Recently, upon someone’s recommendation, a woman from a small town here in New Zealand reached out to ask me if I might be able to help her sort a rainbow affliction at her local library.
Yes, I saw that, too - and thought it was disgusting, not only to display that, but you can imagine what it would be like if you were a staff member who didn’t want to join in?
What’s sad is that rainbows are actually pretty cool. I saw an amazing one last weekend. Yesterday I also ran out in the rain as the sun came out to look for one and I saw the one with colour inverted - so cool!! And I love prisms and stained glass windows. Hopefully we can one day make rainbows great again. It’s funny how some things that just exist out there in nature, as facts of life, get turned into something that symbolises something and then people forget how cool the real thing was
I agree! And there is also the story of how when our pets die they go over the 'rainbow bridge', so it's not pleasant to see the rainbow get misused by the TQ+ .
Enjoy your writing Katrina. The point your letter writer makes about the seat and the state it was allowed to get in, is exactly right. The council have a maintenance team surely it would have been on their huge list of works to fix. Secondly as it’s a library how about promoting great authors they could have painted it with their images perhaps or publishing houses the list goes on. This painting of the seat would have required a committee, who would have had countless useless meetings about what to paint the seat. End of the day who came up with the idea in the first place? A staff member would be spearheading it, well if you look at library staff now they all wear the rainbow lanyards. You are right councils are supposed to be impartial and celebrate all cultures and themes centred around the love of reading , if they have now turned into a social agency then they need to let ratepayers know they have changed their remit ! Also, since when have libraries had to show their allegiance to a group to encourage them to read more and feel welcome. Libraries have always been places where the public have been free to access, I mean all people who enjoy reading why have they now felt that certain groups of people have not been welcome? It’s just so woke it’s cringe all round. I’m just wondering how they will celebrate women’s suffrage.
I'm a world away in Massachusetts USA and they've erased suffragists here. Barely discussed in libraries or schools. No unsightly white women allowed.🙄
My late husband was the director of our local library and a 22 member library system. He believed in libraries as a way to have free education for all and to encourage the joy of reading.I am sure he would have cringed at what libraries are doing now, including the “ shows” of drag queens for children . I doubt very much that he would have ever had those or the permanent display of rainbow flags, etc. !
I have always loved libraries, not just for the reading, but for the atmosphere, as well. However, I find myself less in love with them these days than I used to be.
Thank you for including your letter in this post. I will pass this on to my daughter who has been uncomfortable about taking her preschool children to the local town library because of displays they might see. To be honest when we and our children were growing up wouldn't we have loved to see a bright rainbow coloured painted seat outside the library? But it is the continual pushing to accept the idealogy of one tiny, sneeky, vocal section of the community that grates. As a Christian I immediately counted the number of colours. Only 6, not the Biblical and scientific number of colours in the rainbow. If they added the 7th colour with a few pretty clouds I would be OK with that. But then some atheists might protest and of course they would be listened to. Your post is spot on in encouraging us to push back.
I believe that current scientific thinking is that poor old indigo is not actually in the rainbow hence the original pride flag having only six colours - despite Richard Of York Gave Battle In Vain! Unfortunately I think the T and the Q have destroyed the original pride flag which is now tainted by the new version.
Another awesome effort ABW. Good on 'Paula' too. The shallow, simplistic 'politics' of promoting this darkest and most devious of movements with the fun and bright colours of the rainbow in libraries, facilities run primarily by women, the people whose rights are most threatened by this darkness, is particularly galling. It was reassuring that the mayor accepted the conflict with the community service and impartiality values of a public library. Good on Paula for not accepting his compromise for the reason that people in the community said they liked the painted bench. Activists can and do give this kind of feedback easily enough, and besides that, it is the principle that matters. At this point, any colours but the 'rainbow' would be preferable.
