Resurrection After Rape Community Group
Discussion, question-and-answer, general social support, and journal processing for progress-oriented rape survivors. No crisis, no damaging or triggering conflicts--this is for individuals who want to contribute to collective, cooperative action toward the goal of making actual PROGRESS through rape trauma. Much of this work is based on the book "Resurrection After...
Tell Amazon.com to stop selling rape porn!
The problem: a person searching for the word "rape" on Amazon.com in the "Books" category is presented with enormous amounts of offensive content. A survivor searching for self-help, inspiration, or guidance literature has to wade through pro-rape pornography. In fact, the FIRST search result on the FIRST page of products is a rape-porn book, even though it has hardly sold a copy and its sale rank is among the lowest of all! so why is Amazon listing it at the top?
The issue: a survivor might not know the name of a specific book, and could just be browsing the literature category, "rape," in hopes of finding a book to buy. Instead, she/he is confronted with offensive material. Amazon has not banned these types of item from its book sales, even though amazon has a precedent of banning similar pro-rape items from its marketplace (example: a t-shirt with a pro-rape joke slogan was banned). Amazon's terms of service do not specify that rape is a prohibited topic, obviously, but it reserves the right of Amazon to remove items it deems objectionable.
The action: write and submit critical 1-star reviews for pro-rape products (I'm targeting books, but there are pro-rape DVD's on Amazon, too). In a succinct and appropriate manner, identify the item as an "offensive pro-rape product." Refrain from lengthy sermons or personal disclosure, and instead diminish these products' positions in search results with these reviews.
Additional action: contact Amazon directly with a complaint.
The risk: this tactic asks the activist to willingly encounter products types that will be offensive and triggering. While I believe there is therapeutic and healing value in confronting those triggers in the context of doing battle against them--striking blows against such products--this asks us to knowingly identify such products in the first place. In the "Books" category, this is not as difficult because most of the items are published by "Olympia Press," an "erotica" merchant, and are printed in plain covers (usually red or blue with the title printed on them, and nothing else). DVD's, however, have upsetting cover imagery.
Folks, I'm asking for your help. Please consider making your voices heard on this issue so that rape is not given prominence as an entertainment media.
I would be willing to post direct links to products, if asked, but using the "search" method is preferable because it lets you identify which objectionable products still remain foremost among the results.
The problem: a person searching for the word "rape" on Amazon.com in the "Books" category is presented with enormous amounts of offensive content. A survivor searching for self-help, inspiration, or guidance literature has to wade through pro-rape pornography. In fact, the FIRST search result on the FIRST page of products is a rape-porn book, even though it has hardly sold a copy and its sale rank is among the lowest of all! so why is Amazon listing it at the top?
The issue: a survivor might not know the name of a specific book, and could just be browsing the literature category, "rape," in hopes of finding a book to buy. Instead, she/he is confronted with offensive material. Amazon has not banned these types of item from its book sales, even though amazon has a precedent of banning similar pro-rape items from its marketplace (example: a t-shirt with a pro-rape joke slogan was banned). Amazon's terms of service do not specify that rape is a prohibited topic, obviously, but it reserves the right of Amazon to remove items it deems objectionable.
The action: write and submit critical 1-star reviews for pro-rape products (I'm targeting books, but there are pro-rape DVD's on Amazon, too). In a succinct and appropriate manner, identify the item as an "offensive pro-rape product." Refrain from lengthy sermons or personal disclosure, and instead diminish these products' positions in search results with these reviews.
Additional action: contact Amazon directly with a complaint.
The risk: this tactic asks the activist to willingly encounter products types that will be offensive and triggering. While I believe there is therapeutic and healing value in confronting those triggers in the context of doing battle against them--striking blows against such products--this asks us to knowingly identify such products in the first place. In the "Books" category, this is not as difficult because most of the items are published by "Olympia Press," an "erotica" merchant, and are printed in plain covers (usually red or blue with the title printed on them, and nothing else). DVD's, however, have upsetting cover imagery.
Folks, I'm asking for your help. Please consider making your voices heard on this issue so that rape is not given prominence as an entertainment media.
I would be willing to post direct links to products, if asked, but using the "search" method is preferable because it lets you identify which objectionable products still remain foremost among the results.
I know what I like in men, and am not afraid to say it, but I would be loathe to define for a man what makes him a real man.
I do think, though, that "real men don't rape" would also be a good product review... :)
Thanks ... it's gonna be tough but I am gonna leave those reviews and tags on some of the dvd's.
I have edited it and it's back up with the ONE STAR I intended to give it the first time.
Matt, One funny thing about that whole mix-up was that when I clicked on "reviews" of that book, It popped up MY review as "Best Good Review" VS. YOUR review as "Best Critical Reciew." SIDE BY SIDE!
It was actually pretty interesting to know that if someone clicked on the review they would be shown TWO negative reviews, side by side, for camparison by Amazon. LMAO.
Actually, it may be worth considering having one '%-Star review' (like I accidentally did),filled with actual negative comments and warning to someone who may click the reviews to try to find out what kind of book it is. That way they would be warned twice and not have to go beyond seeing the 'negative' vs. negative reviews.
Of course that could only be done after we have loads of negative condemnations on said material, as to not get it 'bumped' up in search results, due to a seemingly "positive" review. ;) tricky-tricky
Now, the first item that pops up (sorted by relevance) is The Rape Recovery Handbook. Not as good as if RAR were to be the first thing to pop up but at least there is no longer a Pro-rape book showing up first. :)
I'm writing Amazon right now.