Recently, a very misinformed Forbes article was published calling for an extinction of libraries and a proposed replacement for them being Amazon books. More on that deleted article can be found here.

And it's honestly incredible how classist that proposal is. If anyone thinks that libraries are a "waste" of taxpayer cash then they've obviously never needed to use the valuable resources given by public libraries.

And even though it is gone but not forgotten, here's why it's a serious issue:

I'm sure that it's almost as if I am beating a dead horse here. Forbes deleted the article. But if someone thinks that enough to write about it, and then publish it on a public platform, then I'm sure that there is an audience out there, somewhere, that agrees. An unfortunately ignorant audience with their heads stuck too far in the sand. Is knowledge a waste of taxpayer money?

For those who feel the weight of the economy more than others, libraries are the most accessible and best community resource available. And unfortunately, Capitalism is hitting them hard, too.

So here's a scary thought: Are libraries becoming a thing of the past in a social climate that needs them the most?

You can't privatize knowledge like that. And I know that here I am, sitting near my university, where my education is, indeed, privatized. But I am quick to understand the privilege that I had getting here and the work that it took for me to break out of the mold that the principles of classism put me in. I am also a firm believer in giving everyone an equal opportunity and a level playing field.

Because I know how hard it is to break out of a never-ending cycle of tough circumstances. But have we reached a point in our current state that we just suddenly can suggest that if you live below the poverty line --or slightly above it-- that you shouldn't be allowed to read? Illiteracy is already astounding, so sure, let's feed into it.

That just cannot be the case. And for that even to ever be suggested, and practically implied, should be appalling.

Libraries gave me the opportunity to have a free range of knowledge. I spent time there every summer growing up, and then when I was in high school, I ended up working there. The resources at our public library were endless, and much needed. The library practically ran off of its volunteers and strived off of the community it was based in.

Maybe I'm sensitive, but I would rather be overly emotionally involved than apathetically uninvolved. Because it's apathy that's destroying the economy, and I'm not sure how long we can hold it off. And for that, I am hardly apathetic.