As we all know by now, Amazon listened and responded to the expressions of concern over its recent apparent censorship activities. It’s unclear (and probably always will be) exactly what happened to the listings of books deemed to be adult-themed over this past weekend, and the debates will probably continue for some time. At the end of the day, however, I think we can come away with a few important things to remember:
- The price of freedom is eternal vigilance.
- Corporations do not and never have had your best interests at heart.
- Bugs can and do happen.
- Corporations will respond to pressure when it appears that actions they have taken will affect their financial bottom line.
Bear all that in mind, and you’ll be … beyond the elements of style!
