[luvarkansas]

I'd like to know what's wrong with a person not wanting sexually explicit material (even if it is just a "how-to") out in the open where their children can easily see it, pick it up, read it. Why does that make someone a fanatic?

[rackensack]

Originally Posted by Laredo2007

One trend among micropolitan areas that happens nationally is that many see their businesses losing out to sprawling shopping centers in nearby metropolitan areas. Just speculating here, but could it be that Little Rock draws shoppers from Searcy?

Little Rock has always drawn shoppers from Searcy, and from similar towns through the state. Growing up in rural towns in eastern Arkansas, there were some things you could get locally (groceries, generally, and even the smallest towns had a drug store, an appliance store, and a dry goods/clothing store), but for any real selection you either traveled to the nearest big town (the Searcys, Newports, Jonesboros, Stuttgarts, etc.) or to Little Rock. Living in Clarendon, we went to Stuttgart for lots of stuff (general practitioner, books/magazines, etc.) and to Little Rock for specialist medical services and anything at all esoteric in the way of merchandise. My grandparents were in Woodruff County and usually went to Searcy or Newport to buy stuff, and generally to Searcy for medical services, but would still have to travel to LR for some things.

These days, there's a lot more shopping options in towns like Searcy than we ever dreamed there would be 30 years ago. 24-hour Wal*Marts, Hastings book/music/video stores, Office Depots, etc. all mean that there's a lot fewer things that require a trip to Little Rock or Memphis than there used to be. However, there's also a lot more things on offer in Little Rock than there used to be, and not all of those have made their way out to Searcy and Conway and Russellville and Stuttgart, and while they may not be necessities they may be perceived as desirable or useful and thus may still result in the generation of enough consumer demand that the amount of money spent by residents of outlying areas in Little Rock may still be comparable to historical levels.

[rackensack]

Originally Posted by luvarkansas

I'd like to know what's wrong with a person not wanting sexually explicit material (even if it is just a "how-to") out in the open where their children can easily see it, pick it up, read it.

Nothing, of course, but what's wrong with wanting people to be responsible for what their children see, pick up, and read? I don't let my kids wander randomly around stores that have potentially inappropriate or dangerous items any more than I let them do so in stores with fragile, valuable items.

Surely there's a reasonable medium available here that requires prudence and diligence from both retailers and customers. The types of products you mention are not appropriate for children or even for all adults, but locking them away and making them inaccessible except by request is bad for the retailer (in that it reduces sales) and for consumers who have an interest in or need for such material (in that it precludes them from browsing through the available materials to make an appropriate -- for them -- selection).

If you're not happy with the store's arrangements to make such materials available discreetly, without drawing the attention of children, then don't give them your business. That's entirely appropriate. Where it crosses a line and becomes inappropriate, in my opinion, is when it goes beyond withholding your patronage and begins to involve political or social efforts to impose one individual or group's standards on everyone else -- even a boycott is OK as far as I'm concerned, but (for example) a large church excommunicating a landlord who continued to rent to the store would cross the line, as would threats of violence.

Originally Posted by luvarkansas

Why does that make someone a fanatic?

It doesn't. However, many people start from the reasonable position and, dissatisfied with the results or lack thereof, move on to unreasonable positions and actions. Basically, any time sometime takes the position that what's inappropriate for them is inappropriate for everyone everywhere, I'm going to be kicking back against it. When they try to marshal the support of a mob to enforce their opinions, or try to subvert the political system to enforce them, that makes them dangerous. When they seek to do so regardless of the legal or political boundaries that constrain such actions, that makes them fanatics.

[MAWGRAM]

Searcy AR has several book stores. There are Several Churches and I would love to believe that the Christian's have more authority than the Boot leggers but being raised just a few miles from Searcy, I have to say the Bootleggers probably control most of the community.

There are good schools, good people and good churches around Searcy. It can be a good place to live and raise a family.

[strumpeace]

Are you saying that Books-A-Million didn't destroy the quality of life for good Christian folk in Searcy?

[luvarkansas]

A book store that carries books for children should not have explicit sexual material out where the children can see it. For the life of me, I cannot see why anyone would not be able to understand that. There are special stores for stuff like that, and that doesn't infringe on anyone's "freedom".

[Stormcrow73]

Originally Posted by luvarkansas

A book store that carries books for children should not have explicit sexual material out where the children can see it. For the life of me, I cannot see why anyone would not be able to understand that. There are special stores for stuff like that, and that doesn't infringe on anyone's "freedom".

Do you KNOW it was out where anyone could see it? Do you know that for sure? Do you know if the store REFUSED to put it somewhere it would be inaccessible to children? Sometimes, people get carried away and rail against something even after the "offending" party has compromised. The fact is we don't know for sure what all happened or what all factors played a part in this store's closing. I agree with you that having a book containing explicit photos should NOT be out where children could plainly see it. However, I also totally agree that in large part WE as parents need to take a LOT more responsibility. Shedding responsibility for our children's actions is a MAJOR factor in the current degradation of American society.

This particular topic is a dead issue. Perhaps we should change the title of the thread to read, "Beating a Dead Horse in Searcy."

[Sam I Am]

MODERATOR: considering that the OP has not been back in 4 1/2 months to check this thread, I think it's probably dead as well...let's just move on to bigger and better things, shall we? We're a little off topic regarding moral issues - best left to another forum.

[jeep4x4]

Originally Posted by luvarkansas

I'd like to know what's wrong with a person not wanting sexually explicit material (even if it is just a "how-to") out in the open where their children can easily see it, pick it up, read it. Why does that make someone a fanatic?

It's freedom of choice.
And it should not be out in the open where their children can easily see it, pick it up, read it.

[luvarkansas]

Originally Posted by Stormcrow73

Do you KNOW it was out where anyone could see it? Do you know that for sure? Do you know if the store REFUSED to put it somewhere it would be inaccessible to children? Sometimes, people get carried away and rail against something even after the "offending" party has compromised. The fact is we don't know for sure what all happened or what all factors played a part in this store's closing. I agree with you that having a book containing explicit photos should NOT be out where children could plainly see it. However, I also totally agree that in large part WE as parents need to take a LOT more responsibility. Shedding responsibility for our children's actions is a MAJOR factor in the current degradation of American society.

This particular topic is a dead issue. Perhaps we should change the title of the thread to read, "Beating a Dead Horse in Searcy."

I don't think it's a dead issue. I tell you what, nobody takes more responsibility for their children than I do when it comes to the things they are exposed to, but the fact remains that if a bookstore goes to great lengths to draw children in (as BAM does), they should not have sexually explicit books out in the open where the children can see them. If they did that, they were wrong, and concerned and responsible parents have a right to complain without being called "fanatics" or "witch hunters". If they didn't, fine. That would have been the responsible thing to do on their part.

Everyone in this society has a responsibility toward children, but mostly they don't live up to it....look at the tripe that Hollywood puts out for children, the shallow, materialistic, smart-aleck, sexually-charged child stars they parade out for children to emulate. Sure, parents can do their best to keep that away from their children (and I have), but it makes it much, much harder to do when it's everywhere .....and society as a whole also has a responsibility toward its children. And this society is destroying the morals of children, as a whole. Not to mention making them highly sexualized at earlier and earlier ages.