Amazon Caves to Pressure, Pulls Pedophile Book

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tayb

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[citation][nom]graham006[/nom]Amazon caves to pressure sounds like a negative.How about: Amazon does the right thing... pulls pedophile book.Unless TomsHardware is run by a bunch of pedofiles is this news a good thing.[/citation]

Because it is negative. Amazon shouldn't be in the business of censoring what Kindle users can and can't ready because it's a pretty slippery slope. Today they don't want you reading about this Pedobear book, tomorrow it's Kama Sutra, etc. I think the vast majority of people would agree that this book is despicable but if you don't like then just simple don't buy it. It shouldn't be up to you, Amazon, or anyone for that matter to determine what I or anyone else is allowed to read.
 

tekwiz

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The title "Amazon Caves to Pressure" does not imply an opinion by Tom's Guide. It simply states that Amazon suddenly changed its policy apparently due to pressure. They initially refused to remove the book but then did. Having the title "Amazon removed a book" or "Amazon did the right thing" would not be correct since apparently they tried to avoid doing the right thing till they were pressured. That's like a thief who only returns the mechandise after he gets caught and is faced with jail. Addtionaly it would appear they refused to remove it since it was selling so well, not because they are pedophiles.

As for is it acceptable to sell a book that promotes criminal activity... Well "free speech" is a nice concept but when it starts to mean that you are allowed to tell people that their criminal activities are acceptable and telling them how to avoid punishment, then it's immoral, dangerous speech that could cause harm to others and should be outlawed. People are very easily influenced by what they read, hear or see. Even when at first they might not accept new ideas, they might slowly incorporate them and start to feel they are acceptable.
 

sykozis

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[citation][nom]tayb[/nom]Because it is negative. Amazon shouldn't be in the business of censoring what Kindle users can and can't ready because it's a pretty slippery slope. Today they don't want you reading about this Pedobear book, tomorrow it's Kama Sutra, etc. I think the vast majority of people would agree that this book is despicable but if you don't like then just simple don't buy it. It shouldn't be up to you, Amazon, or anyone for that matter to determine what I or anyone else is allowed to read.[/citation]

Amazon has the right to decide what literature is available on their service....you simply have a right to any literature they choose to make available.

[citation][nom]Gin Fushicho[/nom]Thing is, the book is for the juveniles, not the adults. So... I don't see the point in pulling it.[/citation]

The book is for adults...to learn how to be better pedophiles....

 

tekwiz

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[citation][nom]Gin Fushicho[/nom]Thing is, the book is for the juveniles, not the adults. So... I don't see the point in pulling it.[/citation]

Well the only guide to juveniles would be "call the police now!"
 

razor512

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Pedophiles don't need a guide in order to do the sick things that they do.

While the bookseems to give instructions to do horrible things, getting rid of it weakens the freedom of speech.

Think about it, that is how people lose their everyday freedoms. Politicians use reasons like this to basically gain control over your rights.

One of the worst things that can happen is the censorship of information, if it is allowed then the government can so the same thing that is happening in north korea where their government gets to choose what information the people have access to. The result of that is compared to the rest of the world, much of the technology and the knowledge is basically outdated by nearly 60 years. Most people don't even know what the internet is over there, most of the people are starving because there is a lack of education which also leads to a lack of people with the knowledge of health care and anything that requires more than manual labor.

Making that book was a horrible thing to do and as people we should be against anyone buying it, more strongly, we should be against censorship as when it is allowed, it is abused.
 

jsc

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Hey, people. You are missing the point. What the book is advocating is illegal.

And for all of you who believe so strongly in the First Amendment, suppose it was your child?
 

thejerk

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[citation][nom]jsc[/nom]Hey, people. You are missing the point. What the book is advocating is illegal.And for all of you who believe so strongly in the First Amendment, suppose it was your child?[/citation]

I have a child. If he was a victim of a pedophile, it would be extremely upsetting.

However, censoring books supporting pedophilia is only one step away from censoring books against pedophilia. That's the greater danger: the censoring of dissenting opinion.

On the other hand, Amazon should reserve the right to deny distribution of anything they don't want to sell. If I owned a store, and didn't want to sell t-shirts that read "F*ck Pears" because they were "vulgar," you guys and gals wouldn't have much of a problem, wouldja?
 

eddieroolz

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I believe that this is censorship. Books on murder, rape and such are allowed but contain the word pedophile, and it's an instant strike out. There's something wrong with this picture.
 

bardia

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I've never seen such a gathering of 1st Amendment baloney... except possibly on the Warren Court.

This is not a freedom of speech issue at all. This is a TOLERATION issue. And... *drum roll* some things should not be tolerated, which is why we have laws. duh.
 

jodrummersh

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[citation][nom]the_krasno[/nom]They should remove all the dialogues of Plato. After all, for example in the Theaetetus pedophilia is briefly touched as something positive due to the way teacher-student and officer-soldier relationships worked in Ancient Greece.I don't deny that the book is disgusting. Pedophilia is disgusting. But censorship? That outright makes me sick.So, before my comment gets voted down:Freedom of speech is the most important liberty we have as human beings. No matter how much we might disagree, object and fight an idea good or bad, everyone has a right to voice it's mind. No matter how insane, criminal or stupid that idea might be.That's why we can argue, retort and discuss instead of finding a big stick to make people shut up about things we don't want to hear about.[/citation]

Surely you recognize the vast difference between this book and the works of Plato... Yes, the author has a right to write the book, a publisher has a right to agree to put it out, and yes, they can put ads in any public media forum that would have them, but the author has no right to have his work available to the world on the single largest platform there is. That is most certainly not covered under the 1st.
 

jodrummersh

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[citation][nom]quotes[/nom]The peculiar evil of silencing the expression of an opinion is, that it is robbing the human race; posterity as well as the existing generation; those who dissent from the opinion, still more than those who hold it. If the opinion is right, they are deprived of the opportunity of exchanging error for truth: if wrong, they lose, what is almost as great a benefit, the clearer perception and livelier impression of truth, produced by its collision with error. ~John Stuart Mill, On Liberty, 1859[/citation]

Nice try, but this is far from a literary "opinion". Yes, if it were a scholarly dissertation on the merits of pedophilia, it would not be silenced, as it would be facilitating a conversation. This book isn't that.

And don't forget, the book is published. Getting distro on Amazon.com is not a free speech matter.
 

dogman_1234

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[citation][nom]hunter315[/nom]I wouldnt buy the book, and i would look kindly upon those who did, but i think its worse to remove something because we feel its socially improper to have out and about, start with one and you fall down that slippery slope quickly, in a few months someone will tell them to remove 1984 because it talks about communism.[/citation]

They did remove 1984...due to 'copyright issues'.
 

L0tus

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[citation][nom]jsc[/nom]Hey, people. You are missing the point. What the book is advocating is illegal.[/citation]

Bingo! All this ultra-liberal "censorship is wrong" BS really chaffs my arse. I mean seriously, books on how to seduce/molest young children? SERIOUSLY!
 
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