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02-13-2014, 08:58 AM | #1 |
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Penguin India to destroy all copies of "The Hindus" due to religious pressure
Ridiculous. Penguin should be ashamed.
Penguin's withdrawal of The Hindus causes international outcry Pirate copies are immediately being posted online in protest of this action. I find blasphemy laws hilarious. The strength of their beliefs must be so tenuous that they are unable to stand the slightest criticism. "One man's religion is another man's belly laugh" -- Robert A. Heinlein |
02-13-2014, 09:31 AM | #2 |
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(duplicate)
Last edited by SteveEisenberg; 02-13-2014 at 09:36 AM. |
02-13-2014, 09:34 AM | #3 | |
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From your link:
Quote:
It seems just a little strange for you to start this thread coming from a country with a good deal less freedom of speech than India. EDIT: I guess my last sentence is too snarky, but I'll keep it for now. If you are a PRC citizen, I should apologize, but maybe you are an expat. |
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02-13-2014, 09:35 AM | #4 |
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Where I am living is irrelevant.
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02-13-2014, 09:37 AM | #5 |
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There was an episode of Night Court where an author hired a minister to protest against his book in order to drum up sales. The Last Temptation of Christ would have quickly faded into obscurity had it not been for protests. Few would know of the existence of The Satanic Verses had it not been for protests. I would never have heard of The Hindus had it not been for this. Taking this book off the market in India won't make it go away, it will still be available outside of India, and even in India it will be available to anyone who wants to download it. Many more people will be aware of this book because of this who would not have heard of it otherwise. That's one great thing about e-books, it makes it harder than ever to tell people they can't have a book. I downloaded a sample of it to see what the fuss is about it, and I won't be alone.
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02-13-2014, 09:58 AM | #6 | |
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Quote:
India is subject to communal violence killing large numbers of people. Their blasphemy law probably tamps down some of the dangerous anger while still being loose enough for ideas to get through. So, although, we should oppose such freedom restrictions everywhere, we also should avoid putting India in the same boat with dictatorships. It is a damn shame that this author, and Penguin, will no longer get revenue from India, as people instead download her book for free. Last edited by SteveEisenberg; 02-13-2014 at 10:01 AM. |
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02-13-2014, 12:21 PM | #7 |
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It should be noted that the paper books aren't being destroyed world-wide, but just in India. The book isn't available in paper or e-book format in India, but it is available for sale outside of India in both formats.
I don't live in India, it's not my call what laws India has, and people in India will have access to the book, so I'm not going to get to disturbed by this. It's self-defeating, the author will lose sales, but gain a lot of publicity. Instead of suppressing the book, it unintentionally promotes it. I can't blame Penguin, I don't see that they had any real choice. |
02-13-2014, 12:34 PM | #8 |
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Shameful.
Fahrenheit 451 anyone? Last edited by afv011; 02-13-2014 at 12:37 PM. |
02-13-2014, 12:35 PM | #9 | |
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Quote:
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02-13-2014, 12:38 PM | #10 | |
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Quote:
It's about fulfilling their religious responsibilities and having enforced what they see as their rights as citizens. |
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02-13-2014, 12:42 PM | #11 | |
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Melville House discusses this here: http://www.mhpbooks.com/penguin-pull...hurt-feelings/. The author is quoted, in the article:
Quote:
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02-13-2014, 01:03 PM | #12 | |
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Here's what for me is the central passage in Arundhati Roy's open letter:
Quote:
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02-13-2014, 01:44 PM | #13 |
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The point is that these protests are failures. Their goal is to suppress the book, and instead they do the opposite. It is like attempting to put out a fire by pouring kerosene on it. They promote the book more effectively than someone could if they were actively trying to promote it.
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02-13-2014, 02:20 PM | #14 | |
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Quote:
Iranian poet executed for 'waging war on God' Last edited by Hamlet53; 02-13-2014 at 02:54 PM. |
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02-13-2014, 02:52 PM | #15 |
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I just looked at Amazon and see this book has 55 one star reviews to only 22 five star reviews.
Maybe Penguin had low sales and that was their major reason to stop publishing it in India. |
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