Purchasing Decisions?

[carld]

Originally Posted by anamardoll

Nobody wants to get rid of their old copies of his books

I did. They went out with the trash.

[RichL]

Perhaps someone could start a web site listing an authors personal and political beliefs so we can be sure they are on our personal PC level before purchasing. :-)

[carld]

Originally Posted by RichL

Perhaps someone could start a web site listing an authors personal and political beliefs so we can be sure they are on our personal PC level before purchasing. :-)

I don't think that choosing not to support blatant hatred and bigotry has anything to do with political correctness.

[kjk]

Originally Posted by RichL

Perhaps someone could start a web site listing an authors personal and political beliefs so we can be sure they are on our personal PC level before purchasing. :-)

lol...to be honest, I don't really pay that much attention or seek out information on authors, directors, actors, etc. and submit them to a litmus test before buying/watching anything. But when I do hear something that bothers me, I do tend to lose interest in being a customer.

[anamardoll]

Originally Posted by RichL

Perhaps someone could start a web site listing an authors personal and political beliefs so we can be sure they are on our personal PC level before purchasing. :-)

The MeFi page had a SciFi authors and political correlations link.

I, too, would caution against dragging out the loaded "PC" concept.

[kiwipippa]

We have recently had an uproar in New Zealand over a book written by a young woman who had two baby twin boys die violently in her care. Both her and her partner were cleared but no one was ever found guilty for the crime - they closed ranks. She has written a book called "Breaking Silence". Major retailers in NZ are refusing to stock it, some say it is censorship, others that she shouldn't profit from the crime. I couldn't find a link to the actual book (presumably because it isn't being sold!) but here's a link to a blog that discusses it.

http://bookiemonster.co.nz/2011/06/b...encing-others/

I think if I was a retailer I would have stocked it and let people make up their own minds. Otherwise it is getting very close to censorship and book banning and we can't go there in 2011.

Edited - actually it wasn't written by the mother of the twins, but it is her story. It was written by a NZ investigative journalist Ian Wishart.

[anamardoll]

As long as eReaders, blogs, and Paypal exists, I'm skeptical that any book can be effectively "banned" just by retailers refusing to stock it in their B&M stores...

Having said that, if it exists in eBook form, I would generally prefer Amazon et. al to "stock" a book rather than not carry it as a form of protest.

[RichL]

Originally Posted by anamardoll

The MeFi page had a SciFi authors and political correlations link.

I, too, would caution against dragging out the loaded "PC" concept.

Guess that's just my dark view of human kind showing through. As I see it most decisions are PC. Whether the PC is in line with Tories, Democrats, a social club, work or the local neighborhood is of little moment.

[anamardoll]

I suspect you would feel differently if it were your human rights up for debate. Let's leave it at that -- we're not in the Politics forum.

[RichL]

Originally Posted by kiwipippa

...

http://bookiemonster.co.nz/2011/06/b...encing-others/

I think if I was a retailer I would have stocked it and let people make up their own minds. Otherwise it is getting very close to censorship and book banning and we can't go there in 2011.

The old saying "There's none so blind as those that will not see." fits that scenario quite nicely... yes? The whole thing is quite humorous though. Just think of how riveted people were to their news casts and papers through the entire affair. Did they think the Television stations, newspapers and tabloids were just reporting it for free? Just doing it to 'Get the News out' ? Nope, they were doing it to make a profit and the people now protesting were the ones gobbling up all the gruesome details as quickly as they came on-air or off the presses.

I agree with Ana. in this day of blogs if the book exists it will see the light.

[shibamistress]

Originally Posted by RDaneel54

Then if I do not buy everything, I am practicing censorship? I don't think so.

Censorship deals with suppression. My personal choice to buy or not to buy does not suppress that choice in someone else.

Your freedom ends at my wallet (paraphrase).

Exactly. this is my take on this issue. It is absurd to say that choosing not to buy something is the same as practicing censorship. I've become pretty hard core in my belief in free speech, and will support people being able to say/write their opinions even if I think their opinons make me think of them as ignorant bigots, but that doesn't mean I have to PAY for this, nor even listen to it.

the first amendment protects the right to speak/write. It does not guarantee publication or an audience.

Originally Posted by Fbone

If we only interacted with people whose beliefs were similar to our own, wouldn't we be living in stagnating walled enclaves?

Originally Posted by ucfgrad93

There is a difference between listening to other views and listening to hate speech.

I absolutely agree with the response to this. I don't have to listen to hate speech, and will not. I get that it is protected speech and will not say it should not be allowed (though on an emotional level, I often feel that way).

Also, I have a limited amount of time and money to spend on what I read. I prefer it be something that I find valuable. I don't need to read a whole book by someone I disagree with or whose views I find offensive.

Originally Posted by carld

I don't think that choosing not to support blatant hatred and bigotry has anything to do with political correctness.

Originally Posted by anamardoll

I suspect you would feel differently if it were your human rights up for debate. Let's leave it at that -- we're not in the Politics forum.

I'm also responding to these two quotations together, as I agree with both. I'm SO tired of having people say throw out "PC" when someone challenges something that is bigoted. It's too often used as a way to dismiss the rights/feelings of marginalized groups, and too often used to justify bigotry.

Regarding the question overall, I'm all about only supporting artists I believe in, and that means believing them in a variety of ways. I may know nothing about their views, but love their work and want to support it. Or I may find them to be brave in standing up for their beliefs and want to support them. Or it may be a combination of these two (or more!) reasons. I tend to look at it that way--I choose to support some artists, rather than I'm boycotting others.

But there are some writers work that I won't buy because I believe them to be bigoted, and why should support someone who is publicly bigoted and perhaps would hate someone like me anyway? I doubt very much it hurts their book sales, but I simply choose not to read the work of someone like that (and yes, I'm speaking of the person who will not be named as well as others).

Most of the time, though, it's not so much boycotting them for views which don't show up in their work, because most of the time, bigotry does show up in the work too, and I simply will not read stuff like that. So I skip it.

It's not censorship. It's my choice based on my beliefs, opinions and tastes.

eta: Ha! After I posted this, I just noted that my forum title has gone up to "zealot"! That somehow seems fitting!

[RichL]

No argument intended, just clarifying my original statement by explaining what PC means to me.

[sun surfer]

Originally Posted by kiwipippa

http://bookiemonster.co.nz/2011/06/b...encing-others/

I think if I was a retailer I would have stocked it and let people make up their own minds. Otherwise it is getting very close to censorship and book banning and we can't go there in 2011.

We have already "gone there" in 2011 with Amazon censoring books.

In most cases a private company should be allowed to choose what to stock or censor. Just as a private citizen should be allowed to censor what they themselves read, a private company should be allowed to censor what they sell.

There is a grey area though that arises when a company is essentially a monopoly, or when a similarly sufficient amount of companies censor the same thing. Then censoring something may have a similar chilling effect as if the government had censored it.

[anamardoll]

Originally Posted by sun surfer

We have already "gone there" in 2011 with Amazon censoring books.

In most cases a private company should be allowed to choose what to stock or censor. Just as a private citizen should be allowed to censor what they themselves read, a private company should be allowed to censor what they sell.

There is a grey area though that arises though when a company is essentially a monopoly, or when a similarly sufficient amount of companies censor the same thing. Then censoring something may have a similar chilling effect as if the government had censored it.

This.

It's one thing if a small retailer doesn't carry something; it's a little different (for me) when Amazon doesn't, just because they're so huge. But I realize this is a subjective line for people.

[theducks]

Why would I pay voluntarily to support someones opinion (in print or out) that I did not like?