Posted on 04/12/2009 4:02:16 PM PDT by FourPeas
(UPDATED) As if it wasn't hellacious enough working customer support for Amazon.com on Easter, the online book store's reps must now explain why gay romances (and other books) are too "adult" to rank.
Straight romance like Jackie Collins and straight porn like this book of Playboy centerfolds is still ranked on Amazon.
But not the homosexul stuff: Gay romance publisher Mark Probst noticed hundreds of such books lost their rankings over the past two days, including Transgressions, about a 17th century liaison between a cavalry trooper and a farmer's son, and False Colors, about a 19th century naval lieutenant attracted to his commanding officer.
Probst wrote to Amazon through his publisher's account, and was told
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.
There is now an full-fledged Twitter shitstorm, naturally, and a new, snarky definition for the term "Amazon Rank," spreading virally. It's hard to imagine the Seattle-based retailer sticking by this controversial policy after naming a gay Brit's novel their "Book of the Year."
On the other hand, Amazon must be happy, on some level, to have finally expanded its customer base beyond the sophisticated techno elites, straight through into the American cultural backwaters where this sort of material is remotely offensive, somehow.
So probably the store will lump anything vaguely sexual, Jackie Collins and Playboy included, into a romance/erotica category, which will also be rank banned. And eventually the site will just throw in the towel and outsource its entire filtering operation to the cultural arbiters at Wal-Mart. Why not?
(Excerpt) Read more at gawker.com ...
“Gay” romances are nothing more than sadistic perversion.
THINK ABOUT IT!
lol @ book porn.
A blow for justice.
But the gay romances are still sold on Amazon? they are just not ranked??? (whatever that means)
Is this really a huge problem? If some homo wants to buy a gay erotic novel I am sure he can get it some where else.
Frankly, who cares what they rank? Put the Playboy and other perversion into one catagory and forget it. 90% of the people just don’t have time to worry about stuff like this.
I am truly grateful that there are people out there who are willing to do my thinking for me and make the hard choices of what I should read and not read.
Really, WTF would I do if it weren’t for you diaper sniffers courageously putting yourself daily on the front lines of decency? /sarcasm
No!
I don't want to and you can't make me!
I understand why you can’t and give you a pass.
;)
He can get the gay erotic porno whatever from Amazon. It’s just not ranked on their mainstream best seller list.
This is a fabricated controversy for the gay community to claim “discrimination”.
“I didn’t think it was physically possible both this both sucks and blows at the same time”
-Bart Simpson
Isn’t this ranking based on sales? Perhaps people are not buying gay books. This seems like a stupid thing to complain about...who cares. I have seen threads here from conservatives complaining about this too when the conservative books fall off the chart...perhaps instead of complaining buying a book might be more adventagous. People just love to complain about EVERYTHING.
No one’s telling anyone what to read and what not to read. Get real.
It seems that way.
It may be only a matter of time before Amazon is forced to relent and rate faggot material.
“False Colors” has a release date of April 13, 2009 and the perverts are complaining about its “ranking” already?
They would also be offended by the realistic low rankings too so who cares?
At a nearby Barnes & Noble, there is an entire gay & lesbian section, yet I have to go somewhere else to find one measly copy of Louis Hunter's "Steamboats on the Western Rivers" (which is a definitive study). Can I file a lawsuit?
Mr. niteowl77
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