I was censored by the public library. What dastardly deed did I commit? I used the term “woke police” in one of my book reviews for the library’s website. I know what you are thinking - “Really? That’s it? There has to be more to it than that.” Nope, that’s it, but perhaps a few more details are in order. Okay, I should go back to the beginning . . .
I was born in rural Pennsylvania and --- wait a minute --- maybe that’s going back too far.
I worked at the public library for quite a long time. My job title changed over the years, but basically, I was a library clerk the whole time. Obviously, I was not overwhelmed with a burning ambition to climb the library ladder. I came to work, did what I was supposed to do, then I went home. Day after day, week after week, year after year. I often felt that I had a latent creative streak that was being underutilized, but I guess I was too lazy or complacent to dig around inside of myself to release it.
Several years ago, whomever was running the library’s website encouraged staff to create content for the site in the form of book reviews or lists of books on a certain theme or subject. I did not pay any attention to it at first. I am a reader, but I never thought anyone would care about my opinion, and besides, as we would say back in the old country, what would I want to do that for, anyway?
However, I thought about how I expressed myself better with the written word instead of the spoken word. And, my job was kind of boring, and maybe I should give this book review thing a try. What did I have to lose? It was purely voluntary, I could write as often or as little as I liked, and, heck, maybe it would do me some good to shake off the cobwebs of stagnation and apply myself to something new.
So, I tried it and found out that it was interesting, even – dare I say – fun. At least sometimes. Not to brag, but I think I became rather good at it. I believe the content I was submitting was unique and I received a lot of positive feedback.
Occasionally, the folks in charge of such things would flag my submission, usually for expressing an overly political opinion and I would get an email, requesting that I change it. (As a government department, the library could not be seen as taking sides politically.) If I removed the political opinion, I could resubmit it, if I didn’t, they would not feature it on the website. It would still be attached to the title I had written about; it just would not appear on the library’s home page. And, I was fine with this arrangement. I knew it was not part of my job description to decide what gets featured on the website, I just wrote the stuff.
Well, so what was it that got me censored? I wrote a review of Woke Up This Morning: The Definitive Oral History of The Sopranos, by Michael Imperioli and Steve Schirripa with Philip Lerman. In it, I wondered if the show could be made today. I wrote:
“It is an intriguing thought exercise to wonder if The Sopranos would become a casualty of today’s ‘woke police’. Meaning, would they be able to present the saga of this particular New Jersey crime family realistically in the 2020s, in all its indiscriminate verbal, physical, and emotional brutality? Or would they be forced to soften the show, so as not to offend this group or that group?”
It never occurred to me that “woke police” was offensive, but somebody sure was offended. I received an email from the online services manager that said:
“I’m writing to ask you to remove your review of ‘Woke Up This Morning’ that you recently posted on your professional account. Your use of the term ‘woke police’ does not align with the values of (the library), which include the celebration of diversity and a striving to be more inclusive of all people. The use of the term in your review implies that societal attempts to be more inclusive and embrace our diversity is somehow a joke, which is not how we at (the library) want to represent ourselves on our website.
Please let me know when it has been removed. If you want to post it on your personal account, you are, of course, welcome to do so.”
Well, okay.
I believed in my previous writings, I had established my bona fides as an anti-racist, anti-discrimination, pro-environment, pro-science, pro-inclusion person, and it was an affront to be on the receiving end of such a lecture. I wondered why I was not asked to simply remove the term “woke police”. It was framed as a request, but in fact it was an order to remove the whole thing. Plus, the irony of the public library, of all organizations, censoring rather than supporting free speech was not lost on me.
One could argue that I was not “censored” because I still was able to put my review out there on my private account. It would not be featured on the website, and it would not be under the name I was known by on my professional account. I decided that although I was unhappy at the way this was handled, it was not worth causing a big to-do. So, I emailed this measured response:
“So, I’m being censored? Wow. I’ve always said that I write the stuff, but it’s not my decision to make as to whether it is featured on the website or not. So, I’ve deleted it.
However, with all due respect, I would like to point out that an organization whose values include a ‘celebration of diversity’ ought to be able to include diversity of thought as well. Especially a library.
I was not making a joke with the phrase in question. The fact that I’m being censored for using it, proves the point I was making by its use.
I believe there are words and phrases that are so vile and offensive, that they should never be used. I do not believe this phrase was one of them.”
And, that was it. I never heard any more about it. And, I never made another submission to the website. I had reviewed over 200 books and DVDs, and that’s how it ended. Oh, well.
It seems obvious that there would not have been a problem as long as the views I expressed adhered to the company line. Stray from that at one’s own risk. In my opinion, this is an example (a very minor one) of how wokeness can go too far. It was more important to those running the library to protect its woke identity, than it was to protect and promote free speech. I am not saying that I should have had carte blanche to write whatever I wanted without boundaries. And, I am not saying that the library should not support diversity and inclusion. Of course it should.
What I am saying is that the public library, especially the public library, should be a strong, unwavering defender of free speech, even if such speech is not 100% aligned with the library’s view of itself.
Wow. I cannot believe how BAD you were ( and still are).
I have read many of the books you recommended. Maybe you could recommend some more here.
Thanks again.