When Moms For Liberty attacks libraries with demands to ban books about MLK Jr and age-appropriate sex education, and claims that librarians are grooming their children into the trans agenda, they’re enacting the worst forms of neo-fascist bullying. But they’re also paradoxically defending a troubled American legacy against a librarian culture attempting to course-correct towards greater inclusion.
To discuss this problem, Matthew talks to Heath Umbreit, a reference librarian who works at a public library in the northeastern U.S. Mis- and disinformation has been a professional and personal interest of theirs for several years; Heath's study of the phenomenon focuses on a critical examination of popular narratives about disinformation, the concept of epistemic supremacy, and the ways in which information and disinformation intersect with systemic power differentials in American society.
Show NotesDerek gives the Keynote Address at the 2023 Oregon Library Association's Annual Conference
Library Bill of Rights | Advocacy, Legislation & Issues
Students, authors fight censorship in PA schools
Kuo & Marwick, "Critical Disinformation Studies"
Morales & Williams, "Moving Toward Transformative Librarianship: Naming and Identifying Epistemic Supremacy"
danah boyd, "You Think You Want Media Literacy... Do You?"
PEN America, 2023 Banned Books Update: Banned in the USA
Kelly Jensen, Trauma, Book Bans, and Libraries: A Resource Guide for Library Workers, Library Supporters, and Beyond
Kristen Browde, Who's Making News for Sex Crimes Involving Children?
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Brief: Religion is Not Belief? (w/Blair Hodges)
204: What the Hell is RFK Jr Doing?
Bonus Sample: Let's Talk About Gary Brecka
Deep Cut: On Belief
203: Is This a Joke? (w/Neal Brennan)
Bonus Sample: The Dark Sun, The Red Cow, and The End of Days
Brief: Yoga Teacher’s Survival Guide (w/Theo Wildcroft & Harriet McAtee)
202: Steve Hassan and the Trans Cult Conspiracy Theory
Bonus Sample: Long Haul Stories: Matthew Stillman
Brief: A History of the Gay Right (w/Neil Young)
Bonus Sample: Project 2025's Disdain for Public Education
Brief: The High Cost of Wellness
200: Rogan-Rufo Reality Check
Bonus Sample: The GOP Thinks Food Stamps Are the Real Problem
Brief: Woman, Life, Freedom (w/Negin Shiraghaei)
Brief: Yes, Huberman’s Behavior Matters
199: Inside Anti-Abortion Christian Nationalism (w/Rob Schenck)
Bonus Sample: Conspirituality and the Imaginary Children (Series Intro)
Brief: Unmasking Jay Shetty (w/John McDermott)
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