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May 5, 2000/30 Nisan 5760, Vol. 52, No.35
Counter hateful speech - don't try to suppress it
MARTY LATZ
Special to Jewish News
The decision by Amazon.com to sell 'The Protocols of the Elders of Zion' is one of the worst actions I have seen by any U.S. company. This document has been used for almost 100 years as a pretext for attacks on Jews: from Pogroms in Russia to the Holocaust," read an e-mail a friend recently forwarded to me.
The e-mail castigated Am azon.com for selling this anti-Semitic tract and urging the national bookseller to reverse its decision. It then pushed for an Amazon.com boycott.
My friend went on to add in his message to me that he thought a boycott would be a "terrible strategy for the Jews. Next the loonies will be boycotting Amazon.com for printing Huck Finn. ... We do better when there is a free exchange of information. It's not like we could ever suppress anti-Jewish materials, so why not just combat it with better information?"
When I checked, I found that Amazon.com not only sold the Protocols but also tried to temper its sale by stating in a "special note" that "Amazon.com does not endorse (the Protocols). This book is one of the most infamous, and tragically influential, examples of racist propaganda ever written. It may be useful to some as a tool in the teaching of the history of anti-Semitism, but it's unquestionably propaganda.'
Amazon.com defended its role on the basis of free speech, noting that it also sells books analyzing the Protocols' fraudulent origins and its tragic, historical role in promoting anti-Semitism and Jewish persecution.
I have mixed feelings about all this.
The free exchange of ideas is a fundamental basis of democracy. All of us, including those with whom we disagree, should have the ability to express ourselves freely. And of course, we must use our speech to denounce propaganda like the Protocols. But we should also seek to prevent such racist trash from gaining legitimacy, a status the Protocols gains when respected booksellers offer it for sale.
The fact is no bookstore offers everything ever published. Given limited resources, each must decide what to offer and what to reject. Are these decisions driven purely by the marketplace or based on other factors, including potential harm from dissemination of a particular book? I suspect it's a combination.
The Protocols is false and dangerous and should be viewed in this light - by us and by Amazon.com.
The bottom line? Hate mongers will always be able to find anti-Semitic propaganda, including KKK tracts, white supremacist literature and the Protocols. Web sites abound that cater to the proclivities of this sick population. That's no reason for booksellers like Amazon.com to do so.
One way to strike the balance between free speech and harmful selling would be to package the Protocols with literature that shines the harsh light of truth on its lies. Or a bookseller might donate profits from the sale of the Protocols to a respected organization that fights hate.
In the end, the most effective counteraction is simply more free speech.
Marty Latz is a Valley attorney and negotiations consultant. Send comments to Latz@NegotiationInstitute.com.
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