We often discuss the deafening silence of professors and writers in the face of campaigns to cancel or censor conservative writers. Indeed, many have supported blacklisting and censorship. That disturbing silence is evident this week after Amazon appeared to deplatform Ryan Anderson and his best-selling book, “When Harry Became Sally: Responding to the Transgender Movement.” Now various conservative sites are objecting that a documentary on conservative Justice Clarence Thomas has been reportedly removed from Amazon’s streaming service — a glaring omission during Black History Month. Amazon has not responded to inquiries as to why the Thomas documentary is no longer available, so it is not clear if this was an intentional or negligent act. Given the controversy over the Anderson book, the sudden unavailability has triggered objections.
A search this morning still found no availability of the book. I have not read the book and I am unfamiliar with Anderson’s arguments. However, my concern is not with the merits of its arguments but the effort to prevent others from reading such arguments.
The intentional removal of the book would be another raw example of private censorship. This is the very danger that I discussed in my recent testimony before the House on efforts to use private companies to implement a system of viewpoint controls. There is a great divide on the issue of how to define gender and how legally to address different genders. This book is part of that national dialogue. However, instead of responding to such book with counterarguments, many want to silence the author to prevent others from reading or hearing his views.
A similar controversy arose last year when Target pulled the book “Irreversible Damage: The Transgender Craze Seducing Our Daughters,” after a single Twitter follower objected. Target later yielded after a national backlash and allowed people to buy the book.
The Thomas controversy is still unfolding but again there is a concern about Amazon’s manipulation of access to opposing views. It appears that you can find a DVD version if you put in the term “DVD” but critics have noted that it is difficult to find as opposed to documentaries on justices like Ruth Bader Ginsburg. A search say that the video is unavailable for streaming. It is hard to judge the controversy at this early date. However, Thomas has been repeatedly snubbed by the Black History Museum and other groups due to his conservative ideology. He should be celebrated during Black History month. I strongly disagree with some of Thomas’ views but his life is a remarkable story of achievement.
Clarence Thomas was born on the Georgia coast in Pin Point, Georgia, on June 23, 1948. He grew up speaking Gullah, the creole dialect. His home was a one-room shack with dirt floors and no plumbing. He grew up without a Dad, who left him at two. As a result, at the age of seven he and his younger brother were sent to live with their grandfather, Myers Anderson, and his wife in Savannah, Georgia. He used his Catholic education to overcome segregation and prejudice to eventually go to Holy Cross and gained admission to Yale, Harvard, and the University of Pennsylvania law schools. After a series of legal positions, he became the chairman of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in 1982 and later became just the second African American to join the Court.
That would seem an incredible life to highlight during Black History month.
What concerns me most is that members are sending letters demanding to know why cable companies are still allowing people to watch Fox News while they say nothing about removing books like Anderson’s. Indeed, as previously discussed, members in the recent House hearing repeatedly stated that they support free speech but not a single Democrat expressly opposed calls for Fox News to be taken off the air.
Yet, when it comes to censorship, members are neither silent nor subtle. When Twitter’s CEO Jack Dorsey came before the Senate to apologize for blocking the Hunter Biden story before the election as a mistake, senators pressed him and other Big Tech executive for more censorship. Rather than addressing the dangers of such censoring of news accounts, Senator Chris Coons pressed Dorsey to expand the categories of censored material to prevent people from sharing any views that he considers “climate denialism.” Likewise, Senator Richard Blumenthal seemed to take the opposite meaning from Twitter, admitting that it was wrong to censor the Biden story. Blumenthal said that he was “concerned that both of your companies are, in fact, backsliding or retrenching, that you are failing to take action against dangerous disinformation.” Accordingly, he demanded an answer to this question:
“Will you commit to the same kind of robust content modification playbook in this coming election, including fact checking, labeling, reducing the spread of misinformation, and other steps, even for politicians in the runoff elections ahead?”
“Robust content modification” has a certain appeal, like a type of software upgrade. It is not content modification. It is censorship. If our representatives are going to crackdown on free speech, they should admit to being advocates for censorship. Indeed, leading academics had the integrity recently to declare that they believe that “China is right” about censorship.
It now appears that Amazon “robustly” removed a best-selling book on gender because it objects to the conclusions reached by the author. The response from Blumenthal and other members? Crickets.
First I thought a sign would be useful to the public at large. But rather than start a fist fight look for an Adams Apple. If there male if not female and if anyone complains sue Adam.
Thankfully the purge hasn’t reached my public library system yet. I was able to check out an audiobook of the title in question. Despite its catchy title it comes across as a scholarly approach with sensitivity for the people undergoing gender dysphoria. I’m only thee chapters in so far but I can’t find the polemic language or bigotry I think the Bezos Bunch are hoping to attack.
