Moonlight Graham Posted October 18, 2009 Report Posted October 18, 2009 Last year my sister wanted to read Hitler's "Mein Kampf", so i went to Chapters bookstore (Canadian bookstore chain) to find the book and buy it for her as a present. Chapters said they didn't have it. When i went back home i check the chapters website and searches, and they didn't even carry it online. I checked again today out of curiousity and they still don't carry it online, even though they have tons of books discussing Mein Kampf. Yet they don't have the actual book itself. I checked amazon.ca and they have the book. Is this Chapters censoring/banning the book? Or do they just not carry it for some very odd reason given the historical importance of the book. Anyone know/work there Quote "All generalizations are false, including this one." - Mark Twain Partisanship is a disease of the intellect.
Moonlight Graham Posted October 18, 2009 Author Report Posted October 18, 2009 Never mind, i found this article online. Chapters/Indigo HAS banned Mein Kampf since 2001: http://www.fpp.co.uk/Hitler/MeinKampf/Canada_ban.html Do you agree with this? I think its censorship and completely stupid. Quote "All generalizations are false, including this one." - Mark Twain Partisanship is a disease of the intellect.
bush_cheney2004 Posted October 18, 2009 Report Posted October 18, 2009 Never mind, i found this article online. Chapters/Indigo HAS banned Mein Kampf since 2001: http://www.fpp.co.uk/Hitler/MeinKampf/Canada_ban.html I think you have mis-characterized what this is...it is not a book banning, but rather a retail distribution decision. It is most certainly not censorship, as many other books are also not offered for sale. Do you agree with this? I think its censorship and completely stupid. Chapters was gobbled up by Indigo in 2001....they made a pretty easy decision in the wake of Canadaian hate speech laws. No worries, the book is available in many other countries with more potent speech rights! Quote Economics trumps Virtue.
kimmy Posted October 18, 2009 Report Posted October 18, 2009 You probably can't get the new DETHKATAPULT record at Wal-Mart either. -k Quote (╯°□°)╯︵ ┻━┻ Friendly forum facilitator! ┬──┬◡ﾉ(° -°ﾉ)
Oleg Bach Posted October 18, 2009 Report Posted October 18, 2009 You probably can't get the new DETHKATAPULT record at Wal-Mart either. -k What Mr. Chapterstienburg...banned Hitlers' novel - or was it a manual? Don't feel bad in Toronto they have pulled a book that has the N word in it -----yes the N word....what is the N word? All is well with the world - Here in Toronto we have just won the rights to have International Gay pride day....quoting one of the orgainizers..."we worked our f**king asses off to make this happen" I am sure they did...ouch! How come they don't call it what it is - Shame day - starting to wonder if the depopulation crowd that wants to cull the nations of about a third of the populace might be pushing this global gayification thing...so they all have their own struggles..they all have a Mein Kampf in mind - I figure if Hitler can have a book so can the one world gay crowd...wtf? Quote
Michael Hardner Posted October 18, 2009 Report Posted October 18, 2009 BC is correct - they can stock whatever books they like can't they ? Quote Looks like someone has a new patronizing catch phrase ! Michael Hardner
Oleg Bach Posted October 18, 2009 Report Posted October 18, 2009 BC is correct - they can stock whatever books they like can't they ? If Hitlers' book was so damned brilliant they should hide the thing - seeing that Israel is slowly getting a bad name internationally - you don't want Mein Kampf being available to anyone that might suddenly get anti-semetic...I suppose that Chapters is a lot like a mother that puts away the kitchen knives when the hill billy sons get into the whiskey. Quote
Argus Posted October 18, 2009 Report Posted October 18, 2009 BC is correct - they can stock whatever books they like can't they ? The problem is where the theory meets the reality. Who cares if Chapters won't sell a book. Just go somewhere else? Well.... where? Order it from Indigo! Same company. Smiths? Same company. Coles? Same company. The Book Company? Same people. Classic Bookshops? Same people. Is censorship okay when it's done by an oligarchy instead of a government? Quote "A liberal is someone who claims to be open to all points of view — and then is surprised and offended to find there are other points of view.” William F Buckley
Oleg Bach Posted October 18, 2009 Report Posted October 18, 2009 The problem is where the theory meets the reality. Who cares if Chapters won't sell a book. Just go somewhere else? Well.... where? Order it from Indigo! Same company. Smiths? Same company. Coles? Same company. The Book Company? Same people. Classic Bookshops? Same people.Is censorship okay when it's done by an oligarchy instead of a government? Who ever pulled the book is toying with the people. They like to give the false impression that the powers that be are protective of the people - frankly I see no evidence that big buisness gives a shit. Quote
Smallc Posted October 19, 2009 Report Posted October 19, 2009 Is censorship okay when it's done by an oligarchy instead of a government? McNally Robinson? Amazon? A local book seller? A company is free to make a decision to carry whatever they like, so long as it isn't contravention of the law. Quote
bush_cheney2004 Posted October 19, 2009 Report Posted October 19, 2009 McNally Robinson? Amazon? A local book seller?A company is free to make a decision to carry whatever they like, so long as it isn't contravention of the law. Confirmed....the book is available from Amazon.ca without any fuss: http://www.amazon.ca/s/ref=nb_ss_1_4?url=s...mp;sprefix=mein 3.5 stars for the paperback in English. Quote Economics trumps Virtue.
