.
The online mega merchant's business model was revised recently to exclude books from its inventory that contain what it deems as "inappropriate or offensive" content. In other words not what is universally deemed inappropriate or offensive, rather, what Amazon deems; which is an entirely arbitrary deeming; and quite possibly politically biased too.
The Bible contains quite of bit of material that Amazon could deem as inappropriate or offensive so I expect it's only a matter of time before Christianity's holy book ends up thrown atop Mr. Jeff Bezos' commercial bonfire.
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Amazon 451
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WebersHome
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WebersHome
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Re: Amazon 451
Post #2.
This is my primary concern because Big Tech is on the move to suppress the flow of
information and/or discussion that exposes, and opposes, its political ideology.
In a nutshell; it is Big Tech's ambition to do all in their power to assure that the public hear only one side of the coin rather than both.
As for me:
I prefer to decide for myself which books to read and/or which books not to read.
I prefer to decide for myself which books are appropriate and/or which books are inappropriate.
I prefer to decide for myself which books contain objectionable content and/or which contain acceptable content.
I prefer to decide for myself which side of the coin is true, i.e. I prefer to hear and weigh dissent as well as consent, criticism as well as approval, and fact as well as fantasy.
I do not agree to a band of book sellers and social media moguls banning, censoring, suppressing, and deleting any and all publications and/or discussions that aren't in line with their own personal agendas.
Thus far the US Constitution has prevented Washington from controlling the free flow of information and public discussion in America, but if the current wave of political discrimination is left unchecked, and allowed to become a powerful force in public life, then I fear it's only a matter of time before it'll have enough influence in Washington to steer Congress into amending the Constitution in order to allow our country to forge into law its own version of China's cultural revolution; along with something similar to North Korea's system of gulags for dissidents.
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This is my primary concern because Big Tech is on the move to suppress the flow of
information and/or discussion that exposes, and opposes, its political ideology.
In a nutshell; it is Big Tech's ambition to do all in their power to assure that the public hear only one side of the coin rather than both.
As for me:
I prefer to decide for myself which books to read and/or which books not to read.
I prefer to decide for myself which books are appropriate and/or which books are inappropriate.
I prefer to decide for myself which books contain objectionable content and/or which contain acceptable content.
I prefer to decide for myself which side of the coin is true, i.e. I prefer to hear and weigh dissent as well as consent, criticism as well as approval, and fact as well as fantasy.
I do not agree to a band of book sellers and social media moguls banning, censoring, suppressing, and deleting any and all publications and/or discussions that aren't in line with their own personal agendas.
Thus far the US Constitution has prevented Washington from controlling the free flow of information and public discussion in America, but if the current wave of political discrimination is left unchecked, and allowed to become a powerful force in public life, then I fear it's only a matter of time before it'll have enough influence in Washington to steer Congress into amending the Constitution in order to allow our country to forge into law its own version of China's cultural revolution; along with something similar to North Korea's system of gulags for dissidents.
_
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WebersHome
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Re: Amazon 451
Post #3.
• 1Cor 5:6a . .Your boasting is not good.
The Corinthian church was liberal in its attitudes about intimacy. That's no surprise
considering that particular city's culture in their day and age.
Then, as now, liberals tend to think of themselves as sophisticated and progressive;
and vastly superior to stodgy, inflexible conservatives.
A recent article in the Epoch Times shared some of the secrets of a former KGB
agent whose standard plan for moving countries towards communism includes
demoralization. He said that Americans make the task easy because they were, and
are, corrupting themselves on their own; and actually accomplishing the task much
quicker than the KGB could even dream.
America's moral decadence began gaining momentum with the counter culture back
in the 1960s-- it continues to this day in our schools and universities, in our
entertainment, in our business practices, in our work ethic, in our government and,
sort of like the expansion of the cosmos, is picking up speed instead of slowing
down as might be expected.
That's good news for the left because if they are ever to succeed in turning America
into a version of George Orwell's 1984 and/or Ray Bradburys Fahrenheit 451; they
will first have to suppress and/or eradicate any and all religions that promote
traditional, old time moral values; honesty and tolerance are especially detrimental
to the left's agenda.
Conservative Christianity is one of those kinds of religions. We neither teach nor
support a flexible morality that adjusts to evolving social mores. We do not believe
the end justifies the means so long as it benefits the so-called greater good; and
we encourage the publication and the distribution of books and discussions that
examine both the pluses and the minuses of things like non-binary gender
identification, LGBT, transgender, abortion, human rights, patriotism, dissent,
capitalism, property ownership, and capital punishment, etc. and of course
Machiavellian ethics, and oligarchy, communism, socialism, and totalitarianism.
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• 1Cor 5:6a . .Your boasting is not good.
The Corinthian church was liberal in its attitudes about intimacy. That's no surprise
considering that particular city's culture in their day and age.
