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Amazon Censorship Expands
Nom du Keyboard writes "Recently word leaked out about Amazon removing titles containing fictional incest. Surprisingly that ban didn't extend to the 10 titles of Science Fiction Grand Master Robert A. Heinlein that incorporate various themes of incest and pedophilia. Now, it seems that the censorship is expanding to m/m gay fiction if it contains the magic word 'rape' in the title. Just how far is this going to be allowed to proceed in relative silence, and who is pushing these sudden decisions on Amazon's part?"
Titles on the subject of gay rape disappear from Amazon and we're supposed to be concerned. WTF is wrong with you?
This is not censorship. It's a simple issue of a retailer not wanting its image stained by garbage.
It's both their right and responsibility to see to this kind of stuff.
It contains incest stories as well.
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Sigh... for the millionth time, yes, it is censorship, it's just not government censorship and therefore not illegal censorship (in the US). It's still censorship. That's what the fucking word means, for Christ's sake.
Actually, I checked and was unable to find a dictionary or legal definition to support your contention. Based on what I was able to find online, definitions of 'censorhip' require active suppression of content by some sort of authority. That authority bit is important - webster, oxford, and various legal sites all seemed to use a similar word ('authority', 'official', etc). This is in keeping with the history of the word from its Roman roots.
So we have two requirements for censorship - some sort of authority, and restricted speech. You'd be hard-pressed to prove either here - Amazon has no official capacity, and they have no ability to suppress anyone's communication since there are many other avenues of selling books,
In short, Amazon doesn't 'censor' anyone by simply choosing not to sell someone's book, even if that reason is due to objectionable content. If they are, then every business on Earth is also guilty of censorship since they won't sell my goat-porn picture book.
You can't make a word mean something it doesn't simply at your own whim. If you can cite a dictionary definition that supports your much expanded definition of the word, I'd like to see it.