Offensive Material Policy

[littlestj]

Why not offer a way to add a disclaimer that an antique or vintage book contains offensive or racially insensitive language or images.  Now that the Dr. Suess gouging frenzy is over a year old, shouldn't this policy be revisited.  Competing selling sites are selling these books.  Couldn't eBay do it more responsibly by adding a warning statement.  Blazing Saddles, Nazi coins and swastikas are now for sale on eBay.   What percentage of eBays current inventory needs to be reported/removed based on their current policy?  There doesn't seem to be a method for sellers to make policy suggestions directly that I could find.

[chapeau-noir]

#ireadbannedbooks

[tex-421]

There are many ways to make your voice heard and to actually influence decisions in corporate America.  First try sending to the CEO a well written letter, not an email.  A real letter that is well thought out and dispassionate.  State your position, be non judgmental, show respect for the current policy even though you disagree, explain why you think your position would benefit the eBay community, the company including eBay employees and the broader public that does not use eBay.  Be personal explain how the current policy effects you and your eBay business.  No diatribes, don't be pedantic. Keep it short and sweet, use your best grammar.  No more than one type written page and four paragraphs.

[a_c_green]

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@eunster1313 wrote:

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@coolections wrote:

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@littlestj wrote:

the Dr. Suess gouging frenzy is over a year old, shouldn't this policy be revisited. 

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Did Dr. Suess only get a one-year sentence? I thought it was lifetime.

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If Dr. Suess received a life sentence, in what prison do they have him locked up in?

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It's worth keeping in mind that it was the publisher's own decision to drop the six targeted books from publication, not some third-party censor, and the descendants of Dr Seuss are okay with that. There is also some possibility that the titles may be reissued with the objectionable material (looks like ethnic stereotypes, mostly) revised in some way, but who knows. 

Ref: https://datebook.sfchronicle.com/books/exclusive-dr-seuss-stepdaughter-speaks-out-about-books-remove... 

[chapeau-noir]

That episode showed what a bunch of nonsense this 'cancel culture' gambit is - given that now we're burning books. 🙄 

[theteamsetguy]

I heard Alcatraz.

[slippinjimmy]

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@littlestj wrote:

Why not offer a way to add a disclaimer that an antique or vintage book contains offensive or racially insensitive language or images.  Now that the Dr. Suess gouging frenzy is over a year old, shouldn't this policy be revisited.  Competing selling sites are selling these books.  Couldn't eBay do it more responsibly by adding a warning statement.  Blazing Saddles, Nazi coins and swastikas are now for sale on eBay.   What percentage of eBays current inventory needs to be reported/removed based on their current policy?  There doesn't seem to be a method for sellers to make policy suggestions directly that I could find.

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I always wonder why people with this type of complaint rarely reveal what the item in question is.

[littlestj]

It’s a Dr. Seuss book. 

[albertabrightalberta]

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@littlestj wrote:

It’s a Dr. Seuss book. 

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Not all of Dr. Seuss's books were found to be offensive. 

[downunder-61]

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@littlestj wrote:

It’s a Dr. Seuss book. 

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Which one? AFAIK only 6 were removed from the ''okay'' pile.

[coolections]

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@eunster1313 wrote:

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@coolections wrote:

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@littlestj wrote:

the Dr. Suess gouging frenzy is over a year old, shouldn't this policy be revisited. 

---

Did Dr. Suess only get a one-year sentence? I thought it was lifetime.

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If Dr. Suess received a life sentence, in what prison do they have him locked up in?

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Prisons all over the country, mostly people's basements, some attics and garages. They are never to be shown to the public again. I really do feel sorry for the guy.  😀

[richard1rst]

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@chapeau-noir wrote:

"You'd be handsome if you smiled more."

But when I do that the coffee dribbles out and stains my shirt.

[moondogblues]

"I always wonder why people with this type of complaint rarely reveal what the item in question is."

I had been searching for a particular cookbook/children's book for decades and finally found a copy here.  I was a bit shocked that it contained the N word.  I had no memory of that word being in the book from when I was a child.  Perhaps I had no clue what it meant.

Anyone who has read Frances Parkinson Keyes has an idea of how the world has changed, and she was considered a 'beloved' author.  I can't read her books anymore.  Albert Payson Terhune who was loved for his books about collies is another I can't read anymore, though I used to adore the books.  Blatant racism.

On the other hand, there is the Bible, which was mentioned earlier...murder, infanticide, fratricide, you name it it's there and much worse.  Will it get banned, nope.

[chapeau-noir]

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@moondogblues wrote:

"I always wonder why people with this type of complaint rarely reveal what the item in question is."

I had been searching for a particular cookbook/children's book for decades and finally found a copy here.  I was a bit shocked that it contained the N word.  I had no memory of that word being in the book from when I was a child.  Perhaps I had no clue what it meant.

Anyone who has read Frances Parkinson Keyes has an idea of how the world has changed, and she was considered a 'beloved' author.  I can't read her books anymore.  Albert Payson Terhune who was loved for his books about collies is another I can't read anymore, though I used to adore the books.  Blatant racism.

On the other hand, there is the Bible, which was mentioned earlier...murder, infanticide, fratricide, you name it it's there and much worse.  Will it get banned, nope.

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Sex and violence, and all those begats!  Especially the Old Testament - as a chronicle of a turbulent time and place it makes for some rough reading. 

[d-k_treasures]

They sure did begat a lot back then ...... 🙂

[metaltech1]

Short of pulling a "Elon Musk" and buying a controlling stake in eBay, your suggestion most likely will not get traction.

I would think it would be a good business practice to make using the eBay platform easier and entertaining.

That doesn't seem to be the case as of late.  The powers that be seem to be in the "maximize profits" phase.

If their decisions start to bleed buyers or sellers, they might wake up.