India bans book on Gandhi

[2R]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-12908736
Why are they still banning books in a democracy ???

[JakeYYZ]

[trey kule]

Happens in Canada. the nice lady that runs Indigo books decided to ban a book., and with the help of the Canadian Jewish Congress got the book taken out of public libraries.

Censorship by a specifc group...and it happened (happens) in Canada....

[kevind]

Having the government ban a book is different than a company deciding not to sell it.

[trey kule]

You are absolutely right about that. but a. That individual controls the book market in Canada, and b. every library in Canada was asked to remove it...that is censorship.Spin it any way you want. And it is censorship by a specific group...a much scarier proposition than government censorship. What is even scarier is that when some libraries refused, the book was mysteriously stolen from the shelves.

If you think that is not censorship and it should not be condemned by every right thinking Canadian you are simply misguided.

[niss]

What book was it?

[Siddley Hawker]

http://www.thejournal.ie/india-moves-to ... 1-May2011/

[Doc]

What book was it?

I'm with niss! Name the book, so we can hunt it down and read it.

I understand some of Mark Twian's works have been removed from schools because of the "N" word. Robert Service was denied a plaque in the Yukon because his works contained the same word.
What used to be accepted, is now being buried by folks who know what's best for us....

[2R]

First they ban the books
Then they burn books
And then they come for the authors
History repeats itself again............what next a fatwa ???

[trey kule]

The original book was Mein Kamph. Then it was expanded a bit. If you google heather Reisman and banned books, there are articles on there from McLeans magazine, and national newspapers.

Heather said she was not going to carry the book in any of her stores, and her having pretty much a monopoly on the Canadian book business , effectively censored it. At the same time, and co incidently for the elders of zion conspiracy types, the Canadian Jewish Congress called for the book to be pulled from all public libraries. They met with some resistance and then the books started disappearing from the libraries. Most libraries stillhave a copy but you have to ask for it as they cant leave it out or it disappears.

And yet PE trudeaus book, federalism and Quebec has never been banned and it was a blueprint to frenchify Canada.

I read Mein Kamph many many years ago when I was in University. It is interesting from both an historical perspective into the mind of a mad m an, and because some of the points he made touched an emotion with many people. What concerned me was that one person in Canada can make this decision and with such a co-incidence, a special interest group can, at the same time, take up the cause of censorship.

Everyone should read this book.....just because Heather baby says you cant.

[Doc]

If we remove "history" from our shelves, especially "bad" history, lessons will be lost, and that history is bound to repeat itself. When will you "politically correct" A-Holes let us live our lives. F OFF!

[Doc]

I don't think I'll ever shop in Chapters again. This is about as piss poor as it gets.

[niss]

If she want's to remove it from her stores that's her prerogative, if you don't want to shop there anymore because of it that is yours as well.

[Doc]

If she want's to remove it from her stores that's her prerogative, if you don't want to shop there anymore because of it that is yours as well.

Sounds like she's caused books to be removed from more than just her shelves. I do agree with you though, it's her prerogative to stock her shelves with what she sees fit. But, that's where he influence should end. It's not the book, it's the principal of the thing niss.

[niss]

I don't disagree, but where you see history and a book that changed the world, others see inspiration.

The elders of Zion has directly been responsible for a massive amount of lives lost. She saw her self fit to try to get it off the shelves.

[cdnpilot77]

[quote="niss"]I don't disagree, but where you see history and a book that changed the world, others see inspiration.
[quote]


Then why didn't she move to have a book like "The Catcher in the Rye" removed from stores and libraries? The above can argument can be made about this book as well, but I can order it on Chapters Online in Hard Cover or Paperback and over 65million copies have been sold world wide with 250,000 copies sold each year. I acknowledge that it is not nearly on the same scale but this book inspires murders every year, so why not push to ban it if it promotes inspiration of hate in some and appreciation of literary history in MOST?

[Doc]

I'm just dead against banning books. OInteresting point from niss on "inspiration" though. But then you can blame almost every violent act on literary works, or video games. We might as well live under a rock. Hitler, and the whole Holocaust subject are about as bad as it gets, no doubt about it. But history hasn't always been kind. One reason NOT to ban books on the subject, is they tend to remind us of a very, shall we say, embarrassing side of humanity? To have no records, or memory of such events, paves the way for a repeat performance.
But, as niss points out. It's her store. But, lets not fall into the trap of censorship country wide. We are doing it. Quebec now teaches that they did not lose on the Plains of Abraham. I fear, a couple of generations down the road, that will become a "fact".

