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If something really offensive is being sold at a national store, and you're terribly offended by it, do you think protesting and pressuring that national chain to pull this product is ok? If let's say the product is a book, if the chain decides to pull it off its shelves, would you call that banning and censorship?
I have 2 examples
1) A national cardealer is offering to give away AK47 for every new truck you buy, and many are protesting.
2) A book about how to be a better pedophilia is on sale on Amazon, and many are protesting.
Let's say, both bowed down to public outcry. Some say we shouldn't tell a business how to run their business. Books don't commit crimes. Guns don't commit crimes. Banning and censorship is bad.
Others say, if the businesses know that their actions might hurt their future finances, they should listen. After all, that's what businesses do, try to make money from the most people possible. They should be allowed to sell what they want or take off what they want, but the consumers should also be allowed to voice their displeasure and put pressure on businesses.
Your thoughts?
Friday, November 12, 2010
Friday Deep Thought: Personal Freedom, Public Outrage About Guns & Books
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4 comments:
All I can say is I'm glad this didn't happen during Banned Books week. The irony and hypocrisy may have taken the interwebs down.
Wait, that's not all I have to say. Many voices that were crying out; I didn't see a single one take down their self published on Amazon. I saw no one take down the Amazon links on their sites (the ones I'm assuming that they make a tiny bit of money from if those who click through make a purchase).
Many of those same people also couldn't talk about Banned Books week enough.
So yeah, I'm really disappointed in a lot of people right now.
I'm not saying yay! pedo how to guide, that's fabulous! I am saying, yay! I live in a country where unpopular speech is allowed.
I consider myself a liberal and an advocate of free speech. However, in this particular instance I am very glad that Amazon was pressured to stop selling this horrendous book on pedophilia. Commercial free speech is not an absolute right and must be curtailed when it advocates against a clear public policy. In this case, this book advocates the commission of one of the most heinous crimes around. I am glad it was banned.
I consider myself a liberal and an advocate of free speech. However, in this particular instance I am very glad that Amazon was pressured to stop selling this horrendous book on pedophilia. Commercial free speech is not an absolute right and must be curtailed when it advocates against a clear public policy. In this case, this book advocates the commission of one of the most heinous crimes around. I am glad it was banned.
Missy Ann,
It's tough to balance the rights of free speech/freedom, isn't it? Most of the time, the indignation is over something protested by the few. But when it becomes the indignation of the many, then it becomes a problem, especially for an establishment trying to make money.
There are many important points on both sides that are worth thinking about, though, and as someone who loves reading, it is always tough for me to balance my more objective "literary" hat and my more personal "this is wrong no matter how I argue for it" hat.
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