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Original poster

Amazon Boycott

118 replies

Rhubarb · 16/05/2006 13:43

For those who might have missed this on the parenting threads.

Amazon are stocking books that encourage child abuse and paedophilia and refuse to take these books off their shelves. One of the books is called 'No Greater Joy' by Michael Pearl and it advocates whipping babies and children, quote "Many people are using a section of ¼ inch plumber’s supply line as a spanking instrument. It will fit in your purse or hang around you neck. You can buy them for under $1.00 at Home Depot or any hardware store. They come cheaper by the dozen and can be widely distributed in every room and vehicle. Just the high profile of their accessibility keeps the kids in line." This is for babies as well as children! Their website \link{http://www.nogreaterjoy.org/index.php?id=59&tx_ttnews[tt_news]=247&tx_ttnews[backPID]=7\here} says it all.

The other two books promote paedophilia and they are called 'Understanding Loved Boys and Boylovers' by David L Riegel and 'Pedophilia - The Radical Case' by Tom O'Carrol, both authors are members of the 'childlove' movement, a paedophilia sympathisers club.

I've emailed Amazon and got a standard computer generated reply in response blabbing on about censorship. Of course they would do, they don't want to lose money over this. Mumsnet have dropped Amazon as one of their sponsors and I've closed my account. I ask all of you to contact Amazon and do the same. I'm also contacting all the parenting sites I can think of, registering and posting all of the above on their forums, if you are member of another parenting site, please do the same.

Thanks everyone.

OP posts:
Weatherwax · 17/05/2006 13:25

bump

Mascaraohara · 17/05/2006 13:30

I don't spend much but will be boycotting, have been following the other thread too and just wanted to say I think you are doing a fab job Rhubarb!

colditz · 17/05/2006 13:36

done. Bump.

Have you told them at the Bad mother's Club?

zephyrcat · 17/05/2006 13:44

Shock and Angry at this.

Will certainly be spreading the word.

LucyJones · 17/05/2006 14:16

srry but don't agree with that Rhubarb.

Everyone is entitled to their opinions and views. You may not agree with =
holocaust apologists but they have every right to hold their opinions. =
Unless the book is actually breaking the law then any bookshop or =
library has an obligation to stock or get hold of the title.

And in any event yout facts are completely wrong.

Amazon do not stock any of the books you have mentioned. They are all out =
of print and unavailable.

There is just a skeleton catalogue record for "Understanding Loved Boys =
and Boylovers" on the site. It's only there because it was part of the =
database records Amazon bought in when they created the site. The book =
isn't in stock at all.

The other two titles ("No Greater Joy" and "Pedophilia - the Radical =
Case") are not sold by Amazon either. They are available second-hand =
through third party sellers.

The fact that Mumsnet has dropped Amazon as one of their sponsors is =
utterly ludicrous. You could go to any book shop in the country and ask =
them to do an out of print book search on these titles. Go into any =
library and ask them to find the book.

colditz · 17/05/2006 14:24

\link{http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/1892112019/qid=1147872058/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_0_1/203-9140330-8519935\the do sell it.}

LucyJones · 17/05/2006 14:29

Colditz - that is a second hand seller, not Amazon. Are you boycotting ebay as well as you can probably buy the books there too. Amazon have no more control of what people sell than ebay

alexsmum · 17/05/2006 14:31

so lucyjones, what do you think would be an effective protest?

SaintGeorge · 17/05/2006 14:33

"Unless the book is actually breaking the law then any bookshop or library has an obligation to stock or get hold of the title."

Since when?

LucyJones · 17/05/2006 14:33

well if the book was actually in print you could protest to the publishers, boycott all the other books they publish.

LucyJones · 17/05/2006 14:36

Saint George, if you go into Waterstones and ask for a book the bookseller can't turn round and say 'no, i'm not getting you that book, we don't agree with it'. Likewise libraries

colditz · 17/05/2006 14:37

I doubt e bay would allow someone to sell a book full of child pornography, or amazon too for that matter. They do have control, whether they choose to exercise it is a different matter.

colditz · 17/05/2006 14:39

Yes they can!

Same as if you go into an organic shop and ask them to obtain batterty eggs for you, they can and probably will say no.

SaintGeorge · 17/05/2006 14:39

Like I said Lucyjones, since when?

I used to work in a book shop and we stocked what the owner wanted to stock and nothing more.

I'd be interested to know where you are getting your facts from.

Dannie · 17/05/2006 14:40

This stuff is on websites. Shouldn't we be boycotting the internet?

donnie · 17/05/2006 14:41

have you read these books rhubarb? you sound extremely confident of your judgment.

Piffle · 17/05/2006 14:42

Your aim is to stop others from obtaining or reading the book? T prevernt it being imported or sold at all esp in the UK?

At the moment you're only shooting the messenger [shrug]
Tough campaign would be newspaper articles, letters to editors in national press, that sort of thing. You could even try and see if it breaches improt laws being as it promotes an action which is effectively illegal in this country.
Interesting conundrum, I'd like to go for the jugular to be frank.

moondog · 17/05/2006 14:43

I agree with Lucy and shall make a point of ordering even more from Amazon than usual.

controlfreaky · 17/05/2006 14:43

dont get it lucyjones... what makes you think a bookshop is "obliged" to order you any book?? do you think if you went to feminist bookshop they would be "obliged" to order you book extolling virtues of porn? i dont think so. amazon is part of market place and can sell / not sell what it chooses... it chooses to sell these titles. it should choose not to imo.

controlfreaky · 17/05/2006 14:45

sorry, was so quick to rant didnt realise point already made...

Dannie · 17/05/2006 14:45

Exactly Piffle, but the advantage of boycotting Amazon is that we can all feel like we're Taking A Stand without having to leave our chairs

donnie · 17/05/2006 14:48

well yes, Dannie...how many of us actively reject off shoots of companies whose ethics are questionable? I agree it is more effective to go for the source and not the messenger which Amazon seems to be in this case.
We are all hypocrites, to a greater or lesser expent, I include myself in that comment.

LucyJones · 17/05/2006 14:55

  1. Since when have bookshops and libraries had an obligation to get in
    any book that is in print? Since always. For one it is part of their
    business, for the other it is their reason for being there.

  2. eBay and Amazon wouldn't sell books full of illegal child
    pornography? No they wouldn't. However, they would probably rely on
    members to report the offending item before they took action. Of course,
    they would only take action if the item was illegal.

SaintGeorge · 17/05/2006 14:59

Errr, sorry but bookshops sell books - that is their business and reason for being there. The choice of books is up to the owner. There is no 'obligation' at all.

Piffle · 17/05/2006 15:00

And can everyone please boycott Nestle while you're on a roll
xx