kimmy Posted October 19, 2009 Report Posted October 19, 2009 Confirmed....the book is available from Amazon.ca without any fuss:http://www.amazon.ca/s/ref=nb_ss_1_4?url=s...mp;sprefix=mein 3.5 stars for the paperback in English. Hey, cool, it comes with a free membership in the CSIS Watch-List Suspect Of The Month Club! -k Quote (╯°□°)╯︵ ┻━┻ Friendly forum facilitator! ┬──┬◡ﾉ(° -°ﾉ)
Michael Hardner Posted October 19, 2009 Report Posted October 19, 2009 Argus, The problem is where the theory meets the reality. Who cares if Chapters won't sell a book. Just go somewhere else? Well.... where? Order it from Indigo! Same company. Smiths? Same company. Coles? Same company. The Book Company? Same people. Classic Bookshops? Same people.Is censorship okay when it's done by an oligarchy instead of a government? They probably refuse to sell other books as well. The Constitution doesn't protect your right to have all objectionable works at your mall bookstore, sorry. There are still libraries for the time being. Quote Looks like someone has a new patronizing catch phrase ! Michael Hardner
Moonlight Graham Posted October 19, 2009 Author Report Posted October 19, 2009 (edited) Ya, Chapters can sell whatever they want. I still think it's stupid though, and i don't agree with it. What if amazon.ca stopped selling it? Then you'll out of luck, unless you go to the library or hit up eBay....oh wait i checked its not on eBay either (eBay has a policy where they don't allow Nazi items to be sold). Pardon me while i go read "eBay/Chapters 451". Edited October 19, 2009 by Moonlight Graham Quote "All generalizations are false, including this one." - Mark Twain Partisanship is a disease of the intellect.
bush_cheney2004 Posted October 19, 2009 Report Posted October 19, 2009 What if amazon.ca stopped selling it? Then you'll out of luck, unless you go to the library or hit up eBay....oh wait i checked its not on eBay either (eBay has a policy where they don't allow Nazi items to be sold). Then just go to a local book store and order it. No big deal...this book is not rare. Also, your stated eBay policy does not jibe with listings for the book: http://shop.ebay.com/?_from=R40&_trksi...-All-Categories Quote Economics trumps Virtue.
