Quote:
Originally Posted by devilsadvocate
Not a public school in the U.S., which is funded by taxpayer dollars and the occasional tithe from a state lottery fund. Further, a (non-college) school has a student body made up of minor children who are protected by various statutes from material deemed offensive (or, as the FCC likes to say, "in the prurient interest"). Where that line exists is determined by the community being served; history shows that if a book is banned in a public school, you'll have to go a lot further than the local library to find it, as there's a good chance it's banned there as well.
A business is regulated by a totally different set of laws and acts as a for-profit entity with completely different priorities. Amazon's priority right now is the holiday shopping season. As long as they adhere to the law, they can sell (and more to the point, not sell) whatever they like, and they can make that distinction arbitrarily. Taking the already-purchased ebook "back" without notice or a refund is absurd, however, and Amazon screwed up on that one without a doubt.
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Why do you keep trying to turn a moral argument into a legal one?
Schools and libraries can and do censor books. Censorship is an action whose definition is devoid of a judgement of right or wrong (about the action). I believe that there is good censorship, like when a parent keeps explicit material away from their child. Or a school doing the same thing. Or the FCC having requirements for shows using the public airwaves (though I take issue with some specific choices of theirs).