The Preamble

The Preamble

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Why “protecting people” is actually just controlling them

Sharon McMahon's avatar
Sharon McMahon
Dec 19, 2025
∙ Paid

Late-afternoon light fell through the high windows of the library in long, pale rectangles, catching the dust that drifted above the carpet like snow that had forgotten how to land. The building was warm in that particular way libraries are warm — radiators ticking softly, paper holding the heat, the air carrying a faint trace of glue and bindings. Some…

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