7 ms·

That's not what happened. This decision has actually been in the works for a while and involved a lot of discussion. > The decision to cease publication and sa

by notJim 6y ago

That's not what happened. This decision has actually been in the works for a while and involved a lot of discussion. > The decision to cease publication and sales of the books was made last year after months of discussion, the company, which was founded by Seuss’ family, told AP https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/nation-world/ct-aud-nw-dr-seuss-books-racist-imagery-20210302-qr7ohmedtzcltarf4dl76qw5ee-story.html https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/nation-world/ct-aud-nw-dr-... eBay has an existing policy that removes racist materials. They're just applying it based on the Seuss info. > Items with racist, anti-Semitic, or otherwise demeaning portrayals, for example through caricatures or other exaggerated features, including figurines, cartoons, housewares, historical advertisements, and golliwogs https://www.ebay.com/help/policies/prohibited-restricted-items/offensive-material-policy?id=4324 https://www.ebay.com/help/policies/prohibited-restricted-ite...

ipsum2 6y ago
As someone mentioned above, Mein Kampf is still allowed: https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2380057.m570.l1313&_nkw=mein+kampf&_sacat=0 https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2380057.m...
- ojnabieoot 6y ago
  This is misleading and approaching a lie. eBay only allows critically-annotated copies of Mein Kampf which are designed for scholars. I am sure that a copy of “If I Ran The Zoo” with a sociologist critically annotating the abhorrent racism would be permitted on eBay. From one of the listed items: > This item has been listed previously. eBay removed it with this reminder of the guidelines: > "You listed the book Mein Kampf, but it is not a critically annotated edition. eBay only allows critically annotated versions of Mein Kampf to be listed on the site. While we appreciate that you chose to utilize our site, we must ask that you please not relist in this case." > This is their policy and this edition is compliant with that policy.
  - ipsum2 6y ago
    > eBay only allows critically-annotated copies of Mein Kampf which are designed for scholars That's a good point. I didn't realize they were annotated by modern scholars.
    - UncleMeat 6y ago
      The Mein Kampf lie is already halfway around the world. A tremendous amount of misinformation is already out there regarding this story.
  - stass 6y ago
    Communist Manifesto and Lenin's books are allowed without any comments though. There are books by actual terrorists too, like Bill Ayers. Books advocating for segregation. One can go on. This fine example is ok too: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Protocols-of-the-Learned-Elders-of-Zion-by-Sergiei-Nilus-Paperback-book/353209171064 https://www.ebay.com/itm/Protocols-of-the-Learned-Elders-of-... But Mulberry street is the problem.
    - ojnabieoot 6y ago
      Ok if you think eBay should ban more books then go tell them that! Incidentally this isn’t true: > Books advocating for segregation. Or, rather, if such books are available it is against eBay’s policy and they should be reported. eBay has a specific policy against items that glorify racism or endorse racist stereotypes: https://www.ebay.com/help/policies/prohibited-restricted-items/offensive-material-policy?id=4324 https://www.ebay.com/help/policies/prohibited-restricted-ite... It does not have a policy against everything morally icky, but it’s quite clear about racism. Mulberry Street and If I Ran The Zoo are both racist and against eBay’s policy.
      - stass 6y ago
        The issue is that they are not just removing racist or hateful content according to some kind of standard. They are going after hot topics of the day, whatever it happens to be. Even worse, hateful and racist content that is ideologically aligned is explicitly allowed. One would be hard-pressed to find anything more blatantly racist than White fragility or works of Dr Kendi, and yet you would not see eBay banning them, up until they fall out of favor.
- madeofpalk 6y ago
  Right so this story is actually about yet another platform poorly enforcing its own moderation policy.
  - SpicyLemonZest 6y ago
    But there's a point where poor, one-sided enforcement of a facially neutral moderation policy becomes in practice a biased policy.
- gnopgnip 6y ago
  No, Mein Kampf is not allowed. Critically annotated versions are allowed. There is a significant difference here
  - enriquto 6y ago
    This is ridiculous. Historians should be allowed to freely read original, non-critically annotated, historical documents. Otherwise they cannot do their job.
    - RobertKerans 6y ago
      They are, nobody stops them doing that.
    - timcederman 6y ago
      And they're welcome to read those at the library or other sources - eBay, as a company, is under no obligation to facilitate dissemination of historical documents.
      - enriquto 6y ago
        I thought that ebay was just a website where people could sell their historical documents to each other. Ebay does not "disseminate" the things that people send to each other. Heck, it doesn't even deal with the delivery! It just processes the payments. Why are they willing to engage in editorializing stuff that they don't even see? It makes no sense.
        RobertKerans 6y ago
        Ebay is a company, not a website, and company policies specify which products can be listed by their users. It's not neutral, you're being deliberately obtuse here.
        morlockabove 6y ago
        But it should be, given it's a monopoly on the space.
- dkdbejwi383 6y ago
  I doubt there are many people buying Mein Kampf as a bedtime story for their children though
kfgx10 6y ago
So, the complete works of Shakespeare are banned because they contain "The merchant of Venice"?
- op00to 6y ago
  No. Your point?
- PontifexMinimus 6y ago
  Not yet, give them time!
- yerwhat01010 6y ago
  There is absolute no chance that these radicals will not come for Shakespeare eventually. Their aim is to destroy the Western canon so they can replace it with their own propaganda: Shakespeare is too high-value a target for them to ignore.
elindbe3 6y ago
Charles Manson In His Own Words is a-OK though!
- op00to 6y ago
  Your point, please?