[xsbank]

The problem is with people, not the media they see, hear or read - people who have the inclination to kill or destroy things will do so despite the above. If I (and I presume Doc, too) read Mein Kampf, we are not going to go and start burning synagogues or tipping over Jewish headstones because we (I mean me - can't speak for others) don't believe that is the way to settle disputes.

There are a few in our society who might be tipped by reading that book, but the low foreheads that generally do that sort of mayhem would never read it anyway as it is badly written and a translation to boot.

I believe in free speech and no censorship except for very narrowly defined boundaries such as child pornography. Somebody else quoted this, I've forgotten who:

"Make no laws whatever concerning speech and speech
 will be free; so soon as you make a declaration on paper
 that speech shall be free, you will have a hundred lawyers
 proving that `freedom does not mean abuse, nor liberty license,'
  and they will define freedom out of existence."

[trey kule]

Perogative....interesting choice of a word...Let me share some history about the book business in Canada.
About 20 years ago there were two major book sellers in Canada. Coles, and Smith.
Now Coles had a policy with regard to censorship. They would fight tooth and nail to get you any book published. Books like American Psycho. Disgusting..But they would get it for you..Why...Because they truely believed in free speech and recognized that once you start limiting that in any way, you are starting down a slippery slope particularily if you have a major player making decisions as to who will have access to what.
But Smith got bought out, Coles got merged, and the result was Chapters..Then Chapters got merged (bought out) by Indigo books, and we had a defacto monopoly of the book selling buisiness inCanda.
Run by one person!
And under this cicumstance you would think that Ms. R would be super careful to ensure freedom of the press. But nope.. She used her "perogative" to decide what Canadians should be allowed to read. What is chilling to this scenario is that at the exact same time she was announcing the first ban on sales (she has since done it a few times in a more subtle way), the Canadian Jewish Congress was demanding the book be removed from all libraries in Canada. What a co-incidence. And when libraries responded by refusing to remove the book....well...it disappeared.

Now as to the Protocols of the Elders of Zion. If you google it you will find literally hundreds of articles.Articles discussing its anti-semtic nature. Artlicles disucussing its supposed false origins. But you have to dig very very deep to actually find a copy of the protocls. And no where do you find anyone discussing if they actually work. Very odd, particularily as one of the protocols deals with controlling the media...and spin it anyway you want but Heather Resiman controls the Canadian books selling business.. And she has a responsabilityto the Canadian people to protect freedom freedom of speech with that much power. Instead she is using it to decide that people will not look at history because, as Niss says, it is her perogative.
Perhaps I was wrong about Mein Kamph. Perhaps there is some truth in there that some people are afraid of. And unfortunately doc, unless you order on line from a US book publisher or find one or two of the small local Canadain ones, everything else is controlled by HR. Indigo, Chapters, Coles...all owned by her. Not making very much money, I dont think, butwhen profit is not your motive, spending some money is not an issue
End of my weekend rant.

[cdnpilot77]

Censorship has no place in a civilised society period!!

[niss]

Censorship has no place in a civilised society period!!

Not entirely true, there should be laws to restrict hate speech and hateful propaganda.

[trey kule]

Niss, your referring to Hedley's remarks towards you..right..A good example. We all know the source and judge accordingly. Though I did find the moped and big boy pants remark quite humerous..I am suitably ashamed.

Seriously, the issue, when one looks at censorship is twofold. 1. Who will decide what should be censored?, and 2. How is censorship creep, or corruption, contained.
Look at a recent film that was banned...because of 1 complaint!!! One..
The decision got reversed, but it demonstrates the challanges of allowing censorship.

And what happens when monoplies exist? A newpaper, for example, or a media empire, controlled by one family. Or, as in the book catagory, one person who has huge control over what people read. Should they simply be allowed to decide who can read what because they own the business...A business , which in theory, should be supplying books, and not making judgement calls.

Human thinking is decidely unrational...One can claim being pro this or that, when actually they are acting anti this or that. And in today's socitey, media content control is what it is all about.

[cdnpilot77]

Censorship has no place in a civilised society period!!

Not entirely true, there should be laws to restrict hate speech and hateful propaganda.

I dont necessarily disagree with you. However, Is that the same argument that was used when the police moved in on the protestors during the G8? Seems like just as much as that was police and politicians acting in "substandard" ways, it was hateful propaganda on the part of the protestors against the police and politicians, but we "should have" allowed all of their actions, right?!?!

Where do you draw the line? This is just circles, either you are for censorship or against it, there is no in between. It Cant only be considered censorship when its convenient to you (not you in particular Niss).