a week there is a 'infant music session' where mums bring their babies and toddlers and childrens music about friends and colours is blasted through the building. They need to play the music very loud as at least one third of the babies are crying at any one time.
I wish they would just use the actual community centre that is across the road but that is usually pretty booked up with those on the methadone program.
Re: A mob yelling about how they've got power: the political veneer is awfully thin on this one.
Re: Library Man, a.k.a. the hero 2017 needs: there are few things more emblematic of civilisation, in my view, than a library. I love this guy: "This is a library." And then he walks away. He doesn't need to say anything else, because it's all clearly implied: the hollowness of the protest, its anti-civilisational nature, etc, etc.
It doesn't even matter that it didn't really work there and then. Clearly a few of them were rattled, knowing deep down that what he said (and implied) is true. Maybe they felt too silly to walk away at the time, but hopefully they'll think better of it next time.
A video that neatly sums up why China could supplant the US as no.1 superpower. I bet the shouty morons are taking degrees in worthless/angry studies, while the Chinese chap is doing something rather more useful.
Student left in a nutshell. :-)
Posted by: John D | January 24, 2017 at 07:36
It does rather capture a default dynamic.
Posted by: David | January 24, 2017 at 07:38
"Who's got the power?"
"We got the power!"
"Kids! Kids! Time for bed!"
Posted by: Hopp Singg | January 24, 2017 at 07:39
2017 needed a hero.
He answered the call.....
Posted by: Tman | January 24, 2017 at 07:47
That put a smile on my face.
Posted by: Jen | January 24, 2017 at 07:47
Student left in a nutshell. :-)
With signature modesty, the ‘protestors’ assert some imagined territorial and proprietary claim to a shared space that these self-indulgent shit stains are merely passing through, while deliberately frustrating anyone else’s attempt to use the space for its intended purpose. They disregard normal boundaries and behave obnoxiously, selfishly, because it makes them feel important, and powerful.
And yet they imagine themselves as righteous and heroic.
Posted by: David | January 24, 2017 at 07:54
At he end as he walks away someone shouts '....back to Beijing'. Such tolerence.
Posted by: Timbo | January 24, 2017 at 08:04
They disregard normal boundaries and behave obnoxiously, selfishly, because it makes them feel important, and powerful.
If only there were some grown-ups left on campus to tell them that.
Fancy the job?
Posted by: Martin | January 24, 2017 at 08:07
Fancy the job?
Why yes! Right after I take blood samples from these sharks.
Posted by: Hopp Singg | January 24, 2017 at 08:09
Fancy the job?
Before the end of the first week there’d be a suspicious electrical fire.
Posted by: David | January 24, 2017 at 08:12
Librarians rule, ook.
Posted by: Greg Allan | January 24, 2017 at 09:06
Librarians rule, ook.
But of course.
Posted by: Hal | January 24, 2017 at 09:19
"One man with courage is a majority" - variously attributed.
Posted by: jabrwok | January 24, 2017 at 10:24
Sadly not unlike libraries in the UK now. I went to one after not visiting one for about twenty years, and the difference was palpable.
Where once a stern librarian enforced quiet to allow others to read, now it was practically bedlam. Twats lounging around talking loudly on phones, groups loudly conversing, even a fucking creche in the corner with small kids running around screaming.
Presumably enforcing quiet now is not 'inclusive', so anything goes. Every time I hear a weepy appeal about local councils being unable to fund libraries (they can, of course), I remember what it was like.
Posted by: Rob | January 24, 2017 at 10:33
Shitlord sighted. Send him some cake.
Posted by: Jonathan | January 24, 2017 at 11:17
Send him some cake.
[ Grabs fistful of chocolate sponge, shoves it in envelope. Licks fingers. ]
Posted by: David | January 24, 2017 at 11:22
At the end as he walks away someone shouts “....back to Beijing”.
It’s indistinct, but I think what’s being shouted is actually “Whose university is this?” So not a racial comment, but quite presumptuous.
It’s not unlike barging into a church, a synagogue or a funeral service and then belching loudly and repeatedly, before congratulating yourself for your own imagined daring. Selfish disregard somehow construed as righteousness.
Posted by: David | January 24, 2017 at 11:36
Heh
Posted by: Jonathan | January 24, 2017 at 11:39
“Whose university is this?”
Another analogy comes to mind. You book a hotel room and then spend the night running up and down the corridors, banging on doors and shouting through a megaphone. When challenged by the manager and other guests, you look indignant and shout “Whose hotel is this?”
