House of Eratosthenes

A woman came in last night looking for a book by some feminist author that I had never heard of before, no big surprise there. So, I look it up in our search engine and the computer says that we might have it in the store. MIGHT have it, not WILL. So I tell her that I can check our inventory and see if it’s there and show her the section it would be in.

“No, that’s fine, I’ll find it myself. I’m going to look around a bit first”

Ten minutes later, as I’m showing another customer to 1984 I run across her in Literature looking around and she barges in to the conversation I’m having with my customer and sneers “Where is the section on Women’s rights?”

I tell her again “It’s upstairs and I’ll be happy to take you to it as soon as I am done here.”

“No, I can fine it myself.” Note the lack of a ‘thank you’.

Sooo, as you can probably guess, I end up helping another customer find the Christianity section, which is upstairs, and as we get to the top of the escalator that same woman is standing in the middle of Independent Readers YELLING “Is there SOMEONE ACTUALLY WORKING here who can HELP ME!!!!”

Once again (because we were slammed with customers) I offer to show her the section and she is bitching the whole way about how the women’s studies section should be near the front of the store because it’s so important and how this author’s book should be on display because she’s doing a signing tour in California right now and she’s a NEW YORK TIMES COLUMNIST!!

Well, we get there and we have no copies. She flips her shit over it and repeats how wonderful this writer is and how we should all be required to read her crap and then says “Why don’t you have 900 copies here?!?! You have plenty of room! Her book should be displayed all over the store to inspire women everywhere about what they can do!”

I had to.

I know it was wrong but what can you do when the set up is that perfect?

“Well, ma’am, we were going to but we’re saving that spot for Sarah Palin.”

Wow, thanks for the link 😀
- Instinct | 10/23/2009 @ 22:06
I think the post is bullshit, Morgan.

A nice piece of fiction, but nothing more.

Librarians swim liberal.
- Daphne | 10/24/2009 @ 19:35
Sorry Daphne, but it really did happen that way.

I am a very conservative guy who happens to work in a bookstore while I work my way through grad school. I’m going for computer animation and game design. Before that I did seven years in the Navy working on navigation and bombing systems.

Sorry if you find it hard to believe that a conservative could work in a bookstore, much less be an artist, but we do exist. I’ve even had people ask me “How can you do art if you’re a conservative” as if the two are mutually exclusive.

So, believe me or don’t. Doesn’t change the way my cheeseburger will taste.
- Instinct | 10/25/2009 @ 06:48
That’s nice.

I still don’t believe the story.
- Daphne | 10/25/2009 @ 07:04
What kind of a bookstore would keep a conservative bombadier clerk around to tell custumers where the latests conservative best-seller was hidden? This is Daphne’s problem.
- xlibrl | 10/25/2009 @ 09:17
What kind of a bookstore would keep a conservative bombadier clerk around to tell custumers where the latests conservative best-seller was hidden? This is Daphne’s problem.

Wait, what?

Oh, because of the 1984 thing? I wasn’t aware that was a conservative best-seller, because I also wasn’t aware that George Orwell was a conservative…. So I still don’t get what the problem with the story is.
- KG | 10/25/2009 @ 16:29
Well, as far as conservative librarians go, I have to ask myself if this librarian is conservative.

(Her main blog is here…)

Per the rest, it’s a funny story, and a sad one.

I have to feel for the poor woman who doesn’t know how to recognize that she is making it harder for the staff of the store to satisfy her ~~demands~~ requests.

Her ideology shouldn’t factor into it, but it seems to in the worst way.

I also feel sad for the clerk who has to deal with 10 or 20 polite customers per abusive customer.
- karrde | 10/26/2009 @ 17:30
KG, conservatives of today and anti-fascists of yesteryear are finding common cause. I thought this was conventional wisdom by now; if you’re being sarcastic, please so state.

I don’t quite believe the timing of the alleged retort. I would much more believe that the retort was crafted an hour or two later, as a “what I should’ve said to her was…”

Unless women’s studies nuts are constantly berating you and you had previously armed yourself accordingly for this encounter. That sort of backstory would support the facts as presented.

But, the person probably wasn’t crafting a witty rejoinder while also helping polite customers find their treasures. Each time the gent thought he’d seen the last of that woman – why be ready for her to return?

Lastly, the story attempts to build contrast between the feminazi and the 1984/ Christianity lovers – a too-perfect-to-be-believed coincidence if true. Makes all of the God fearing liberty lovers stand up and cheer too – setting off red flags accordingly.

Streched details, but stretched too far. I believe that a lady came in and was rude, but her occupation, the timing of the retort, and the subjects the other bookstore patrons wanted were added by imagination. The internet creates too much temptation to guild the lilly in order to spark the virus.

Confirmation will occur as soon as I get this story in a massively forwarded e-mail, in three, two, one…..
- wch | 10/26/2009 @ 20:06
That Orwell agreed with conservatives on fascism does not really make him a conservative, unless I am remembering him wrong.
- KG | 10/27/2009 @ 17:39
Get over the writer’s conservatism – the story is blatantly bullshit, ringing wrong on every level. She/he made it up.

There are plenty of things wrong with liberal mindsets in general, but this supposed account was over the top. I live in a progressive city full of space cadets, I deal with these people on a daily basis, the only outrageously rude people I’ve come in contact with are insane street beggars.

Liberals may be wrong, but I’ve never seen one behave in this manner and I’ve surely never seen a conservative go off on a liberal harridan in this manner. Conservatives don’t behave this way, they just punch these asshole straight in the throat.
- Daphne | 10/27/2009 @ 18:11

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