Late yesterday evening, I received an urgent request for action against Amazon from a business associate who is the mother of two young children. Tech Crunch reported today that Amazon is selling a book for pedophiles: A Child Lover’s Code of Conduct. (http://techcrunch.com/2010/11/10/amazon-defends-pedophile-how-to-guide/)
In the article, TechCrunch quoted Amazon,
“Amazon believes it is censorship not to sell certain books simply because we or others believe their message is objectionable. Amazon does not support or promote hatred or criminal acts, however, we do support the right of every individual to make their own purchasing decisions.”
As a citizen of The Untied States of America where pedophilia is illegal, immoral and disgusting, I am disappointed and offended that Amazon management has chosen to carry and sell this title. Doing so does in fact promote criminal acts, literally!
As an affiliate of Amazon, I Lisa M. Blacker, have taken immediate action to disable all Amazon links from each of my websites & blogs so no person will be able to make a purchase from Amazon through any of my sites. I have considered discontinuing my Amazon affiliation and I will keep up with Amazon’s response to this issue as I make my final decision.
In the meantime, please consider strongly what Amazon said via TechCrunch: “…however, we do support the right of every individual to make their own purchasing decisions.” Please vote with your dollars and abstain from supporting Amazon in any way until they remove this book and any other reprehensible material.
As a consumer, you have the power to change the way Amazon does business.
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(update Sept. 19, 2012)
Clearly, giants like Amazon have tremendous power and do what their bottom line dictates. Some time after this post, as the result of political/income tax-related issues, Amazon eliminated affiliation with all Illinois affiliates, including me. Still, as consumers, we have the power to vote with our dollars, every single time we spend one. Get to know the companies from whom you purchase goods & services before you spend.