There is a famous essay by Czech dissident/later president Vaclav Havel - usually referred to as the "greengrocer essay". It lays out the psychology of someone in a mundane situation complying with subtle demand to show obedience by posting propaganda in his shop. This is precisely what these rainbows mean. They used to originally stand for a friendly sign toward gay people however they have morphed into a gesture of obedience and "marking territory".
By placing these identifiers everywhere the objective is to show everyone you're on "our turf". This is also discernible since the Gaza issue flared up in inner Melbourne. The anti-Israel stickers & graffiti are meant to mark territory and be subtly threatening. I take frequent strolls through Melb Uni and I can imagine it must be a distinctly uncomfortable environment if you are Jewish.
It took me a long time to confirm this view but I've come to believe that human rights have been coopted to serve as a trojan horse for advancing political ideology. Because the majority is tolerant and has good will all you need to do is clothe whatever objectives you have inside terms such as equity, inclusion and diversity. Once concealed thus any objectors can be labelled as conservatives/far right - you can clearly see this tactic against the Victorian Let Women Speak rallies. This is how all these measures have been snuck through parliaments and institutional governance.
That's a really good point about marking territory. Nowadays, the 'rainbow' is definitely a clear sign of what kind of territory we're entering. And, yes, many TQ+ 'rights' have been slyly hidden within goodwill for others, so I believe you're 100% correct about that goodwill being a trojan horse.
I knew I was onto something! I went to find a link to this essay to post here but found something even better - Maya Forstater herself has discovered the relevance and here is her own analysis within the context of gender ideology: https://www.forstater.com/the-power-of-the-powerless/
...meant to add, those of us on X will've seen Juliet Moses' post about AK War Memorial Museum reception staff wearing pro-Palestine regalia, also a no-no, or should be. The boss wrote this off to 'expressing their individuality' fgs.
Our local library held a delightfully retro sesh for mums & bubs recently, that I happened upon. I made a funny quip to a passing librarian along the lines of how refreshing it was, no drag queens etc & he made off quite quickly. Symbolism related to whom you prefer to hit the sheets with is a no-no in these public spaces for me.
Children love rainbows, and it has been part of children's culture for a long time. It's a shame the gender movement (having attached itself to the gay movement) has coopted this. If I lived up there, perhaps my initial instinct would be pleasure at the beautiful seat and box. Hopefully, one day, in society, the rainbow can be reclaimed as a part of nature and simply as a beautiful display of colour. For the library, perhaps a local group could offer to repaint some of the boards on the seat so it's no longer a "rainbow." Or it could simply be painted one colour.
Like so much else that is wholesome, the rainbow has been appropriated and left us with a negative impression. In the 50’s UK of my childhood the rainbow meant peace, appearing ant marches until “ban the bomb” came along. NHS hospitals had the children’s ward painted with a rainbow, and even during the recent pandemic, the rainbow was the NHS symbol of hope. Sadly now the rainbow is everywhere in our hospitals with its unholy adherence to transgender ideology.
I refuse to allow the most recent generation of the rainbow to taint its original meaning, or its beauty and joy. The gender cult is already waning and it will eventually go the way of all the others, with no doubt a few adherents who’ve given too much to ever let go. The rainbow will be once again untainted and replaced with all that is good.
The neo rainbow is the most successful advertising campaign in the world. It's brilliant and diabolical. It's as sinister as these gender pediatricians who dye their hair blue - to be seen as "friendly" to children. It's the Trans Maidens who are doing the most damage. The women who have to prove how "nice" and "kind" they are - are neither.
Yes, I saw that, too - and thought it was disgusting, not only to display that, but you can imagine what it would be like if you were a staff member who didn’t want to join in?
What’s sad is that rainbows are actually pretty cool. I saw an amazing one last weekend. Yesterday I also ran out in the rain as the sun came out to look for one and I saw the one with colour inverted - so cool!! And I love prisms and stained glass windows. Hopefully we can one day make rainbows great again. It’s funny how some things that just exist out there in nature, as facts of life, get turned into something that symbolises something and then people forget how cool the real thing was
I agree! And there is also the story of how when our pets die they go over the 'rainbow bridge', so it's not pleasant to see the rainbow get misused by the TQ+ .
