We Need Some Tolerance Up In Here!
This morning I had about 4 different topics rolling around in my head. I decided to stick with the massive one that reared it’s ugly head last night. Our plans changed last night, the hubs decided we were going to go and have our night out alone first. We headed over to Biltmore Park which has become our favorite place to go. It reminds me of big city living, the ability to just park and walk all over and do what you need/want to do. First we had dinner at Hickory Tavern and then we went to Barnes & Nobles. I wanted to get the Educator Card that is available for teachers and home schoolers. I also poked around B&N School for a bit and settled on a great World Religions book for grades 6-8. My only complaint about that book is it doesn’t discuss indigenous religions or neo-paganism. It covers Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Sikhism, Islam, Judaism, Christianity, Agnosticism, and Atheism. I have my college World Religions book that I can use when they get older that dives a bit deeper into it all and includes indigenous and neo-paganism.
Anywho, I digress. I had also poked around the New Age section and picked up “A Wiccan Bible” by AJ Drew (so far a bit frustrated with it but that is another post). I didn’t look through the entire thing, mostly the Table of Contents and then skimmed the first few sections. I do this with a lot of books. So it was getting close to movie time and the hubs was tapping his foot in anticipation so I took my cue and headed for the counter. I have been buying pagan books for about 8 years now. In the beginning I would find a small local shop to buy from because I knew they wouldn’t judge me or stare. No one in 8 years has ever said anything. If I went to big box, I would scope out the cashier and if they looked remotely “cool” then I would buy my book. If they were older, no way. Long gone are those days, I figured about 3 years ago that the cashiers could shove it up their rear if they didn’t like what I was buying. In that time, no looks or staring. I pretty much chalked it up to the fact that I was immature enough to think that the books I bought mattered to other people. An easy assumption to make when living in the South, but still immature. So as I was checking out last night the woman at the register was very nice. I handed her my application for my Educator’s Card and she immediately said “Good for you!”. She continued with conversation when she saw our address, turns out she lived down the street at the bottom of the hill years ago. We reminisced about the old Catholic Church that used to sit across the street from my house, even giggling over their Friday Night partying (the hispanic community had gathered every Friday night in the Catholic Community Center). I paid and we set off to the car to lock up my bag. Then we headed to the movie. After that we stopped at the grocery store to pick up makings for frappes and headed home. It was probably about 10:30 when we got home. I couldn’t wait to tear into my book so I grabbed it and headed to bed. I then skimmed through each and every chapter just to get a deeper feel before starting in. That’s when I found it.
On the front of the card it said something about “Mind Game” and I saw some cards, the royals from all four suits. My immediate thought was it was an ad for tarot. I thought it was odd but got excited all at once. Oh how disappointed I was to discover it was a tract informing me of my inevitable eternal burning. Then I got pissed. Because not only was it absolutely ridiculous but some poor tree was killed for this useless propoganda! My first plan of action, and not one out of seriousness but my odd sense of humor to bring light of the situation, was that I should put a tarot card in every brand new bible at the book store. Or maybe a simple post it note with “Goddess loves you” somewhere inside.
The hubs took a look at it and was not a happy camper. He feels that it’s ridiculously passive aggressive and if they wanted to tell me about burning in hell they should do it in my face. I agree. He then proceeded to recommend that I drag my butt back over today and file a complaint. Now that I am not so sure. First off I have no idea who did it. Was it some random stranger who felt the need to peruse the New Age section (which isn’t even remotely close to the Christianity section) and shove tracts in books? Or is this an employee who has to stock the shelves? Or even the sweet woman at the register who checked me out? She had the opportunity, when she scanned it she had it on the table below the counter and it was out of my sight for just a minute or two.
I chatted with a few people on Twitter about this. In all my years this was a first and I feel it’s delicate enough that it has to be talked about how to deal. I thought about how speaking up might not do a thing. Honestly, how can it be tracked? How would the manager know if one of his people did it or some random stranger? Could s/he stop it? Would s/he want to stop it? And am I falling back on the old standby “I should expect this treatment since I live in the south” mentality just a wee bit too hard?
My decision? I am going to talk to the manager. If they want to file it as an official complaint, fine. If we are just going to chat and I make him/her aware of what is going on, fine. No matter the outcome something has to be said. My husband drove the point home when he said “You know, if you seriously did put tarot cards in the bibles at B&N, it would be all over the news”. And he is right. If it is not OK to put my religious propaganda in the books of the opposing view, why should I ignore it when it happens to me?
Now it’s your turn. Have you found tracts or any other religious propaganda in books you have bought? If so, what did you do? If not, what would you do if you did?
WOW!! I haven’t found that. But, we don’t have any big box book stores near us, just a fantastic used book store. If something like that happened there, they would definitely deal with it since they have cameras everywhere and can see what’s going on. The area I live in (Southern MD, very rural) is sort of borderline – lots of Christians (the real kind that live and let live), “Christians” (that really aren’t but pretend to be) and a sprinkling of others. The sprinkling of others, we seem to be rising up and saying hey, we are here, we do not believe the same exact way, but we are spiritual in a different way. The real Christians are good with that, even ask questions. The others, not so much. So, if anything, I would think it would be one of the “other Christians” that would do it. The used book workers are great – they figure people are reading and that’s all they care about. I would hope big box book stores would feel the same way – people are reading, who cares what it is. If something is done to offend a reader, something should be done. You may have been buying that book for research for your college religion class. No one knows. That’s just presumptive and wrong!! Definitely talk to the manager!!
“Have you found tracts or any other religious propaganda in books you have bought? If so, what did you do?”
I’ve not found any in books that I’ve *bought* ~ but I’ve found tracts just about everywhere else. Waiting rooms, public washrooms, library (shelves and books), mall bulletin boards, those sorts of places…
They didn’t really bother me… I read them when I came across them – because I read pretty much everything that wanders under my nose – but that was about it.
I doubt there’s anything that the store can do – it could be *anyone* who put it there…of course, it certainly doesn’t hurt to make them aware…
Strategic tracting is pretty commonplace, almost a mission for some people. They simply go through stores and do the inserts. Some have even ruined books by using stickers instead.
Certainly let the manager know, so he/she can ask the cashiers to check books for them.
Also, my son was born in Ashville (we adopted him so had to travel and spend time there), and I found the area way more diverse than any part of the South I have traveled. You can be a bit more relaxed there I should think.
I worked at B&N for 5 years. And customers were *always* coming in and dispersing little cards and ‘hellfire cartoons’ all over the place. It is frustrating when you find them in the bathroom. It’s more frustrating when you, as an employee, have to go through an entire section of the store and pick them out of the majority of books.
Most of the people I worked with at BN were extremely open minded and tolerant of other religions and points of view. I doubt the cashier or any other employee put that in your tarot cards.
Several times we had to write off dozens of bibles because someone wrote “jesus sucks” inside the front cover More offensive statements written the Koran got the same treatment. We certainly do need some tolerance ALL up in here!
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For the most part we are fine. Occasionally we have problems. We have had rites interrupted by preachers and even stickers plastered on our vehicles during our rites. Downtown residents don’t care much, it’s the outer county residents that come in to purposely be a thorn in our side. The manager at B&N told me that they have been throwing out people for soliciting religious stuff a lot lately and he doesn’t think they are locals at all.
It wasn’t tarot cards, it was my book. I don’t know who did it but the manager was quite upset and is working to try and stop it. Not sure how successful he will be to be honest.