Jan 06
18
Push My Button
ALA announced yesterday that librarians attending the upcoming Midwinter conference will have the “opportunity to proudly proclaim their ‘radical’ and ‘militant’ support for intellectual freedom, privacy, and civil liberties” by purchasing a red, white, and blue button that reads:
“Radical Militant Librarian – Defending Access, Defending Privacy, Defending Freedom.”
The buttons will cost $2.00, unless bought in bulk (at which time the cost goes down). What a radical bargain! And in the colors of France!
ALA claims that the slogan on the button is a response to FBI complaints about politically “radical, militant librarians” who raised their voices over the PATRIOT Act.
My anticipation is that many of our least radical, and certainly least militant librarians will happily, jauntily purchase a button and sport it at work the following week. The kitsch value of this button is irresistible (”Must… buy… buttoon… must… have one for my blazer.”) I also anticipate that many of our most militant library spokespeople will not be wearing this button at ALA this summer.
From the OED:
Militant: 3. a. Combative; aggressively persistent; strongly espousing a cause; entrenched, adamant.
Radical: 3. e. Characterized by independence of, or departure from, what is usual or traditional; progressive, unorthodox, or revolutionary (in outlook, conception, design, etc.).
That this button is a fundraiser is a granted point. But the slogan strikes me as blind, purchasable flagwaving that can (and will) be worn by librarians who will hardly deserve the label. “Revolutionary”? “Aggressively persistent”? How many of us can claim such a thing? The trumpet is hardly loud enough to be heard over the wall, much less bring it down.
Maybe this button should be given by ALA to the deserving few.
My own button would realistically read: “Clean, Showered Librarian: Defending Thai Food, Defending Lost, Defending Wisconsin Cheese.”