Posted by: David | January 24, 2017 at 11:51
... while deliberately frustrating anyone else’s attempt to use the space for its intended purpose.
The purpose is to be obnoxious, not to persuade or to even express displeasure at some (imaginary) offense. After all, it's hard to imagine a modern, left-leaning university library being chock full of the sort of people the miscreants are seeking to evangelize. The whole episode is merely a bunch of wankers trying to slap an SJW patina on there on childishness.
Posted by: R. Sherman | January 24, 2017 at 11:52
The purpose is to be obnoxious
It’s a two-finger salute in political drag.
Posted by: David | January 24, 2017 at 12:10
I think I recognize this guy, he stood in front of a tank in Tiananman Square.
Posted by: Matt | January 24, 2017 at 12:28
"Time for bed", said Zebedee.
Posted by: mike fowle | January 24, 2017 at 13:18
The purpose is to be obnoxious
And, being self-indulgent wankers, the quiet was only temporary, lasting maybe five seconds. Because the protestors’ need for loud and fatuous grandstanding overrides the needs of anyone else trying to study or do actual work.
Posted by: David | January 24, 2017 at 13:29
" I'd like a large latte please, but first I have to give a lecture."
Posted by: Jonathan | January 24, 2017 at 13:30
“I’d like a large latte please, but first I have to give a lecture.”
I’m assuming that has to be a comedy sketch. Though it’s telling of the times that I’m not entirely sure.
Posted by: David | January 24, 2017 at 13:35
Though it’s telling of the times that I’m not entirely sure.
One would hope so but I just don't know anymore.
Posted by: Jonathan | January 24, 2017 at 13:39
With signature modesty, the ‘protestors’ assert some imagined territorial and proprietary claim to a shared space that these self-indulgent shit stains are merely passing through, while deliberately frustrating anyone else’s attempt to use the space for its intended purpose. They disregard normal boundaries and behave obnoxiously, selfishly, because it makes them feel important, and powerful.
And yet they imagine themselves as righteous and heroic.
All. Of. That. :-)
Posted by: P | January 24, 2017 at 14:42
All. Of. That. :-)
What they’re indulging in is basically a public self-congratulation session. They’re announcing themselves, quite loudly and at length, as pious and therefore superior. Chiefly by barking slogans through a megaphone for half an hour and listing all of the ‘isms’ and ‘phobias’ that they claim to oppose. It’s a collision of preening and spite. That this grandstanding is done at the expense of others - by imposing on hundreds of people needlessly, gratuitously, and by making it impossible for those people to work – and is therefore strikingly selfish - doesn’t seem to register as an issue. Because they frame their own colossal self-indulgence as an attempt to ‘educate’.
And because they’re too busy shouting about how righteous they think they are.
Posted by: David | January 24, 2017 at 15:06
"A fucking creche in the corner"?
Used to have to do that in the stacks, when I was in school.
Posted by: HD | January 24, 2017 at 16:13
Almost certainly filmed at my local university campus. http://bit.ly/2iE2jJy This sort of thing occurs daily...
Posted by: Lionel Ebb | January 24, 2017 at 17:20
Librarians rule, ook.
Librarians are some of the most consistently, virulently leftist of academic staff. They control what books are in the library, and they use that power ruthlessly.
Where once a stern librarian enforced quiet to allow others to read, now it was practically bedlam.
I know around here there seems to be a powerful movement to turn libraries into a kind of community center, providing activities and services completely unrelated to the housing and cataloguing of books, even in cities that already have ample community centers.
Posted by: Daniel Ream | January 24, 2017 at 17:58
*
"The angry feminists were out in force. There were
more signs talking about “PUSSY” than on
the Reeperbahn."
*
Posted by: NEO | January 24, 2017 at 18:20
This is Sparta
If only he'd followed up with a swinging leg kick, knocking the insufferable idiot with the megaphone into a bottomless pit, that would have made my day.
Posted by: Spiny Norman | January 24, 2017 at 19:00
I think the barista thing is a parody but it's an excellent one.
The tell is the ending, plus a few phrases that sounded kinda fishy, such as "As a Hillary Clinton supporter, I only care about other people's dreams."
Don't know that anyone other than the barista was in on it though.
Posted by: dicentra | January 24, 2017 at 19:08
Seems as good a time as any to quote myself:
Right. Time for wine.
