Amazon's Double Standard

Amazon.com has decided that it's okay for reviewers to engage in attacks against the book, Unfit For Command. The following appears on the amazon.com website when you click for product details on the book:

Important note from Amazon.com: We've decided to suspend our normal customer review policies and rules for this title. For example, we usually prohibit ad hominem attacks. That policy in particular seems to be incompatible with presidential election year politics. Therefore, short of obscenities, reviews on this book are now a free-for-all. We take no responsibility for the following discussion. Aren't presidential election years great? Have fun!

Of course, there have been numerous books attacking President Bush and there hasn't been any "change in policy" for those books - just this one. I'm not sure what is so dangerous about this book that the rules need to be changed in order to attack it.

I buy a lot of books, most of them from Amazon, but as a result of their decision to play partisan politics I will not spend another dime there and I would encourage others to make the same decision. Furthermore, if you're one of those bloggers who advertises books for Amazon through their affiliate program I would encourage you to seriously consider whether you want to support them.

I would also encourage you to complain to Amazon. One way to do this is to use the form found here. Another way is to write a "review" for this book expressing your disappointment in their actions. Many, many others have written reviews of this sort,

This is an admittedly bogus review. But along with many other Amazon customers the bias demonstrated by your site since the surprising success of this book turns my stomach. Christmas is near, and after 7-8 years of filling stockings from here, it is now ABA- "Anybody But Amazon." We will leave you to your new 527 partners, John Sperling and PoliPoint Press.
-Gloomy Gus

What I actually find to be DISGUSTING is Amazon's left-wing action of allowing any and everything to be said about this book and it's contributors, but not allowing readers to do the same to all of the left-wing garbage they peddle which attacks President Bush. For that reason I will never buy another item from Amazon.com. I have long been a regular customer and I've bought thousands of dollars worth of merchandise from the site, but never again. If you are a true American, boycott Amazon.com. Don't support left-wing agendas.
-Mr C.

And finally there was this "review" that is a little off-topic but amusing...

After reading this book, I have the utmost admiration for Kerry.
1 month in training, 3 months in combat: 1 Silver Star, 1 Bronze Star and 3 purple hearts... in 3 months! He must have been extraordinarily heroic. Not only that, he never required hospitalization for any of his purple hearts, conserving our precious military medical resources. He was super soldier: heroic and bullet proof. He should be our next Commander In Chief. With proposals of downsizing the military to a smaller, more capable force, John Kerry can be our new hero, flying around with his cape, racking up purple hearts, bronze stars, blowing up the bad guys...
-Traveler

Now is a chance to make your voice heard. There have been a lot of news stories about Bloggers vs. Old Media. Well, this is bloggers against the establishment and it's a chance to show Amazon that they can't take our business for granted.

By the way, Barnes and Noble seems to have a decent site for buying books. The book, Unfit for Command, can be purchased from Barnes and Noble by going here.

Posted by jdmays at August 30, 2004 08:41 PM | TrackBack