On AmazonFail
I've spent the day shaking my head at AmazonFail. Obviously because it is just wrong, but also because it just didn't make any sense to me. It just didn't make sense to me why Amazon--Amazon, of all places--would choose to do this. I know, homophobia never makes sense logically--but here even moreso.
But it had to be true, right? I mean, the sales rankings were gone, and then there was the text of the reply to Mark Probst from Amazon customer service:
In consideration of our entire customer base, we exclude "adult" material from appearing in some searches and best seller lists. Since these lists are generated using sales ranks, adult materials must also be excluded from that feature.
So it was clearly happening. And it was clearly Not Okay.
But I was still puzzling over the Why.
And then, finally, I was linked to this. Which may just be a cop-out for Amazon, but my gut tells me that it makes more sense than Amazon developing a sudden case of rabid homophobia.
I'm not saying they didn't. And if I was about to make a purchase from Amazon, I would still be holding off until I found out the truth. I am reserving judgment until I have more information.
But it makes sense. Let's say Amazon decided that it made sense to remove actual adult materials from its search criterion. Which--I don't agree with that kind of censorship either, but that kind of marketing decision I can understand. What I can't understand is randomly deciding to categorize GLBTQ literature as "adult."
Ah. But the response to Mark Probst doesn't address GLBTQ lit. It reads like a form response to a standard policy explaining the policy on adult content.
And my gut tells me that there's something fishy about the whole thing, and a massive trolling--as insidious and effective as the google bomb used to fight it--that makes sense to me.
Just something to consider.
But it had to be true, right? I mean, the sales rankings were gone, and then there was the text of the reply to Mark Probst from Amazon customer service:
In consideration of our entire customer base, we exclude "adult" material from appearing in some searches and best seller lists. Since these lists are generated using sales ranks, adult materials must also be excluded from that feature.
So it was clearly happening. And it was clearly Not Okay.
But I was still puzzling over the Why.
And then, finally, I was linked to this. Which may just be a cop-out for Amazon, but my gut tells me that it makes more sense than Amazon developing a sudden case of rabid homophobia.
I'm not saying they didn't. And if I was about to make a purchase from Amazon, I would still be holding off until I found out the truth. I am reserving judgment until I have more information.
But it makes sense. Let's say Amazon decided that it made sense to remove actual adult materials from its search criterion. Which--I don't agree with that kind of censorship either, but that kind of marketing decision I can understand. What I can't understand is randomly deciding to categorize GLBTQ literature as "adult."
Ah. But the response to Mark Probst doesn't address GLBTQ lit. It reads like a form response to a standard policy explaining the policy on adult content.
And my gut tells me that there's something fishy about the whole thing, and a massive trolling--as insidious and effective as the google bomb used to fight it--that makes sense to me.
Just something to consider.