Then, as now, liberals tend to think of themselves as sophisticated and progressive;
and vastly superior to stodgy, inflexible conservatives.
A recent article in the Epoch Times shared some of the secrets of a former KGB
agent whose standard plan for moving countries towards communism includes
demoralization. He said that Americans make the task easy because they were, and
are, corrupting themselves on their own; and actually accomplishing the task much
quicker than the KGB could even dream.
America's moral decadence began gaining momentum with the counter culture back
in the 1960s-- it continues to this day in our schools and universities, in our
entertainment, in our business practices, in our work ethic, in our government and,
sort of like the expansion of the cosmos, is picking up speed instead of slowing
down as might be expected.
That's good news for the left because if they are ever to succeed in turning America
into a version of George Orwell's 1984 and/or Ray Bradburys Fahrenheit 451; they
will first have to suppress and/or eradicate any and all religions that promote
traditional, old time moral values; honesty and tolerance are especially detrimental
to the left's agenda.
Conservative Christianity is one of those kinds of religions. We neither teach nor
support a flexible morality that adjusts to evolving social mores. We do not believe
the end justifies the means so long as it benefits the so-called greater good; and
we encourage the publication and the distribution of books and discussions that
examine both the pluses and the minuses of things like non-binary gender
identification, LGBT, transgender, abortion, human rights, patriotism, dissent,
capitalism, property ownership, and capital punishment, etc. and of course
Machiavellian ethics, and oligarchy, communism, socialism, and totalitarianism.
_
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Difflugia
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Re: Amazon 451
Post #4I'm trying to follow your logic here. You seem to argue first that an inflexible morality is bad, then argue that it's good.
Or did you really mean to argue that Christian stores should be required to stock books about, say, the social benefits of transgender inclusivity?
WebersHome wrote: ↑Wed Mar 03, 2021 10:50 amI prefer to decide for myself which side of the coin is true, i.e. I prefer to hear and weigh dissent as well as consent, criticism as well as approval, and fact as well as fantasy.
If you wouldn't expect a Christian store to stock books based on a morality of social tolerance, why would you expect everyone else to stock books based on arbitrary standards that you happen to like?WebersHome wrote: ↑Thu Mar 04, 2021 12:20 pmConservative Christianity is one of those kinds of religions. We neither teach nor support a flexible morality that adjusts to evolving social mores.
Or did you really mean to argue that Christian stores should be required to stock books about, say, the social benefits of transgender inclusivity?
My pronouns are he, him, and his.
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WebersHome
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Re: Amazon 451
Post #5.
Specialty book stores typically carry merchandise that caters to special interests. For example: Christian book stores carry products for Christians, Magic book stores carry products for magicians, Nautical book stores carry products for boaters, Motoring book stores carry products for bikers, car lovers, mechanics, and flyers, Mystery book stores carry products for Murder She Wrote type of readers, Occult book stores carry products for folk into astrology and whatnot, and Head Shops carry products for folks with carnal appetites.
You see, nobody expects specialty book stores to accommodate every possible interest; in point of fact, that would be a very unreasonable expectation.
Up till now; Amazon hasn't been a specialty vendor. But now Mr. Jeff Bezos is beginning to limit his inventory to books that don't challenge his own personal ideology. In other words; Bezos is circling the wagons and beginning to structure Amazon's business model to defend his politics and the interests of his political allies.
Normally a betrayal of the public's trust would be commercial suicide; but seeing as how Bezos' wealth already exceeds that of king Midas, then he can easily absorb the loss of revenue he is sure to incur due to stifled sales.
Now as to "requiring" vendors to carry certain books: I say NO! because that would be offensive to America's free enterprise system.
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Specialty book stores typically carry merchandise that caters to special interests. For example: Christian book stores carry products for Christians, Magic book stores carry products for magicians, Nautical book stores carry products for boaters, Motoring book stores carry products for bikers, car lovers, mechanics, and flyers, Mystery book stores carry products for Murder She Wrote type of readers, Occult book stores carry products for folk into astrology and whatnot, and Head Shops carry products for folks with carnal appetites.
You see, nobody expects specialty book stores to accommodate every possible interest; in point of fact, that would be a very unreasonable expectation.
Up till now; Amazon hasn't been a specialty vendor. But now Mr. Jeff Bezos is beginning to limit his inventory to books that don't challenge his own personal ideology. In other words; Bezos is circling the wagons and beginning to structure Amazon's business model to defend his politics and the interests of his political allies.
Normally a betrayal of the public's trust would be commercial suicide; but seeing as how Bezos' wealth already exceeds that of king Midas, then he can easily absorb the loss of revenue he is sure to incur due to stifled sales.
Now as to "requiring" vendors to carry certain books: I say NO! because that would be offensive to America's free enterprise system.
