Let's hear it for Wal-Mart!

[Nicole Marie]

My point is, once you start censoring any item it starts a slippery slope. What's next? Speedo's because they are to small, open toe shoes, maybe hip hugger pants. Oh I know! They will put a curtain around the bra section! Lord knows we wouldn't want young minds getting the wrong ideas.

I have issues with this because it starts a trend and in some areas the only place to shop is the Wal Mart. Many consumers don't have the choice to go to a different store.

[OperaTenor]

Originally posted by Selma in San Diego:

I'm sure that Wal-Mart pays attention to the opinions expressed by customers;

What? Wal-Mart concerned with customer feedback? Yeah, right!

Y.R.H., I feel curtains should be put up around the bra section. Those things are disgusting !

[Marye]

Speedo's because they are too small

:D

[Jeff Dutton]

Maybe we should abolish the movie ratings system and punish parents who dare to censor what their children see and do. How dare we allow parents to be so judgemental and to try to influence their children?

[Nicole Marie]

Jeff-

You and I are not going to agree on this issue so let's leave it at that. I'm leaving and going off to a more fun posting all about Radiohead.

Boa dia.

[Jeff Dutton]

Hi Nicole,

I just think you are misusing the word "censor". Unfortunately, this is way too prevalent today.
Nobody is being prevented from producing or acquiring the materials you are concerned about, so there is no censorship involved.

Made you look! :p

Hey! This is my 100th post!

<small>[ 06-11-2003, 03:38 PM: Message edited by: Jeff Dutton ]</small>

[barfle]

Wal-Mart's gonna do what they gotta do in order to maximize their profits. That's why they're in business and that's why they are so successful in a competitive market.

If you've read my posts above, you know that I'm not a big fan of them, but I feel they have every right to run their business the way they feel is best for them. If that includes not carrying some CDs that they feel would alienate a significant portion of their customer base, then so be it.

As a matter of "censorship," I don't believe they are trying to protect any particular segment of their customer base from the mind-rot and evil that may or may not be present on the CD, magazine cover, holiday decoration, or women's foundation garment. (We used to call them "unmentionables." And this is progress?)

What I believe they are trying to do is not offend a segment of their customer base. Please note the difference: Censorship is intended to prevent impressionable minds from getting the "wrong idea" about a topic, whether it be sex, violence, politics, religion, or how to dance the hootchie kootchie. Trying not to offend your customers is something entirely different.

I (being the dirty old man that I am) have a recording at home of a soprano solo with orchestra by a composer named (as I recall) Schulthoff. There are no words, but the vocals sound like the singer is having multiple machine-gun orgasms. If beethoven.com made a decision to NOT play that particular piece, would they be censoring, or simply trying not to offend?

HRH has deleted at least one post from this bulletin board (which I read before she got to it) that contained racial epithets from a rap. Was she censoring, or simply doing what she could to avoid offending her listeners/readers and distancing b.com from something she considered distasteful?

[Nicole Marie]

Sorry that was not me that deleted that post. I'm not the only person who can delete postings.

You call it good business, I call it BS. I'm going back the Radiohead.

[Thalberg]

Maybe we should abolish the movie ratings system and punish parents who dare to censor what their children see and do. How dare we allow parents to be so judgemental and to try to influence their children?

Does this place Wal-Mart in the position of 'parent' to the general public, then? If so, I'm rather at a loss for words...

More likely, that was just an emotional response. I find it hard to believe that anyone here actually supports censorship (Quite different from good parenting).

[Jeff Dutton]

Hi Thalberg,

You must have missed the in the heading of my post. I fear that I was being a little sarcastic.

No, I do not consider Wal-Mart to be our parent, but I also do not consider covering magazine covers that might be considered offensive to some people to be censorship.

A store does not censor because a store has no authority. Only someone who has authority over you can censor you, or censor what you might have access to.

Is all censorship bad? Not in my opinion. I believe it should be illegal to yell "FIRE" in a venue where it might cause panic. That is censorship, and it is valid, in my opinion.

Jeff

[Shapley]

I think it's fair to point out that Wal-Mart may actually be saving Cosmo from a lawsuit by someone who is offended by the content of their cover. Also, since Wal-Mart is not refusing to carry the magazine, only to protect customers from unintentional viewing of its cover, they are hardly being guilty of censorship. Otherwise, the mere choice of where to place the magazine could be considered censorship because the magazine is placed too high or too low, or partially obscured by the rack or by the magazine in front of it. Basically, it is a non-issue.

V/R
Shapley

[dkm32]

Originally posted by operatenor:
IMHO, if a retailer starts playing moral censor, I start looking for other places to shop. It is their right to arbitrarily choose what to sell as much as it is my right to take my business somewhere else.

As long as there is a somewhere else, then that's fine. But, when censorship get to be widespread that there isn't a somewhere else, then we're in trouble. And, don't think this isn't happening! In many not-so-small towns, the somewhere else, doesn't exist!

[OperaTenor]

Personally, I find the material on the cover of Reader's Digest particularly offensive. I wish they would cover that rot up. It sickens me. :p

[bignaf]

yeah OT.

[dai bread]

Originally posted by Nicole Marie:
What's next? Speedo's because they are to small......

We don't use Speedos very much in this country, but Australians use them a lot. I once went on a cruise around Fiji with a contingent of Australian men in late middle age, all of whom wore Speedos. It was not a pretty sight, believe me!

[barfle]

YRH, according to your post here you requested that a post be deleted because it was becoming offensive.

It was in response to listener complaints, and I suspect that b.com is as concerned about offending their primary customer base as Wal-Mart is.

[OperaTenor]

Thanks, Barfle!

Now you've got me all curious about this "SSB" thread!

BTW, I liked your electric illustration of faith.

[Nicole Marie]

That board was deleted because people were being personaly attacked. Cosmo isn't attacking anyone.

[OperaTenor]

I dunno. I feel pretty threatened whenever I'm around it. As far as I'm concerned, it's right up there with Reader's Digest on my offensive list

[bignaf]

posted by barfle:
"HRH has deleted at least one post from this bulletin board (which I read before she got to it) that contained racial epithets from a rap. Was she censoring, or simply doing what she could to avoid offending her listeners/readers and distancing b.com from something she considered distasteful?"
posted by HRH:
"Sorry that was not me that deleted that post. I'm not the only person who can delete postings."
posted by barfle:
"YRH, according to your post here you requested that a post be deleted because it was becoming offensive.

It was in response to listener complaints, and I suspect that b.com is as concerned about offending their primary customer base as Wal-Mart is."

posted by HRH:
"That board was deleted because people were being personaly attacked. Cosmo isn't attacking anyone."
-----------------
I'm just trying to clarify a discussion, since HRH seesmto have forgot what was the original comment.

my take:

cosmo is not attacking anyone buit is hurting some people's sensibilities. those sensibilties may be far from yours or mine but we have to be careful about people's feelings. especially "liberal" people like "us".