The University of Vermont's Independent Voice Since 1883

The Vermont Cynic

The University of Vermont's Independent Voice Since 1883

The Vermont Cynic

The University of Vermont's Independent Voice Since 1883

The Vermont Cynic

Books are For Suckers and Chumps

What’s the deal with all the posters in the library caf? I swear to God I feel like I’m in an episode of romper room in here. Are these things supposed to be pieces of art, a classic series of the masterful works of the American Library Association, here on display for the edification of us all? Are they actually meant to inspire me to read?I’ve never seen so many perfect teeth in one place. Who is meant to appreciate these things? As if I am going to look up from my computer hell and be engulfed by a misty-eyed wave of nostalgia that cries out, “Why, look! There’s Rebecca Lobo of the WNBA! What’s that Ms.Lobo? You say I ought to pick up a copy of Shel Silverstein’s The Giving Tree? By golly, maybe I’ll do just that. “Is there not a single artist in our community who would like to have their work on display in this caf? In the tempestuous sociopolitical climate of this, our modern day, no one has a single piece of real art to contribute, something to stir up real emotion, something to draw us into some kind of real reckoning with that inexplicable force called life?This awkward regression to childhood awe at the neatly preened, glossy exteriors of notable recording artists and movie actors is below even this place.Aesthetic appreciation may be a subjective faculty, but taste is a sense common to us all, or damn well ought to be. Well, there’s only one response to this situation. I’m going to visit with Yo Yo Ma on the grand staircase and read Goodnight Moon to cool my head. Till next time.

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Books are For Suckers and Chumps