I know that we’re all diverse in what we consider “appropriate.”

I get that.

I know that some people think “gay” or “lesbian” is a moral issue.

I don’t agree with that, at all.

But, I kind of get where they’re coming from.

Here’s what I don’t get, though.

I don’t get how a company like Amazon thinks that it will get away with injecting their version of morality (disguised as a “glitch” *) into a secularist and capitalist society without repercussions.

If you read this blog, you know that I don’t usually address content like what’s about to follow.  I’m doing it to illustrate a point, so please bear with me.

Do you know who Ron Jeremy is?

Ron Jeremy is a porn star.  He is, according to several sources, one of the Top 100 porn stars of all time.  He is famous for being able to perform oral sex on himself.  Can we agree that a memoir written by Ron Jeremy would be considered “Adult” content?

Great.

Now, do you know who Ellen Degeneres is?

She’s an Emmy award winning talkshow host.  She’s an actress, has hosted the Academy awards and is a Defend New Orleans activist.  Oh, and she’s a happily married vegan lesbian with a couple of dogs.

I’m one of those people who doesn’t care about that last sentence.  People have a right to live their own lives, you know?  Who am I to judge?  Personally, I could never live like that.  I even tried it for a couple of weeks, but I decided that I love eggs, dairy and meat waay to much to give them up.

Anyway, Amazon has decided to remove the rankings of all books they consider as having “adult” content.

Ron Jeremy’s memoir still has a ranking.

Ellen DeGeneres’ memoir does not.

As far as I’m concerned, whether you’re writing about auto-fellatio or what your cat is thinking while it watches you take a shower, the public has a right to decide whether you’re read or not.

This discriminatory ranking thing?

It’s stupid and it’s not fair.

Before I get rotten tomatoes thrown at me by the “Yay Capitalism” crowd, I fully support the right of Amazon, as a vendor, to do this.  That’s capitalism.

I believe in capitalism. You know, because I’m rich.

But, also, because I believe that capitalism  doesn’t just reflect the right of the vendor to do whatever they want, but that it reflects the overall choices of the consuming public.

Capitalism reflects the power of the consumer.  It offers us an opportunity to make a moral statement in economic terms, and we should take advantage of that opportunity whenever possible.  So that we can hold our head high, and say, “This is who I am.  I don’t just talk the talk, I walk the walk”

I believe that those of us who have the slightest bit of a problem with this policy should stop buying from Amazon until they fix this glitch.  And that we should tell them why.

I will not support a company whose practices are overtly or inadvertently discriminatory.  That is my choice.  I fully intend on making that choice known to a company that I have previously had a great experience with in the hopes that I will not be inconvenienced with having to find an alternative vendor.

I know that there are petitions on the Internet, and I think you should sign them.  But, I also think you should send an e-mail citing specifically why you are displeased.  Like the one I’ve sent to executive customer service at ecr@amazon.com .

Subject Line: Amazon Fail

To Whom It May Concern,

Recent reports that I have read via Internet news sites and Twitter have brought to my attention that there is a glitch with the software which ranks books sold on your site.  I am sure by now, you are aware of the parameters and repercussions of this “glitch.”

I would like to inform you as a consumer who purchases her books almost exclusively at Amazon, I will no longer be doing business with you until I am informed by credible sources that the ranking issue has been fixed and that all authors whose books are sold on your site are afforded the same treatment without respect to the nature of their content.

I do understand that you are working to rectify this situation as quickly as possible, and hope that the speed with which you work mitigates the great amount of revenue you may lose as a result of this carelessness.  I also hope that the speed you employ to resolve this issue will minimize the inconvenience it has caused to the great number of people, like myself, who once constituted a happy and loyal customer base.

P.S. You are evil and I hate you.  Just kidding.

Feel free to copy and paste, if you like.

*As for the statement which attributed this to a “glitch,” I thought this site stated how I feel quite aptly:

Amazon will need more than a one-liner to explain this situation. It must have been a very intelligent and homophobic “glitch” to have selectively de-ranked gay titles while leaving equally “adult” straight titles alone… Unless Amazon explains what happened and publishes a transparent set of guidelines on how books are classified going forward I don’t think anyone will be satisfied. Demand answers.

Update:  I got this e-mail a few hours later from Amazon.

Hello,

Thanks for contacting us. We recently discovered a glitch in our systems and it’s being fixed.

Thanks again for contacting us. We hope to see you again soon.

Please let us know if this e-mail resolved your question:

If yes, click here:

http://www.amazon.com/rsvp-y?c=rhbwrfuf3473419046

If not, click here:

http://www.amazon.com/rsvp-n?c=rhbwrfuf3473419046

Please note: this e-mail was sent from an address that cannot accept incoming e-mail.

To contact us about an unrelated issue, please visit the Help section of our web site.

Best regards,

Venkata C.
Amazon.com
We’re Building Earth’s Most Customer-Centric Company

I guess Venakata hasn’t heard about the possibility of a Christian fundamentalist hack, yet?