by notJim 6y ago

ipsum2 6y ago

As someone mentioned above, Mein Kampf is still allowed: https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2380057.m570.l1313&_nkw=mein+kampf&_sacat=0 https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2380057.m...

ojnabieoot 6y ago
This is misleading and approaching a lie. eBay only allows critically-annotated copies of Mein Kampf which are designed for scholars. I am sure that a copy of “If I Ran The Zoo” with a sociologist critically annotating the abhorrent racism would be permitted on eBay. From one of the listed items: > This item has been listed previously. eBay removed it with this reminder of the guidelines: > "You listed the book Mein Kampf, but it is not a critically annotated edition. eBay only allows critically annotated versions of Mein Kampf to be listed on the site. While we appreciate that you chose to utilize our site, we must ask that you please not relist in this case." > This is their policy and this edition is compliant with that policy.
- ipsum2 6y ago
  > eBay only allows critically-annotated copies of Mein Kampf which are designed for scholars That's a good point. I didn't realize they were annotated by modern scholars.
  - UncleMeat 6y ago
    The Mein Kampf lie is already halfway around the world. A tremendous amount of misinformation is already out there regarding this story.
- stass 6y ago
  Communist Manifesto and Lenin's books are allowed without any comments though. There are books by actual terrorists too, like Bill Ayers. Books advocating for segregation. One can go on. This fine example is ok too: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Protocols-of-the-Learned-Elders-of-Zion-by-Sergiei-Nilus-Paperback-book/353209171064 https://www.ebay.com/itm/Protocols-of-the-Learned-Elders-of-... But Mulberry street is the problem.
  - ojnabieoot 6y ago
    Ok if you think eBay should ban more books then go tell them that! Incidentally this isn’t true: > Books advocating for segregation. Or, rather, if such books are available it is against eBay’s policy and they should be reported. eBay has a specific policy against items that glorify racism or endorse racist stereotypes: https://www.ebay.com/help/policies/prohibited-restricted-items/offensive-material-policy?id=4324 https://www.ebay.com/help/policies/prohibited-restricted-ite... It does not have a policy against everything morally icky, but it’s quite clear about racism. Mulberry Street and If I Ran The Zoo are both racist and against eBay’s policy.
    - stass 6y ago
      The issue is that they are not just removing racist or hateful content according to some kind of standard. They are going after hot topics of the day, whatever it happens to be. Even worse, hateful and racist content that is ideologically aligned is explicitly allowed. One would be hard-pressed to find anything more blatantly racist than White fragility or works of Dr Kendi, and yet you would not see eBay banning them, up until they fall out of favor.
madeofpalk 6y ago
Right so this story is actually about yet another platform poorly enforcing its own moderation policy.
- SpicyLemonZest 6y ago
  But there's a point where poor, one-sided enforcement of a facially neutral moderation policy becomes in practice a biased policy.
gnopgnip 6y ago
No, Mein Kampf is not allowed. Critically annotated versions are allowed. There is a significant difference here
- enriquto 6y ago
  This is ridiculous. Historians should be allowed to freely read original, non-critically annotated, historical documents. Otherwise they cannot do their job.
  - RobertKerans 6y ago
    They are, nobody stops them doing that.
  - timcederman 6y ago
    And they're welcome to read those at the library or other sources - eBay, as a company, is under no obligation to facilitate dissemination of historical documents.
    - enriquto 6y ago
      I thought that ebay was just a website where people could sell their historical documents to each other. Ebay does not "disseminate" the things that people send to each other. Heck, it doesn't even deal with the delivery! It just processes the payments. Why are they willing to engage in editorializing stuff that they don't even see? It makes no sense.
      - RobertKerans 6y ago
        Ebay is a company, not a website, and company policies specify which products can be listed by their users. It's not neutral, you're being deliberately obtuse here.
        morlockabove 6y ago
        But it should be, given it's a monopoly on the space.
dkdbejwi383 6y ago
I doubt there are many people buying Mein Kampf as a bedtime story for their children though

kfgx10 6y ago

So, the complete works of Shakespeare are banned because they contain "The merchant of Venice"?

op00to 6y ago
No. Your point?
PontifexMinimus 6y ago
Not yet, give them time!
yerwhat01010 6y ago
There is absolute no chance that these radicals will not come for Shakespeare eventually. Their aim is to destroy the Western canon so they can replace it with their own propaganda: Shakespeare is too high-value a target for them to ignore.

elindbe3 6y ago

Charles Manson In His Own Words is a-OK though!

op00to 6y ago
Your point, please?