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Comment by Closi | Hacker News Reader

> eBay choosing not to facilitate the sale of books containing racist caricatures is not in the same ballpark as a government suppressing ideas.

The problem is that over time companies are consolidating into a few monopolies which are entirely out of public control, and these companies effectively control almost all distribution.

It depends what “power controlling entity” you see being the risk - is it the elected government or is it large powerful corporations with unelected leadership?

It is the same core sport, just a different team playing with less rules.

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>> The problem is that over time companies are consolidating into a few monopolies which are entirely out of public control,(...)

The problem is Far bigger than that, and the implications are indeed frightening. And Why is that... simply because a societal precedent has been set which could allow the Government to use this as a linchpin to control All speech and by default All Thought. When you control what people can say you also control what they think.

I agree. I think both the elected government and these monopolies are actively harming people. However, eBay's refusal to sell children's books with racist caricatures is not the vanguard of some effort by those power structures to consolidate power; after all, racist imagery has been used for centuries to consolidate power in America.

These companies don't operate on the same kind of logic as the courts do - this sets no precedent. Amazon and eBay could block the sale of any book tomorrow if they wanted to; they could have done it yesterday, as well. The real power these structures espouse is to get us bickering over children's books, rather than devoting our energies towards things that actually matter.

>> ...this sets no precedent.

I did Not say "Legal Precedent". And it is Absolutely an "example" of Society believing that certain ideas, and not necessarily racism (and to be clear if you are a racist you are a complete idiot, and beneath contempt); should Not be allowed to be expressed.

"The real power these structures espouse is to get us bickering over children's books, rather than devoting our energies towards things that actually matter."

Took a while to find a comment that sees to the heart of the issue.

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