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PaperclipPerfector  3mo ago (text post)   3110 thread views

Friday Fun Thread for January 12, 2024

Be advised: this thread is not for serious in-depth discussion of weighty topics (we have a link for that), this thread is not for anything Culture War related. This thread is for Fun. You got jokes? Share 'em. You got silly questions? Ask 'em.

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https://old.reddit.com/r/madlads/s/yV09R82gov

I came across this reddit post of a guy who cuts his books in half. I found it funny that this triggered people in the comments. Many people refuse to fold pages or write in their books. I don't see what the big deal is. To me a book is just a tool. I understand taking care to preserve semi-rare books, but these were books you can just walk into any bookstore and buy.

I used to know someone who would even try to avoid creasing the spine. But I've also heard about a guy who would rip pages of shlocky fiction as he read them to keep his place. Where are you on the spectrum?

I'd put myself somewhere in the middle. I treat all of my stuff with some degree of respect. I'm not like super cautious and offended if they get some wear and tear, but I'm not going to deliberately damage them.

Someone who cuts their books in half is comparable to someone who cuts their furniture or plates in half. Like, you're allowed to do that, but unless you're doing a very specific project that requires this, why would you? Now you have torn up damaged stuff instead of nice new stuff.

Cutting your books in half isn't really damaging them if you do it right. It's just turning a long book into two shorter books. Closer to something like removing the back seat from your car to save weight.

Cutting books in half...removing the back seat of a car...both are things that save weight--and that haven't been done in America since the creators of That 70s Show were teenagers.

I'm really lost, people remove the backseats of sports cars to save weight or from trucks/vans to improve cargo space all the time, and I cut a lot of texts in half in college to make them more useable (notably Don Quixote).

Sorry to be confusing--but I've genuinely never removed a seat from a vehicle that had seats that could fold down to make room for cargo. I wonder if it's because I was raised in the blue tribe?

It's more common with motorsports enthusiasts and blue collar workers. Motorsports to reduce weight, workers because even folded flat they take up room. While cutting a book in half is common with literature students. I can see where it would seem strange if you've never done it, like you're ruining it, but in those circumstances it makes perfect sense, you're making it more useful.

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