Posted by: David | January 24, 2017 at 19:22
Lessee . . . attempting to claim that a library is a location for staging a rally . . . According to current headlines, I believe such a claim is now known as an alternative fact, with the literate and adult still referring to that as lying . . .
Posted by: Hal | January 24, 2017 at 19:38
Reminds me the the Black Lives Matter protest/assault in an American university library where the BLM "protesters" broke into reading rooms and shouted at and insulted various other (mostly white) students who were trying to study...
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3321190/F-filthy-white-s-Black-Lives-Matter-protesters-scream-epithets-white-students-studying-Dartmouth-library.html
Posted by: champ | January 24, 2017 at 20:18
Libraries are for staging "rallies".
Hipsters are capable of being mistaken for style, taste, being adult.
Oceania has always been at war with Eastasia.
Posted by: Hal | January 24, 2017 at 20:57
"As a Hillary Clinton supporter, I only care about other people's dreams."
The sentence following that should be "That's all right I'll tell you what to dream."
Posted by: Pst314 | January 24, 2017 at 22:05
Who has the power? We have the power
What kind of power? Equal power
I know logic and self reflection are not awfully common in leftist circles. But I don't think the librarian or the people being annoyed had equal power to the yelling mob.
Secondly how can a large group of people have equal power? Or is that another way of saying you have no power but like everyone is special means that nobody is.
Posted by: Adam d | January 24, 2017 at 22:37
Members of a university have ample opportunity to debate. That, to a large extent is what universities are for. There are informal conversations with fellow students, informal conversations which also include senior members of the university, more formal debates in clubs and societies set up for that purpose, student publications and so on. If there isn't a forum to explore what you want to explore, then you can easily set up a club to enable you and those of similar mind to do just that. While at university, the people around you are open to engagement and inclined to be indulgent.
If you find yourself at university and unable to express yourself except in the manner seen in the clip above, then you probably shouldn't be at university. You're wasting time and money. You are, in short, a twat.
Posted by: Horace Dunn | January 25, 2017 at 00:16
I really think (hope) that starbucks video is a parody, if for no other reason than that women took her shrieky adrenaline dump for over two minutes and no one intervened to tell her to shut the hell up and move along.
On the note of the changing role of libraries, I have realised that my local definately falls into the 'community centre' variety. There is a kids play area full of bleepy bloopy toys right next to the 'study desks'. Twice a week there is a 'infant music session' where mums bring their babies and toddlers and childrens music about friends and colours is blasted through the building. They need to play the music very loud as at least one third of the babies are crying at any one time.
I wish they would just use the actual community centre that is across the road but that is usually pretty booked up with those on the methadone program.
Posted by: juliaeryn | January 25, 2017 at 02:15
Can't they do this in one of their "safe spaces" and leave everyone else alone? What am I missing?
Posted by: model_1066 | January 25, 2017 at 02:29
Re: A mob yelling about how they've got power: the political veneer is awfully thin on this one.
Re: Library Man, a.k.a. the hero 2017 needs: there are few things more emblematic of civilisation, in my view, than a library. I love this guy: "This is a library." And then he walks away. He doesn't need to say anything else, because it's all clearly implied: the hollowness of the protest, its anti-civilisational nature, etc, etc.
It doesn't even matter that it didn't really work there and then. Clearly a few of them were rattled, knowing deep down that what he said (and implied) is true. Maybe they felt too silly to walk away at the time, but hopefully they'll think better of it next time.
Posted by: Matthew McConnagay | January 25, 2017 at 05:38
Who has the power? We have the power
What kind of power? Equal power
If you have equal power, then you don't have it alone, because everybody else has it too. Right?
Posted by: Vince N | January 25, 2017 at 06:00
A video that neatly sums up why China could supplant the US as no.1 superpower. I bet the shouty morons are taking degrees in worthless/angry studies, while the Chinese chap is doing something rather more useful.
Posted by: MC | January 25, 2017 at 08:37
A video that neatly sums up why China could supplant the US as no.1 superpower.
Not likely. If that were the case, the fellow would be in China . . . .
Posted by: Hal | January 25, 2017 at 18:13
"Members of a university have ample opportunity to debate. That, to a large extent is what universities are for."
Oh, debates, that's a great idea for students. They will learn to think rationally, answer questions raised and put forward their case convincingly.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JhzwSlK4uEc&t=221s
Posted by: Paul Carlton | January 26, 2017 at 15:56