A couple of B'old NZ women pushing forward. Well done!
Enjoy your writing Katrina. The point your letter writer makes about the seat and the state it was allowed to get in, is exactly right. The council have a maintenance team surely it would have been on their huge list of works to fix. Secondly as it’s a library how about promoting great authors they could have painted it with their images perhaps or publishing houses the list goes on. This painting of the seat would have required a committee, who would have had countless useless meetings about what to paint the seat. End of the day who came up with the idea in the first place? A staff member would be spearheading it, well if you look at library staff now they all wear the rainbow lanyards. You are right councils are supposed to be impartial and celebrate all cultures and themes centred around the love of reading , if they have now turned into a social agency then they need to let ratepayers know they have changed their remit ! Also, since when have libraries had to show their allegiance to a group to encourage them to read more and feel welcome. Libraries have always been places where the public have been free to access, I mean all people who enjoy reading why have they now felt that certain groups of people have not been welcome? It’s just so woke it’s cringe all round. I’m just wondering how they will celebrate women’s suffrage.
Good point about how a committee would have had to discuss this, and thought it appropriate!
I expect Women's Suffrage will get a small book display inside the library, if anything at all is done.
I'm a world away in Massachusetts USA and they've erased suffragists here. Barely discussed in libraries or schools. No unsightly white women allowed.🙄
My late husband was the director of our local library and a 22 member library system. He believed in libraries as a way to have free education for all and to encourage the joy of reading.I am sure he would have cringed at what libraries are doing now, including the “ shows” of drag queens for children . I doubt very much that he would have ever had those or the permanent display of rainbow flags, etc. !
I have always loved libraries, not just for the reading, but for the atmosphere, as well. However, I find myself less in love with them these days than I used to be.
Thank you for including your letter in this post. I will pass this on to my daughter who has been uncomfortable about taking her preschool children to the local town library because of displays they might see. To be honest when we and our children were growing up wouldn't we have loved to see a bright rainbow coloured painted seat outside the library? But it is the continual pushing to accept the idealogy of one tiny, sneeky, vocal section of the community that grates. As a Christian I immediately counted the number of colours. Only 6, not the Biblical and scientific number of colours in the rainbow. If they added the 7th colour with a few pretty clouds I would be OK with that. But then some atheists might protest and of course they would be listened to. Your post is spot on in encouraging us to push back.
I expect your daughter's not the only parent who's uncomfortable with this kind of messaging at her library.
I believe that current scientific thinking is that poor old indigo is not actually in the rainbow hence the original pride flag having only six colours - despite Richard Of York Gave Battle In Vain! Unfortunately I think the T and the Q have destroyed the original pride flag which is now tainted by the new version.
Dusty
Another awesome effort ABW. Good on 'Paula' too. The shallow, simplistic 'politics' of promoting this darkest and most devious of movements with the fun and bright colours of the rainbow in libraries, facilities run primarily by women, the people whose rights are most threatened by this darkness, is particularly galling. It was reassuring that the mayor accepted the conflict with the community service and impartiality values of a public library. Good on Paula for not accepting his compromise for the reason that people in the community said they liked the painted bench. Activists can and do give this kind of feedback easily enough, and besides that, it is the principle that matters. At this point, any colours but the 'rainbow' would be preferable.
That's where I've got to re: the rainbow, too.
It’s a shame that the rainbow has been kidnapped !
Yes, kidnapped, appropriated and hijacked. 🤔
There is a famous essay by Czech dissident/later president Vaclav Havel - usually referred to as the "greengrocer essay". It lays out the psychology of someone in a mundane situation complying with subtle demand to show obedience by posting propaganda in his shop. This is precisely what these rainbows mean. They used to originally stand for a friendly sign toward gay people however they have morphed into a gesture of obedience and "marking territory".
