Posted on 07/31/2004 2:12:27 PM PDT by Antoninus
Please forgive the following vanity...
Over the past couple years, I have gotten into the habit of reviewing everything I read on Amazon.com. I read a good bit and have posted about 40 reviews so far both negative and positive. I find that it's also a good way to alert people to books and other products with strong anti-American/anti-Christian themes and laud those with a positive message. Many times have I myself been steered away from certain books because of critical reviews thoughtfully posted by others of like mind on Amazon.
I've never had a problem posting a review until I read The Da Vinci Code and attempted to post the following review of that piece of garbage:
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One star -- Lousy book
This is the type of book that attracts me instantly. I love historical fiction or fiction involving history.
But I know a hack when I see one.
The Da Vinci Code begins with a list of "facts." It doesn't take long to figure out why this list is included: to give the ridiculous theories contained in the book some totally undeserved credibility.
The Da Vinci Code supposedly reveals the "true" story of the life of Christ--which the evil, misogynistic Catholic Church has been trying to suppress for 1600 years. Of course, the "truth" turns out to be the age-old gnostic poppycock about a marriage of Jesus to St. Mary Magdalene, royal bloodlines, goddess worship, geriatric sex rituals, blah, blah blah. Some secret! Every tinfoil-hat conspiracy theorist worth their salt has heard this "secret" and even most of them dismiss it as ludicrous. Brown's notion that the Catholic Church has been suppressing the "divine feminine" since the 4th century is just as stupid. It is high comedy to a Catholic like myself who hears his Church attacked by those who think Catholics are *too* devoted to Mary, the Mother of Christ.
But this is a work of fiction and Dan Brown's butchering of history would be tolerable if the book was at least a good read. Unfortunately, it is not. The writing is on a 9th grade level; the characters are paper cut-outs; the plot is contrived; and the "codes" are just lame. That the book is so dumbed-down just proves that The Da Vinci Code's primary audience is the terminally ignorant.
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I have tried to post this numerous times--dozens of times by this point. I have contacted Amazon's "community affairs" department and received a series of generic emails saying that my review was rejected because it was over 1,000 words (I counted 'em myself--it's under 300).
So in short, I'm trying to figure out if anyone else has had trouble getting critical reviews posted on Amazon, particularly of books that the elite media have celebrated to the heavens.
Have you tried completely deleting this line? Comments about the audience (which means those who buy the book) is likely to make any bookseller a little peeved.
However, the "conspiracy" to promote the theories that the book draws from is very real and has attracted a lot of quack interest in print. Which we would have to distinguish from the bizarre gnostic conspiracy theory itself.
Here's an irony and absurd contradiction of the theory to ponder: According to this neo-gnostic theory, Jesus isn't divine, supernatural, or magical but the bloodline is. Ponder that!!!
Try giving it five stars, but leave the language the same. If it gets published then we know the fix is in. Amazon editors might only reject reviews based on ratings, not language.
No, censorship is done by governments. Decisions by businesses are business decisions.
I'm not a big fan of Amazon, but I'll buy from them on occasion. However, they are trying to maximize the customer base by overtly offending the least number of people.
Covertly, well, it's no crime to put a shine on crap. Their problem is that a growing segment of the population is
seeing through the "CBSness" of the Clinton era of spin, outright lies and fraud. Hence, *anything* they do comes
under immediate and heavy suspicion.
I became distrustful of Amazon when I found out that they offer fewer and less attractive promotions to frequent
customers. (Yes, I am selective about "cookies". Just wait until RFID flags you in the brick & mortar stores.)
Well, I had a review rejected that was critical of the DVD of a fairly recent version of "David Copperfield" starring Bob Hoskins and the young guy who plays Harry Potter. I have no idea why. It certainly wasn't over 1,000 words. I've had other highly critical reviews of other works accepted. I think it is just luck of the draw. They must have at least a couple a hundred or so drones reading and evaluating these reviews and you probably just hit one that was a liberal. I probably just hit one that thought the Harry Potter guy was cute or something.
Makes sense. Why would Amazon do anything to discourage people from buying a book from them????
Curious...
Have you seen this? Experienced this?
Maybe it's time to take your business to Barnes and Noble.
Interesting premise, but fritters out..., July 31, 2004
Reviewer: hoplite (San Jose, CA)
This article started out strong, but by the time I was halfway through it, I was reaching for my aluminum foil headgear - the author takes an intersting idea about Amazon's censoring customer reviews and turns it into just another "why is everybody always picking on me" dirge.
Was this review helpful to you? 
No, you're not crazy.
I believe they do a keyword search and reject write-ups that have certain words ONLY on liberal topics and slanted books.
You are not crazy.
