I don't participate on GoodReads, I just use it to get info. but I find this discussion strangely interesting. Also a tad odd, but then so am I
Forgive me if I am totally ignorant, but I have a couple of questions and comments.
I have tried reading fanfic but didn't care for it. Probably I have read bad fanfic and there is some great stuff out there, but I just didn't get it.
My understanding is that it is often published without the authors permission making it a bit iffy IMO. Still if not done for profit, is it illegal, I don't know. My understanding is that unless it is legal and copyrighted it is kind of fair game as long as it is attributed.
As to GoodReads doing what a certain group tells them to, I doubt hey are doing it because of an inate bias or being under control of a certain group. Probably if enough people object to a shef, they will look at that shelf and make a decision whether it is good or bad. The fact that other shelves are worse should have no bearing.
If a certain group has taken it upon themselves to make the effort to get the shelves they want removed for whatever reasons, and the shelves they object to are actually objectionable it would be the logical thing for Goodreads to simply remove them.
From the sounds of it, it would take a lot of research, time and money to find the worst shelf, delete that first etc.
Screaming foul or unfair will not get anyone any brownie points. Picking a shelf or two and saying why they are objectionable to you, in a personally unbiased way, might even things up a bit.
Me, I wouldn't participate in a site where I was afraid to be honest and you can't be honest if you avoid posting your opinion. I know that reviewers get hate mail, even those writing for the New York times, but I guess it is accelerated by the fact that people can see the comments and it fans the fire.
Checking all new reviews and comments seems an obvious step, but I gather it would be a monumental task to check all of the existing ones.
I enjoy a good controversy as much as anyone, but if it is as bad as Blossom indicates, then I can't see any way of recovery without deleting all threatening and personal rudeness. And an authors politics or religion should not be attacked in a book review. The law generally grants them the right to hold these views or I doubt anyone would know about them. You can't discriminate legally on grounds of a persons beliefs, race or sex etc. Discouraging others from buying a book on these and other grounds is discrimination IMO. We aren't talking something as serious as a pogrom, but sounds like it might be awfully close in severity as gay bashing for instance.
Hope I am not being totally off topic here.
Helen