What I did find were some interesting observations like his comment that he found it odd that professional basketball which organizes its league by sex, took such a harsh stand against NC for wanting to preserve single sex bathrooms. Or that another woke company, PayPal, is less concerned about the criminalization of homosexuality and transgenderism in the home of its corporate offices and Saudi Arabia, that it is about keeping bathrooms separate in NC.
I suspect there is something in this book about Amazon and that may be what motivated Big Brother Bezos.
I’m only thee chapters in so far but I can’t find the polemic language or bigotry I think the Bezos Bunch are hoping to attack.
It’s a reasonable wager Bezos hires okupiers to do this sort of work. Distinguishing between a vicious polemic and an academic treatment isn’t something they can do.
But even vicious polemics people should be permitted to read.
Well, Amazon also delisted the underground classic “Turner Diaries,” a dystopian fiction novel about a race war in some future America, that has sold millions of copies.
They’ve had it for sale for many years, suddenly, they take it down. No clue why it was ok in March 2020 now in March 2021 it’s banned
Amazon SUCKS
I read on another site that the book “Capitalism on a Ventilator”, about the West’s failure to deal with covid, is also unavailable on Amazon.
So are they going to shut down the WWE? How about the Tabloids? Will we no longer be “allowed” to read the National Enquirer? Am I no longer permitted to see if space aliens really sired Elvis? How about palm readers and fortune tellers? Can I no longer chat with Mrs. Cleo? Will Satire come with a disclaimer? Can I no longer but x-ray glasses in the back of my comic book so I can pretend to see through walls and folks clothes? Can I buy Sea Monkeys? Can I watch a TV preacher? How about a magician? Do Americans no longer have a right to be wrong? Does Bill Kasing have to get a real job? What happens to Von Danken? Chariots of the Gods is now prohibited tv? How about Paranormal Investigators? I love those haunted house investigations. Are those getting banned? …so many questions….does anyone know where they’re planning on drawing the line? Whose covering TVGuide…. I’m so confused 😬…
Electronic book burning.
Another school disgrace in the quest for racial fairness. Boston public schools erase advanced programs because they are not diverse enough. Too many whites and Asians.
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2021/02/boston-public-schools-remove-advanced-programs-werent-diverse-enough/
Why does nobody worry about diversity in the NBA and NFL?
Young, you make a great point. Name one field where minorities (I am including women in the context since they are considered “minorities” when it suits the narrative) excel and then show me the fight for diversity in said field. I’m starting a Jews for the NFL Movement and a movement for male nurses and flight attendants.
Freedom and Self-Reliance is the American thesis; freedom and free enterprise resulting in success or failure decided by merit or the absence thereof.
The freed slaves and the invading parasites said they wanted freedom.
What they really, really wanted was “free stuff.”
What they really, really wanted was “…from each according to his ability, to each according to his need…” under the “dictatorship of the proletariat.”
‘Name one time in human history when the group fighting to ban books and censor speech were the good guys.’
Anonymous, your point is right on the money. come on little fascist censor-freaks, name one time in history when the book banners were on the right side of history.
Proof of the insanity of this issue is that you can purchase Hitler’s tome on the site but not the book at issue that critiques the trans movement. So blueprint for killing 6 million Jews-OK, book questioning having 10 year old boys castrated-not ok?????
Indeed. I actually read Mein Kampf (in German) on my Kindle. Mind you, I don’t think it should be prohibited. It’s an important historical document.
Don’t worry about Amazon, they will receive some kind of award for their “courage” at fighting “bigots”.
antonio
Exactly, that’s what these people do. It’s Hollywood celebs like Julia Roberts presenting her “personal hero” Dr. Fauci with a special honor for doing his very high paying government job very badly. Are you ready to vomit yet?
https://people.com/movies/julia-roberts-says-theres-no-one-more-deserving-as-she-presents-dr-tony-fauci-with-amfar-award/
“Julia Roberts is honoring her “personal hero” Dr. Anthony Fauci.
The Pretty Woman actress will present Fauci with amfAR’s Award of Courage at the organization’s virtual “A Gala for Our Time” event on March 4. Ahead of the event, PEOPLE has an exclusive first look at Roberts presenting Fauci with the award for his work during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“There’s no one more deserving. You’ve been tireless and true for all of us and I just want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart,” Roberts says in the video.
“Thank you so much Julia, those are such very kind words, I really do appreciate them. Coming from you, that really means a lot to me,” Fauci says before going on to thank the “unsung heroes” also fighting the COVID-19 health crisis.”
Dr. Fauci is a political operator working on behalf of the Democrat Party and should continue to be called out as the media-attention-seeking-whore that he is.
But it’s OK to sell bomb making recipes
If cutting edge Black influencers like Breakfast Club are okay with promoting George Floyd as a Black hero and erasing Clarence Thomas, they will reap what they are sowing and the sorry harvest is the damage to yet more young Black Americans.
Censorship always works, eh?
Follow THE science. Science says a man in a dress is still a man. It’s the Chromosomes.
Trans/homosexual, trans/bisexual, trans/inter, or trans/neo?