Amazon Defends Pedophile Book

[JSWolf]

This is one time I would like to see Amazon remove a book from all Kindles that have it on it and also take it out of people's archives on Amazon.

[Catlady]

Originally Posted by Nate the great

Kenny didn't say "total freedom to do what you want", so I don't know where you got that.

It's a shame that you are mixing up the book and the act. The 2 are not the same.

I think they should be allowed to sell this book.

I also think they should be allowed to sell Mein Kampf, but that doesn't mean I think the Holocaust was a good idea.

I also think they should be allowed to sell the political tracts of the Weathermen Underground, but that doesn't mean I think we should go blow up the government.

I also think everyone should be allowed to buy and sell guns, but that doesn't mean I think you should go kill someone.

There's a huge difference between the tool and the act. This book,by itself, does no harm. It's the act that does the harm, and it's already illegal.

And you are mixing up the RIGHT of Amazon to sell the book with the wisdom and common sense of doing so.

Again, this is not an issue of censorship, but of judgment. Amazon should have exercised some judgment here, but they didn't. They took the money from this guy to self-publish and then automatically listed his book for sale. (He has several others on Amazon as well, all apparently dealing with sex and/or religion.)

The First Amendment doesn't mean that no one is ever allowed to exercise discretion about what is published and/or sold.

Amazon's own initial statement read: "Amazon does not support or promote hatred or criminal acts, however, we do support the right of every individual to make their own purchasing decisions." [Emphasis added.] Well, in what alternate universe is sex with a child not a criminal act? In what alternate universe is something that calls itself a how-to guide not promoting that criminal act?

A news article about the controversy appears here.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Jon,

It is the role of lawmakers to decide what material it is, or is not, legal to publish. Amazon provide a digital publishing platform; they don't act as a guardian of public morality, and I'd be extremely uncomfortable to see them start doing so.

But is it legal to publish a guide on how to do something we know is illegal? That is a gray area that the courts would need to decide upon.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

But if that neighbor would not have have done that act if he had not bought the book, what then?

The devil made me do it?

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

The devil made me do it?

And that's about as good an excuse as "it wasn't me, it was the dog who farted".

[kindlekitten]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

But is it legal to publish a guide on how to do something we know is illegal? That is a gray area that the courts would need to decide upon.

yes. and as repungnant as we may find it, it should stay that way

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

But is it legal to publish a guide on how to do something we know is illegal? That is a gray area that the courts would need to decide upon.

If you are uncomfortable with what can legally be published in the United States, it's your representative in Congress that you ought to be addressing your complains to, not the bookseller.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by kindlekitten

yes. and as repugnant as we may find it, it should stay that way

Let's say this book is 100% legal to sell. In that case, Amazon did nothing legally wrong in selling it. But that still does not mean that Amazon made the correct decision to allow it to be sold. Common sense seems to have been tossed out the window in this case.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by HarryT

If you are uncomfortable with what can legally be published in the United States, it's your representative in Congress that you ought to be addressing your complains to, not the bookseller.

I'm not uncomfortable with what can legally be sold. Even if this book is 100% legal. It's is 0% moral and common sense should have told Amazon to remove it ASAP.

[ShortNCuddlyAm]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

The devil made me do it?

Originally Posted by JSWolf

And that's about as good an excuse as "it wasn't me, it was the dog who farted".

It's also about as good an excuse as "I read it in a book"

As one of my teachers was fond of saying, "if you were told in a book or by a person to stick your head in a hot oven, would you do it?"

[LDBoblo]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

But if that neighbor would not have have done that act if he had not bought the book, what then?

No excuse for behavior. Person is at fault, not the book. Being emotionally affected, as a hypothetical parent in such a hypothetical situation would undoubtedly be, should not affect the book.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by LDBoblo

No excuse for behavior. Person is at fault, not the book. Being emotionally affected, as a hypothetical parent in such a hypothetical situation would undoubtedly be, should not affect the book.

But in reality, the book is going to also get blamed for what happened. That's not going to change. You are going to be outraged at the neighbor and the book and you will want to sue the author.

You won't be saying. "Oh yes, the book had nothing to do with this and I will defend Amazon's right to sell it." That's not going to happen. You'd be right there demanding Amazon take it down.

[desertgrandma]

Originally Posted by Nate the great

Kenny didn't say "total freedom to do what you want", so I don't know where you got that.

It's a shame that you are mixing up the book and the act. The 2 are not the same.

I think they should be allowed to sell this book.

I also think they should be allowed to sell Mein Kampf, but that doesn't mean I think the Holocaust was a good idea.

I also think they should be allowed to sell the political tracts of the Weathermen Underground, but that doesn't mean I think we should go blow up the government.

I also think everyone should be allowed to buy and sell guns, but that doesn't mean I think you should go kill someone.

There's a huge difference between the tool and the act. This book,by itself, does no harm. It's the act that does the harm, and it's already illegal.

And I think you are full of Bullcarp.......

But thats just me.

[LDBoblo]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

But in reality, the book is going to also get blamed for what happened. That's not going to change. You are going to be outraged at the neighbor and the book and you will want to sue the author.

You won't be saying. "Oh yes, the book had nothing to do with this and I will defend Amazon's right to sell it." That's not going to happen. You'd be right there demanding Amazon take it down.

You're projecting a lot of your personal irrationality onto me and pretty much everyone else. It's just not true though, and I will not blame a book, or even the book's author, for what the reader does.
I also will not support the parents who wish to ban Dungeons and Dragons because it "made" their children commit suicide, even if my child commits suicide and writes a note saying Vecna compelled him to.

[JSWolf]

If everyone participating in this thread has a child and said child was molested by someone who bought that book, I do not think anybody would be claiming it was alright for Amazon to have sold that book, you'd be right there advocating for it's removal and you'd most likely want damaged from Amazon and the author.

So don't say it's OK to sell when you know that once it's used as a how-to guide and children start to get molested because of this book that nobody with any sense of right & wrong would still say it is OK to sell.