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I objected just to the framing of the example. The question "why would minority change anything in the case of books?" is a good one. And I believe it makes a hell of a difference in this particular case (while it did not in the bullying example). The reason is simple: if a minority being offended is a good enough reason to ban a book then you can see how it could very easily be used to arbitrarily ban any book. Books on global warming, round Earth, on evolution, on religion, or any controversial topic could easily be targeted as there are already large established groups ready to object. Someone will always be offended rightfully or not.

Maybe it's more important to look at the overall impact on society as it is right now, and in the context of where we want it to evolve, rather than what particular individuals may like.




Australia has a case where this is very relevant: most of the aboriginal people of Australia consider the direct mention or depiction of dead people in photographs and videos very disrespectful[1]. Because of that, it's common in Australian TV for almost any program to include warning for native Australian viewers about that.

Imagine if Australia bookstores followed the principle that even if a minority (and in this case, a very important minority as the aboriginal people are the "original owners" of the land) does not like a book, it should not be made available... you wouldn't be allowed to sell any books that contained or even mentioned deceased people.

But now, imagine that the British had not invaded and forcibly taken over Australia, so that the aboriginal people would be the current rules of the country. Now, you would probably expect no bookstores to want to offend their customers, so they would, presumably, avoid selling most books, arguably.

So, yes, I think that whether or not it's a minority that takes a certain stand makes a whole world of difference.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_Aboriginal_avoidanc...




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