I've long had a hypothesis that the DaVinci Code is a
PAID FOR
PUPPET MASTER MACHIAVELLIAN SOCIAL ENGINEERING MANIPULATION OF THE WORLD POPULATION.
[thanks anyway. I have enough tinfoil hats]
SIMPLE LOGIC:
1) Israel became a nation in a day in 1948 just as Bible predicted.
2) The Biblical prophetic clock began racing forward from that time.
3) A key part of the Biblical predictions for our era is a global/world government eventually headed by satan personified.
4) The Bible declares that the world government will REQUIRE a body "mark" or tag [some say the original language of certain Scriptures implies WITHIN the body as an implant would be]--without which--just as Bible predicts--NO ONE WILL BE ABLE TO BUY OR SELL.
A Florida based chip implant and other similar corporate product offerings seem destined to fill that bill. Just this week there was an article about such implants being matched up with bank accounts, passports, medical records etc. Last week or so ago we heard about 100's of Mexican officials being SLAGGED [SLave tAGGED]/chipped to help protect against kidnapping.
5) KEY AND AT LEAST INTEGRAL TO ALL THIS IS THE REMOVAL OF KNOWLEDGEABLE CHRISTIANS FROM HINDERING SUCH EFFORTS. The wholesale undermining of Christianity has been going on by satan from BEFORE Christ appeared on dusty paths 2000 years ago. Certainly Communism/Marxism has intensified that effort.
6) Now, as the global government is getting tangibly closer and closer, the efforts to disembowel Christianity; undermine Christianity; destroy Christianty are intensifying all across the social landscape.
7) So called intellectuals have been busy about it as they have been destroying freedom and democracy and all notions of right and wrong for the last 50 years. KGB files have now documented 10's of millions of dollars spent by the Soviet Union in behalf of such placement and efforts of marxist professors in university academia all arcoss the West and particularly in America. Evolutionary theory and other related philosophical nihlism positions have been central in such efforts.
8) We now know that the Soviets also placed stoolies, spies and underminers within the Roman church in a major effort to destroy the potency and effectiveness of a major Christian force.
9) We know that plenty has also been spent in Hollyweed ridiculing people of faith from before Elmer Gantry forward. Now it's become virtually standard fare--something one makes his HOllyweed mark by--destroying or ridiculing some aspect of Christianity whether it's urine flooded religious artwork or whole movies making a mockery of a Christian role or set of beliefs or Christian social customs. Any fair minded constructive treatment of faith--particularly before THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST--was considered ignorant, silly, camp, uneducated, backwards etc.
10) I HAVE 0.00000000000000000000000000000000000001% DOUBT that the Da Vinci Code was commissioned by the puppet masters OR generated by a demonic imp within the mind, dreams, whatever of a willing, complicit vessel.
11) And, very willing media and other stoolies all around the world—many with their own axes to grind from abusive so called ‘Christian’ parents—are eagerly slobbering all over themselves, salivating at such a fun tool to use against Christianity’s foundations.
12) This will not be the last. The UFO/ET phenomena will also be used—purporting to show—probably—something like a historical holographic “record” [THINK MOORE’S FILM ABOUT BUSH!] which will actually be at least a huge percent hoax—purporting to show that the miracles and resurrection of Christ were not true. I don’t know how much of that God will allow. But The Bible speaks of a GREAT DECEPTION of our end times—a DECEPTION SO GREAT THAT *IF* IT WERE *POSSIBLE* DEEPLY AUTHENTIC CHRISTIANS WOULD ALSO BE DECEIVED. Evidently, somehow, Holy Spirit will protect those authentically in love with God.
13) The battle with the Jihadi’s is just the tip of the iceberg. This is the battle of the ages—all ages, all eras, all galaxies, all universes. The Cross was a major legal fulcrum on which all of history turned. Our era is the completion of that turning. Satan was hoodwinked at the Cross. He’s grasping at every grain of sand he can throw in God’s eyes out of vengeance for getting kicked out of Heaven. The only way he can functionally do that is to harm, hinder, destroy individuals who are part of God’s MADE IN HIS IMAGE beloved Creation. And the DESTROYER IS VERY BUSY ON ALL FRONTS IN OUR ERA.
14) The DaVinci Code is but one of those efforts on one of those fronts. But it is a very insidious one.
15) The only solution is an individual one. Each Believer must walk very intimately close with God to the best they can. Be diligent about the spiritual disciplines. Prayer; Bible study and memorization; Love God wholly; others as self and do unto others . . .
What's really embarrassing to Amazon would be the positive reviews.
I think it probable that nothing embarasses people that sell instruction manuals for the molestation of children.
Sad to say, this is likely true.
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