By placing these identifiers everywhere the objective is to show everyone you're on "our turf". This is also discernible since the Gaza issue flared up in inner Melbourne. The anti-Israel stickers & graffiti are meant to mark territory and be subtly threatening. I take frequent strolls through Melb Uni and I can imagine it must be a distinctly uncomfortable environment if you are Jewish.
It took me a long time to confirm this view but I've come to believe that human rights have been coopted to serve as a trojan horse for advancing political ideology. Because the majority is tolerant and has good will all you need to do is clothe whatever objectives you have inside terms such as equity, inclusion and diversity. Once concealed thus any objectors can be labelled as conservatives/far right - you can clearly see this tactic against the Victorian Let Women Speak rallies. This is how all these measures have been snuck through parliaments and institutional governance.
That's a really good point about marking territory. Nowadays, the 'rainbow' is definitely a clear sign of what kind of territory we're entering. And, yes, many TQ+ 'rights' have been slyly hidden within goodwill for others, so I believe you're 100% correct about that goodwill being a trojan horse.
I knew I was onto something! I went to find a link to this essay to post here but found something even better - Maya Forstater herself has discovered the relevance and here is her own analysis within the context of gender ideology: https://www.forstater.com/the-power-of-the-powerless/
Good essay. As long as there are those who live within the truth, living within the lie eventually becomes unsustainable.
...meant to add, those of us on X will've seen Juliet Moses' post about AK War Memorial Museum reception staff wearing pro-Palestine regalia, also a no-no, or should be. The boss wrote this off to 'expressing their individuality' fgs.
Well done all. Push back & push back again.
Our local library held a delightfully retro sesh for mums & bubs recently, that I happened upon. I made a funny quip to a passing librarian along the lines of how refreshing it was, no drag queens etc & he made off quite quickly. Symbolism related to whom you prefer to hit the sheets with is a no-no in these public spaces for me.
Children love rainbows, and it has been part of children's culture for a long time. It's a shame the gender movement (having attached itself to the gay movement) has coopted this. If I lived up there, perhaps my initial instinct would be pleasure at the beautiful seat and box. Hopefully, one day, in society, the rainbow can be reclaimed as a part of nature and simply as a beautiful display of colour. For the library, perhaps a local group could offer to repaint some of the boards on the seat so it's no longer a "rainbow." Or it could simply be painted one colour.
Like so much else that is wholesome, the rainbow has been appropriated and left us with a negative impression. In the 50’s UK of my childhood the rainbow meant peace, appearing ant marches until “ban the bomb” came along. NHS hospitals had the children’s ward painted with a rainbow, and even during the recent pandemic, the rainbow was the NHS symbol of hope. Sadly now the rainbow is everywhere in our hospitals with its unholy adherence to transgender ideology.
I refuse to allow the most recent generation of the rainbow to taint its original meaning, or its beauty and joy. The gender cult is already waning and it will eventually go the way of all the others, with no doubt a few adherents who’ve given too much to ever let go. The rainbow will be once again untainted and replaced with all that is good.
I also hope the rainbow will regain its lustre and meaningful beauty one day.
Excellent work Katrina and 'Paula'!!!
Thanks, Katrina, and great work both of you challenging the library.
I have cross posted this and your previous piece about the HRA
https://dustymasterson.substack.com/p/vigil
Dusty
Thanks, Dusty - appreciate you sharing whichever of my blogs fit with your collations.
You're welcome, Katrina and thanks for your great work 😊
Dusty
The neo rainbow is the most successful advertising campaign in the world. It's brilliant and diabolical. It's as sinister as these gender pediatricians who dye their hair blue - to be seen as "friendly" to children. It's the Trans Maidens who are doing the most damage. The women who have to prove how "nice" and "kind" they are - are neither.
https://youtu.be/3K7NBDweRzw
The neo rainbow is the most successful advertising campaign in the history of the world. It's brilliant and diabolical.