Saturday, July 28, 2007

Nonsense For A Nonsensical World

There's a lot of crap out there on the internets, right? But take a look at the efforts of this poor, misguided soul living in SoCal:

http://biologistshelpingbookstores.blogspot.com/

Basically this person is visiting bookstores to "correct" things by reshelving science books into the areas said person deems appropriate.

What arrogance!

I am a former bookstore employee. I live with a former bookstore employee. Many of you who read this are current and former bookstore employees. And for those in the know, you know exactly just how well a campaign like this works.

You don't need me to tell you how misguided these efforts are..how by reorganizing the store only hurts booksellers..people who are barely making a few dollars over minimum wage (if they're lucky), and ends up hurting the very thing they claim to hold so dear. Let's just say someone actually comes into the store looking for one of these titles. You know, in the name of knowledge and the desire to educate his or herself. The customer asks for help. The bookstore employee tries to find the book, yet can't, because SOME DOUCHE DECIDED TO HIDE THE BOOK IN THE STACKS. So, the person leaves without their book, the employee has to do more work to clean up your mess, and you've lost another advocate in the ever-growing job for scientists to gain more funding..because you just never know who it was who was looking for that book and just how important of a read it may have been to them or even you.

And the worst part is that this person writes with what appears to be such condescending tone towards the bookseller. As if the order and shelf placement is the booksellers fault. As if the bookseller is stupid.

Note to re-organizing jerks: Booksellers are not stupid. Many booksellers are smarter than you would ever know, and likely hold degrees more advanced than yours. And you would know that if you would drop your passive-agressive behavior and actually talk to them. Get them involved in a healthy debate..many love the intellectual intercourse. Or, are you just too scared some bookseller may actually drop you down a notch and make you realize that there are smart people in places outside your ivory tower of scientific self-righteousness who may force you to think or even see another point of view?

I thought scientists asked questions. I thought scientists searched for truth. This "scientist" seems to only be trying to prevent others from finding knowledge.

4 Comments:

At 28 July, 2007 18:24, Blogger DLAK said...

LOL, I work in a mall where there is a bookstore the other day the police were called because a man was walking around the book store rubbing his underpants (which he had removed in the store) on the books in the religous section.
And by the way I am on the last dungeon of Zelda, yeah I know, my kids think I'm insane too.
Nice blog, good luck.

 
At 28 July, 2007 19:25, Blogger elenajoyce said...

I loathe that man.

But I enjoy that many people left him comments to the effect of what you were saying - namely, that his campaign is arrogant and incredibly annoying for bookstore employees.

What a guy!

 
At 30 July, 2007 21:42, Blogger mimulus_99 said...

Hey-- I enjoyed the hell out of your blog. I did lead Ste to it, but as he posted again tonight, I guess he's not swayed. As you know I have people who are dear to me who are way too militant and frankly paranoid on the creationism side (eg, my mother), but certainly those people are on the evolutionism side as well (eg, Ste, who is on most topics a very agreeable guy). My own middle-ness (yes, evolution happened, and we can/should study it as science, but that doesn't mean God wasn't involved) is either well-intentioned trying-to-not-ruffle-any-feathers or a-poor-excuse-for-apathy.

And yes, I survived bullrunning...it was a short but wonderful little vacation to spain (Dad turned 60 on the day we ran... wanted to do something memorable and/or face his mortality). I highly recommend Madrid. But learn spanish first.

I move east at the end of Sept... maybe i can drop in on you 2! jg

 
At 07 August, 2007 15:52, Blogger Ste said...

Hello jg,

I'm surprised that you consider me "militant and paranoid" when it comes to evolution. If there's one message that could sum up my blog, it's that "evolution is secular". Therefore I am in complete agreement with you in that God could well be involved, but that science has no way to detect His hand. Hence why religious scientists are possible (like yourself).

~

Allison,

I'm sorry that you took my blog personally. It's an attempt at humor, with an underlying serious message. It's hardly a delicate attempt and I hope you can appreciate *why* I am doing what I am doing.

~

elenajoyce,

Er, hi. Nice to meet you.


~ Ste

 

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