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Miles
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Re: Amazon 451
Post #6I guess any material could be deemed to be something or another, but exactly what Bible material do you see as possibly being inappropriate or offensive?WebersHome wrote: ↑Tue Mar 02, 2021 2:44 pm .
The online mega merchant's business model was revised recently to exclude books from its inventory that contain what it deems as "inappropriate or offensive" content. In other words not what is universally deemed inappropriate or offensive, rather, what Amazon deems; which is an entirely arbitrary deeming; and quite possibly politically biased too.
The Bible contains quite of bit of material that Amazon could deem as inappropriate or offensive so I expect it's only a matter of time before Christianity's holy book ends up thrown atop Mr. Jeff Bezos' commercial bonfire.
_
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WebersHome
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Re: Amazon 451
Post #7.
NOTE: The United States does not have codified hate speech laws; since the U.S. Supreme Court has repeatedly ruled that laws criminalizing hate speech violate the guarantee to freedom of speech contained in the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
To my knowledge, and in my experience, neither the US Supreme Court nor the US Constitution have jurisdiction in cyberspace; which is quite likely why human rights abuses are common on the internet.
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While active on another Christian forum some years ago, one of my posts pointed out that the Bible teaches that gays and lesbians are in just as much danger of ending up in Hell as murderers. Well; one of the moderators deleted my comment as "hate speech".
NOTE: The United States does not have codified hate speech laws; since the U.S. Supreme Court has repeatedly ruled that laws criminalizing hate speech violate the guarantee to freedom of speech contained in the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
To my knowledge, and in my experience, neither the US Supreme Court nor the US Constitution have jurisdiction in cyberspace; which is quite likely why human rights abuses are common on the internet.
_
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Miles
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Re: Amazon 451
Post #8Interesting, and although I know that according to the Bible gays who have sexual relations, I'm assuming anal sex, are to be killed. I don't believe the Bible mentions anything dire will happen to anyone, man or woman, who just has a homosexual orientation, or loves someone without intimacy. In fact, I don't think it says anything will happen to lesbians or bisexual women who engage in sex with each other. If you know otherwise please cite the verse.WebersHome wrote: ↑Sat Mar 06, 2021 9:41 am .While active on another Christian forum some years ago, one of my posts pointed out that the Bible teaches that gays and lesbians are in just as much danger of ending up in Hell as murderers. Well; one of the moderators deleted my comment as "hate speech".
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WebersHome
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Re: Amazon 451
Post #9.
This comment based upon *spark notes related to Ray Bradbury's novel: Fahrenheit 451
In explaining how books came to be banned in the first place, the main character's supervisor explains:
"Special interest groups and other "minorities" objected to books that offended them. Soon, books all began to look the same as writers tried to avoid offending anybody.
. . .This was not enough, however, and society as a whole decided to simply burn books rather than permit conflicting opinions."
That so reminds me of some lyrics in QUEEN's song titled: One Vision.
One man, one goal,
One mission.
One heart, one soul,
Just one solution.
I had a dream when I was young,
A dream of sweet illusion:
A glimpse of hope and unity,
And visions of one sweet union.
So give me your hands,
Give me your hearts.
I'm ready.
There's only one direction.
One world, one nation,
One vision.
You see; by selectively banning books, we make the world a nice safe little haven for only one ideology, one perspective, and one morality; which of course everyone must accept on penalty of being branded an insurrectionist, a traitor, and/or deplorable, non patriotic, an enemy of unity, toxic, and/or a tumor.
Later in the novel, the main character meets a former English professor who laments;
"The current state of society is due to the cowardice of people like himself who would not speak out against book burning when it was still possible to stop it."
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This comment based upon *spark notes related to Ray Bradbury's novel: Fahrenheit 451
In explaining how books came to be banned in the first place, the main character's supervisor explains:
"Special interest groups and other "minorities" objected to books that offended them. Soon, books all began to look the same as writers tried to avoid offending anybody.
. . .This was not enough, however, and society as a whole decided to simply burn books rather than permit conflicting opinions."
That so reminds me of some lyrics in QUEEN's song titled: One Vision.
One man, one goal,
One mission.
One heart, one soul,
Just one solution.
I had a dream when I was young,
A dream of sweet illusion:
A glimpse of hope and unity,
And visions of one sweet union.
So give me your hands,
Give me your hearts.
I'm ready.
There's only one direction.
One world, one nation,
One vision.
You see; by selectively banning books, we make the world a nice safe little haven for only one ideology, one perspective, and one morality; which of course everyone must accept on penalty of being branded an insurrectionist, a traitor, and/or deplorable, non patriotic, an enemy of unity, toxic, and/or a tumor.
Later in the novel, the main character meets a former English professor who laments;
"The current state of society is due to the cowardice of people like himself who would not speak out against book burning when it was still possible to stop it."
_
