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Dr. Seuss books deemed offensive will be delisted from eBay

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Re: Dr. Seuss books deemed offensive will be delisted from eBay

#611
post #75

My work sent out a memo today regarding what pronouns I'm allowed to use. We're in the middle of a cultural revolution, and the current trend seems to be for rapid acceleration rather than moderation.

Wars over, the ultra-left won via social network and Internet. They will ban more stuff. You ever heard of good people banning books and banning words? It is mostly dictators doing that.

> You ever heard of good people banning books and banning words?

A majority of developed democracies have laws that restrict hate speech, including Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, India, South Africa, Sweden, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.

That said, I disagree with what eBay is doing.

Re: Dr. Seuss books deemed offensive will be delisted from eBay

#612

It’s bad enough that the company self-cancels the books. But now we also can’t even have a secondary market for what already exists. People have severely underestimated the influence these woke people have. In my company, we receive forms from clients asking us to survey our employees for their sexual preferences and racial categories, essentially based on the same nomenclature used in nazi Germany. It is completely…

> In my company, we receive forms from clients asking us to survey our employees for their sexual preferences and racial categories

Wait, what? Is this legal?

Re: Dr. Seuss books deemed offensive will be delisted from eBay

#613
post #575

As dis-heartening as this story is, compared to a couple of years ago, it is encouraging to see lots of comments from people beginning to wake up to what is going on with this craziness and not being modded here. Free speech is about protecting the right of the un-popular and views that some may find utterly repugnant. Why? because, as we are seeing with all of the woke craziness, when you don't stand up for everyone…

Freedom speech as defined in the first amendment of the U.S. Constitution states that "Congress shall make no law ... abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances." What we are seeing here is a consequence of our capitalist society. It is now more profitable for eBay and other companies to pull or ban thi…

Ah, yes, "freedom of speech", the concept invented in the USA that only has one authoritative definition in the US Constitution. /s

I don't know how often I've had to point this out, but the US constitution is irrelevant here. You might as well refer to your favourite monty python sketch for all I care.

Re: Dr. Seuss books deemed offensive will be delisted from eBay

#614
post #575

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Freedom speech as defined in the first amendment of the U.S. Constitution states that "Congress shall make no law ... abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances." What we are seeing here is a consequence of our capitalist society. It is now more profitable for eBay and other companies to pull or ban thi…

Ah yes the old "just build your own internet" argument.

You can literally buy these books on Amazon right now.

https://www.amazon.com/If-Ran-Zoo-Classic-Seuss/dp/039480081...

This questionable book that Dr. Seuss Enterprises no longer wishes to publish can be at your front door tomorrow. Enjoy.

Re: Dr. Seuss books deemed offensive will be delisted from eBay

#616

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Too many people support the development of powerful weapons without considering what happens when their enemies get a hold of them.

The “weapon” here is just basic conscientiousness. A publisher decided to stop publishing some books because they denigrate people, and eBay decided that they did not want to be facilitating the sale of books that denigrate people. We are not talking about an H-bomb - there is no power structure wielding a “cancel button” here.

[deleted]

Re: Dr. Seuss books deemed offensive will be delisted from eBay

#617
post #520

Now this part is getting a little too carried away. It is one thing for libraries and bookstores to decide not to offer for borrowing or sale things that they disagree with. It is another (and overstepping imo) for Ebay to restrict individual people from selling to others goods that are not illegal or in violation of their other practical rules (no selling jewelry, monetary equivalents, etc). This falls into the cate…

Amazon have been doing this for a couple of years now. They removed all of Greg Johnson's books for example. VISA and Mastercard have also blacklisted him meaning he can't use any payment processor to sell his books on his counter currents website. He can only accept money orders or cheques. There is nothing illegal in his books.

He can always blog his ... views

Re: Dr. Seuss books deemed offensive will be delisted from eBay

#618
I'm want to make a slippery slope argument, that a year or two from now Dr. Seuss books will be banned all together. "He wrote some racist books before, don't you know?" It's really easy to imagine this, given other machinations in the broader cultural complex in the US.

I don't think this will actually happen. I'm optimistic that enough people here, who obviously work at the companies that would be in charge of the said delisting, would stand up and say that this kind of action is lame. It's anti-history, it's a total waste of resources.

It's also just really boring. We have a lot of other problems to work on. Can we focus on those please?

Re: Dr. Seuss books deemed offensive will be delisted from eBay

#619

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Too many people support the development of powerful weapons without considering what happens when their enemies get a hold of them.

The “weapon” here is just basic conscientiousness. A publisher decided to stop publishing some books because they denigrate people, and eBay decided that they did not want to be facilitating the sale of books that denigrate people. We are not talking about an H-bomb - there is no power structure wielding a “cancel button” here.

[deleted]

Re: Dr. Seuss books deemed offensive will be delisted from eBay

#620

I don't know any culture that banned books independent of their content that people didn't regret in the future. A few months ago I was reading about schools banning the book "To Kill a Mockingbird" because it contains basically the "n" word. I'm not american, and and havent read that book. I watched the movie, through, and it seemed to me to be a very anti racism message. I think instead of banning, schools should w…

The word you are referring to is nigger. It’s a bad word that can be very offensive. It’s horrible to use it in a derogatory way, but I feel that it’s ridiculous in at least halfway intelligent conversation no one white even dare ever write it, let alone say it. As if white people have enforced themselves to just pretend the word has magic powers and it is the one who shall not be named. That’s giving an enormous amo…

IT also gives an enormous power to the word itself, and those who want to use it to hurt people.
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