Nov 10
11
Amazon pulls ‘Pedophile Guide’ amid outrage
November 11, 2010
Amazon pulls ‘Pedophile Guide’ amid outrage
Associated Press
An e-book for sale on Amazon.com entitled The Pedophile’s Guide to Love and Pleasure was apparently pulled by the online retailer late Wednesday after shocked consumers across the nation called for a boycott. The title, authored by Phillips Greaves, was published late last month, according to product details previously available on Amazon.com. It sold for $4.79 on the company’s Kindle Store. “This is my attempt to make pedophile situations safer for those juveniles that find themselves involved in them, by establishing certian [sic] rules for these adults to follow,” a product description read. “I hope to achieve this by appealing to the better nature of pedosexuals, with hope that their doing so will result in less hatred and perhaps liter sentences should they ever be caught.”
The content led to hundreds of tweets criticizing Amazon for allowing the title to be sold and a Facebook page was created calling for a boycott of the Seattle-based company. “This is totally unacceptable,” one Facebook posting read. “This is not about freedom of speech. This is a HOW TO GUIDE FOR PEDOPHILES! Shame on you Amazon.com.”
Earlier Wednesday, Amazon stood by its decision to sell the e-book. “Amazon believes it is censorship not to sell certain books simply because we or others believe their message is objectionable,” the company said in a written statement. “Amazon does not support or promote hatred or criminal acts, however, we do support the right of every individual to make their own purchasing decisions.”
Online child safety advocacy group Enough is Enough said it wasn’t surprised that someone would publish such a book. Selling the book lends the impression that child abuse is normal, the group said.