M.Dancer Posted October 19, 2009 Report Posted October 19, 2009 Never mind, i found this article online. Chapters/Indigo HAS banned Mein Kampf since 2001: http://www.fpp.co.uk/Hitler/MeinKampf/Canada_ban.htmlDo you agree with this? I think its censorship and completely stupid. I think it their store and they can stock what ever they want. Walmart doesn't stock Playboy.... Quote RIGHT of SOME, LEFT of OTHERS If it is a choice between them and us, I choose us
Argus Posted October 20, 2009 Report Posted October 20, 2009 (edited) Argus,They probably refuse to sell other books as well. The Constitution doesn't protect your right to have all objectionable works at your mall bookstore, sorry. There are still libraries for the time being. What I'm getting at is that we have allowed our laws on competition to become so lax that in some areas there really isn't much, if any competition. It's all very well to suggest ordering from Amazon, but what if you are one of those people (very numerous) who never order on the internet? And what if your town or city HAS no other book sellers other than the various forms of Chapters? I'm not saying they should be forced to carry every book, but the level of market dominance is troubling. This is especially so given Chapters is largely sheltered from foreign competition. Edited October 20, 2009 by Argus Quote "A liberal is someone who claims to be open to all points of view — and then is surprised and offended to find there are other points of view.” William F Buckley
GostHacked Posted October 20, 2009 Report Posted October 20, 2009 What I'm getting at is that we have allowed our laws on competition to become so lax that in some areas there really isn't much, if any competition. It's all very well to suggest ordering from Amazon, but what if you are one of those people (very numerous) who never order on the internet? And what if your town or city HAS no other book sellers other than the various forms of Chapters? I'm not saying they should be forced to carry every book, but the level of market dominance is troubling. This is especially so given Chapters is largely sheltered from foreign competition. My pal cannot get much of the anime he owns from any store here in Canada. He has to import much of it. So if one place does not carry it, go somewhere else. It's as simple as that. You can't order playboy and the like, through Chapters, as BC was saying, they have the right to sell what they want and carry what they want. Free enterprise. You can create competition by shopping somewhere else if the store does not cater to your needs. Someone else will and make money off it. Quote
bush_cheney2004 Posted October 20, 2009 Report Posted October 20, 2009 ...You can create competition by shopping somewhere else if the store does not cater to your needs. Someone else will and make money off it. I agree...consumers generally have more choices than ever before, including where to live and shop. Quote Economics trumps Virtue.
Moonlight Graham Posted October 20, 2009 Author Report Posted October 20, 2009 Also, your stated eBay policy does not jibe with listings for the book:http://shop.ebay.com/?_from=R40&_trksi...-All-Categories Hmm interesting. Well there weren't any on sale at eBay.ca, you must have went to eBay.com. Obviously they do sell it then. But as an aside they do have a ban on selling Nazi memorabilia, or at least they did a few years ago not sure if they changed it & too lazy to check. Quote "All generalizations are false, including this one." - Mark Twain Partisanship is a disease of the intellect.
bush_cheney2004 Posted October 20, 2009 Report Posted October 20, 2009 (edited) Hmm interesting. Well there weren't any on sale at eBay.ca, you must have went to eBay.com. Obviously they do sell it then. But as an aside they do have a ban on selling Nazi memorabilia, or at least they did a few years ago not sure if they changed it & too lazy to check. I found eBay listings for Nazi war memorabilia like helmets and bayonets, so if there is a policy it is not very strict. Maybe Canadian buyers of Mein Kamph from eBay.com have their package intercepted by Canada Post. Edited October 20, 2009 by bush_cheney2004 Quote Economics trumps Virtue.
Michael Hardner Posted October 21, 2009 Report Posted October 21, 2009 What I'm getting at is that we have allowed our laws on competition to become so lax that in some areas there really isn't much, if any competition. It's all very well to suggest ordering from Amazon, but what if you are one of those people (very numerous) who never order on the internet? And what if your town or city HAS no other book sellers other than the various forms of Chapters? I'm not saying they should be forced to carry every book, but the level of market dominance is troubling. This is especially so given Chapters is largely sheltered from foreign competition. Argus, I'm surprised to hear that anti-trust legislation is a concern of yours. Fair enough, but there were two large bookstore chains a few years ago and it wasn't sustainable. Quote Looks like someone has a new patronizing catch phrase ! Michael Hardner
PocketRocket Posted October 22, 2009 Report Posted October 22, 2009 I must admit to being somewhat pleasantly surprised that no one has brought race/religion into this topic yet. Still, I wonder if the same decision would have been made if the CEO was not a Jewish person. That aside, I see the book as a historical oddity, and a glimpse into a truly twisted mind. But even more, it's a snapshot of a toolbox full of tools that can be used to fool an entire population into walking down a destructive path. Quote I need another coffee
bush_cheney2004 Posted October 22, 2009 Report Posted October 22, 2009 ....That aside, I see the book as a historical oddity, and a glimpse into a truly twisted mind.But even more, it's a snapshot of a toolbox full of tools that can be used to fool an entire population into walking down a destructive path. So are the Bible and Qu'ran. Quote Economics trumps Virtue.
Mr.Canada Posted October 22, 2009 Report Posted October 22, 2009 I think it's terrrible and I think all books no matter how offensive should be allowed to be sold. Censorship is free speech? Just like stupid number 13, which is soon to be gone. Quote "You are scum for insinuating that isn't the case you snake." -William Ashley Canadian Immigration Reform Blog
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