To Censor or not to Censor

Ohh, my hackles are up! There is nothing I despise more than censorship. And to think that such an establishment as Amazon would participate in this heinous occupation is difficult to swallow. It doesn’t matter to me whether I agree with what is in the books, it doesn’t matter to me whether they would be books that I myself would read – what matters to me is the fact that Amazon has decided that I shouldn’t read them.

There are books in the bookstore where I work that I hate – books the attack people because of their religious or political beliefs. I don’t like hatred. But I still put those books out because I don’t believe that I have the right to decide who should read what. That’s why I don’t believe that Amazon is right in doing this. It’s strange that they are censoring books because they have gay or lesbian themes, but they’ll sell books about Playboy centerfolds, books that have explicit heterosexual scenes, books that portray hatred, drug use, books that teach intolerance of others, etc. But books that have no sexual themes in them, but rather discuss homosexuality, are not allowed. That’s wrong. Books like Evelyn Waugh's Brideshead Revisited, or the short story that was the basis for Brokeback Mountain, would not be allowed on Amazon's search. How can you buy a book on Amazon if you can't search for it. The German's practiced censorship - my father fought them so that we wouldn't .... think about it.

We are not afraid to entrust the American people with unpleasant facts, foreign ideas, alien philosophies, and competitive values. For a nation that is afraid to let its people judge the truth and falsehood in an open market is a nation that is afraid of its people. ~John F. Kennedy

I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it. ~Voltaire

The only valid censorship of ideas is the right of people not to listen. ~Tommy Smothers

If you agree with this, then please follow this link and sign the petition.

You can also write here:

CEO of Amazon:
Jeffrey Bezos.
1200 12th Avenue South,
Seattle, Washington 98144-2734,
United States
Phone: 206-266-1000
Fax: 206-622-2405

Contact info for Amazon for calls, emails, faxes letters


Thank you for listening to me.