Flaming!! Free discrimination at Amazon.com

[Timboly]

Excerpt from gayadvocacy.com newsletter.

THANKS AMAZON.COM, FOR NOTHING

We all owe a big "thanks" to Amazon.com for being associated
with supporters of the anti-gay Helms amendment. Over the
past week or two, a home-grown online protest sprouted up
against Amazon because the company's banner ads were
appearing on Dr. Laura's Web site, including a high-profile
ad that popped up on a page urging Laura's millions of
minions to contact Congress in support of the Helms amendment.

Now, why pick on Amazon? Because the company has an explicit
terms of service policy about use of its banner ads in their
"associates program" (this applies to Dr. Laura's Web site).
According to Amazon's rules, sites that are not eligible for
this program include sites that: "promote discrimination
based on race, sex, religion, nationality, disability, sexual
orientation, or age." Now, no matter where you stand on the
Boy Scout issue, Dr. Laura's Web site clearly promoted
discrimination based on sexual orientation in the Boy Scouts
by urging support for the Helms amendment, I mean, that was the
entire purpose behind the amendment.

How did Amazon respond? First they told customers that Dr.
Laura's Web site did not promote discrimination. Then, a few
days later, they switched gears and started saying that Dr.
Laura's site did not promote "illegal" discrimination
(meaning that discrimination against gays and lesbians is ok
so long as it's not against the law? - also, the word
"illegal" appears nowhere in Amazon's policy). And now, just
a few days ago, Amazon has again changed its tune, arguing
that more speech is the answer to hate speech. Nice try,
but again, it begs the question of why Amazon ALREADY HAS a
policy that restricts speech on Web sites that promote discrimination
, but when that policy is applied to anti-gay discrimination, they're
suddenly scrambling to grant an exception.

I guess the moral to this story is that next time you get
fired from your job because you're gay (and in around 40
states it's still legal to do so), you can take solace in the
fact that at least it wasn't "illegal" discrimination.

You can read more about Amazon's policy, and the whole
debate, here:
http://forums.about.com/ab-uspolitics2/messages/?lgnf=y&msg=228.1
:Q

 

[TripleJ]

<<Flaming!! Free discrimination at Amazon.com>>

At least you get something free from Amazon.

 

[Yo Ma Ma]

That's bullshit. Guilt by association and their ensuant reaction is nothing less than terrorist retailiation.

In my opinion they (Amazon.com) are trying to sell merchandise, not promote a cause.

 

[Stark]

More GLAAD gustapo tactics.

If you criticize gays, you suffer a smear campaign until you either accept their immoral lifestyle or go out of business. If you choose to advertise with someone who holds to a Biblical point of view thousands of years old, you're automatically labeled an anti-gay bigot. So much for freedom.

 

[Mikal]

Everybody acts like their point of view is the right one. The truth is probably in the middle somewhere.....

 

[isildur]

The Boy Scouts are a private, not for profit organization - it is _not_ illegal for them to discriminate against whomever they damn well please. Amazon was right on that, if nothing else.

 

[slipperyslope]

Whine Whine, as already said the Boy Scouts are a private organization and can discriminate all they want. I am just sick of people whining about sh*t in the US.

BTW I am not going to support discrimination but whining about really stupid sh*t has gotten ridiculous.

Jim

 

[yobarman]

hey i like amazon.. i'm a regular shopper there. Not that that has anything to do with gays but what the hell.

 

[Wedesdo]

another far-stretched whine from the de-volutionized GLAAD flamers...

it's a private instution - DEAL WITH IT! don't force other ppl to accept your abnormal life-style...

gosh! don't strip our freedom of association away!

disgust;:disgust::disgust::disgust::disgust::disgust::disgust::disgust::disgust::disgust::disgust:

[edit]


<< Title: Flaming!! Free discrimination at Amazon.com >>


This thread is flamingly stupid... literally.

 

[UnixFreak]

This is so incredibly stupid. WHO GIVES A F*CK. You people think you are helping your cause, by boycotting amazon.com, but really, you are just alienating yourselves from society even further than you already are. Its ridicoulous. Who really cares? If you dont want to be a boy scout, dont be a goddamn boy scout. Many religions share this philosophy, and its THEIR BUSINESS. Its not hurting you. I see the big &quot;gay and lesbian&quot; softball game every other sunday, at a park near me. I see people out there protesting it, holding up signs and stuff, and you know, I feel the same way. Its NONE OF THEIR BUSINESS. Just as you guys have a right to play softball on a field (If I dont like it, I dont go there) Amazon has a right to advertise anywhere they want, and the boy scouts have a right to believe what they want. They arent kicking down your door, and forcing it on you. So its not like I am pro-gay or anti-gay, I just believe in minding my own business. Your protest of this just makes you look like idiots. You already are alienated from society, why make it worse???

 

[LordMaul]

If it's Anti-gay, then it's perfectly fine with me. Where do I sign up?
:frown:
*shrug*

 

[brennan]

Yes, that's brilliant: GLAAD and other gay advocacy groups are not engaging in political advocacy, they are terrorists and Nazis.

And it's so dang *brave* of people to say &quot;hating gays? Great! I do too!&quot; Not to mention how edgy it is! (sniff) God bless you wonderful, kind people.

-brennan