Dr. Seuss books deemed offensive will be delisted from eBay • Hacker News Board

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

#871

Post by cozarp » Fri, Mar 05, 2021, 1:51 PM UTC

lgleason wrote: post #562

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…

This comment fits the intolerant mindset that seems to have been emboldened over the last few years, just like the 'woke' mindset it encourages people to wake up and push back against.

There is nothing crazy about people being vocal for more respectful, inclusive and considerate treatment towards races (or sexualities etc) that have a history of being oppressed.

Dr Suess's estate made the decision to change and stop publishing the titles: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2021/mar/05/dr-seusss-lega...

And if a company like eBay wants to get on board with that and stop listing them to either support the change, respond to that market sentiment or even protect their own profits then they have the freedom and right to make that choice.

Being vocal for respectful inclusion of groups in society is NOT the same as government sanctioned persecution for heresy from medieval times. So don't conflate the two.

Say whatever you want, question authority, just be respectful and constructive towards society and open-minded to changing things that are not respectful to others in modern times. It's not that hard.

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

#872

Post by mancerayder » Fri, Mar 05, 2021, 1:53 PM UTC

helsinkiandrew wrote: post #648

lgleason wrote: post #562

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…

There's two kinds of freedom: freedom from and freedom to. These are some children's books that contain illustrations that some people find offensive and the publisher (and sellers) are deciding they no longer want to be associated with and sell to children. There are internet forums where the images are available and people can view them without the police knocking your door down, and I'm sure these are available in…

>There's two kinds of freedom: freedom from and freedom to.

Wonderful. And where do tech monopolies figure in the world view you've expounded ?

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

#873

Post by 0dayz » Fri, Mar 05, 2021, 2:01 PM UTC

I don't see this being a free speech issue when you read this:

"Dr. Seuss Enterprises LP, which oversees Dr. Seuss’s publishing interests and ancillary areas, Tuesday said it had decided that six of the famed author’s books would no longer be published because they 'portray people in ways that are hurtful and wrong.'"

Since the publisher themselves made this decision to brand their books deemed offensive.

Whenever or not books should be sold, if mein kampf can be sold then books should too.

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

#874

Post by enoughalready » Fri, Mar 05, 2021, 2:03 PM UTC

Kaze404 wrote: post #853

jtbayly wrote: post #816

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No. This was eBay, not a publisher. No. This was not completely unprompted.

Right, but what prompted it was the situation I described. Nobody asked for this.

It was prompted by a school district threatening to boycott the publisher because of these books. Why would you make a claim about it not being prompted when you didn't do the research first?

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

#875

Post by zdragnar » Fri, Mar 05, 2021, 2:05 PM UTC

helsinkiandrew wrote: post #648

lgleason wrote: post #562

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…

There's two kinds of freedom: freedom from and freedom to. These are some children's books that contain illustrations that some people find offensive and the publisher (and sellers) are deciding they no longer want to be associated with and sell to children. There are internet forums where the images are available and people can view them without the police knocking your door down, and I'm sure these are available in…

> they no longer want to be associated with and sell to children

Though you are largely correct, the "think of the children" angle is unnecessary to your argument and fundamentally flawed. Pornography and other materials that ought not end up in the hands of children are available on both eBay and Amazon, neither of which allow young children to have their own accounts.

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

#876

Post by enoughalready » Fri, Mar 05, 2021, 2:05 PM UTC

Kaze404 wrote: post #813

lgleason wrote: post #562

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…

You realize this was a publishing company deciding, completely unprompted and out of their own volition, that they don't want to publish these books, right? Whose freedom of speech is being violated here?

It was prompted:

A school district in Virginia said over the weekend that it had advised schools to de-emphasize Dr. Seuss books on “Read Across America Day,” a national literacy program that takes place each year on March 2, the anniversary of Mr. Geisel’s birth.

“Research in recent years has revealed strong racial undertones in many books written/illustrated by Dr. Seuss,” according to the statement by the district, Loudoun County Public Schools.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/02/books/dr-seuss-mulberry-s...

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

#877

Post by [deleted] » Fri, Mar 05, 2021, 2:06 PM UTC

lgleason wrote: post #562

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…

[deleted]

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

#878

Post by intothev01d » Fri, Mar 05, 2021, 2:13 PM UTC

h0l0cube wrote: post #726

helsinkiandrew wrote: post #648

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's two kinds of freedom: freedom from and freedom to. These are some children's books that contain illustrations that some people find offensive and the publisher (and sellers) are deciding they no longer want to be associated with and sell to children. There are internet forums where the images are available and people can view them without the police knocking your door down, and I'm sure these are available in…

To be fair these books ought to live on Archive.org, because they are basically 'classics' at this point. Plenty of problematic and dated books live there. While it has some Dr. Seuss books, it doesn't have the problematic ones, but for at least historical reasons, it should. https://archive.org/details/texts?and%5B%5D=dr+seuss&sin=

Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.

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

#879

Post by htnsao » Fri, Mar 05, 2021, 2:17 PM UTC

lgleason wrote: post #562

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…

Yes people need to pushback against the overly politically-correct.

I think the pressure to enforce covid lockdowns is as ridiculous as these people wanting to censure Dr Seuss. Where I'm at we're back to lockdowns on Sundays only, so stupid.

Basically we need to get on with life and ignore the overly-anxious who want to control/censure everyone.

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

#880

Post by blackoil » Fri, Mar 05, 2021, 2:17 PM UTC

zdragnar wrote: post #875

helsinkiandrew wrote: post #648

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's two kinds of freedom: freedom from and freedom to. These are some children's books that contain illustrations that some people find offensive and the publisher (and sellers) are deciding they no longer want to be associated with and sell to children. There are internet forums where the images are available and people can view them without the police knocking your door down, and I'm sure these are available in…

> they no longer want to be associated with and sell to children Though you are largely correct, the "think of the children" angle is unnecessary to your argument and fundamentally flawed. Pornography and other materials that ought not end up in the hands of children are available on both eBay and Amazon, neither of which allow young children to have their own accounts.

Unlike pornography, these are actively targeted towards children.