Advertisement

We need your help now

Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.

You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.

If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.

Amazon refuses to remove 'paedophile guide' from store

‘The Pedophile’s Guide to Love and Pleasure’ – posted two weeks ago – will not be removed from the online bookstore.

ONE OF THE INTERNET’S largest online retailers has said it has no plans to remove a book from its online bookstore which proclaims to be a “child-lover’s code of conduct”.

Amazon said that a controversial book added to its electronic store two weeks ago – ‘The Pedophile’s Guide to Love and Pleasure‘ – would remain stocked in its electronic library, despite its apparent attempt to destigmatise the practice of paedophilia.

The tome is one of four self-published by its author, Philip R Greaves II, and was uploaded to the store on October 20. Being in electronic format (though not in paper edition) it is available for download to any computer, iPhone or to Amazon’s Kindle portable reading device.

In his description of the book, the writer – believed to be from Colorado – says the book was his…

…attempt to make pedophile situations safer for those juveniles that find themselves involved in them, by establishing certian [sic] rules for these adults to follow. I hope to achieve this by appealing to the better nature of pedosexuals, with hope that their doing so will result in less hatred and perhaps liter [sic] sentences should they ever be caught.

The fact that the book has not been removed from the store after two weeks has led some customers in the United States to boycott the store until the book is removed, with many users on Twitter aghast at the fact the book remains freely available.

This evening, however, an Amazon spokesman told TheJournal.ie that the book – despite its controversial content and seeming advocation of behaviour deemed illegal in most countries – the book would remain on Amazon’s virtual bookshelves, as it did not breach the site’s terms of service.

‘Censorship’

“Amazon believes it is censorship not to sell certain books simply because we or others believe their message is objectionable,” the spokesman said. ”Amazon does not support or promote hatred or criminal acts; however, we do support the right of every individual to make their own purchasing decisions.”

Amazon’s refusal to remove the book was met with anger by Andrew Madden, a survivor of clerical sexual abuse, who said paedophiles were “very manipulative people and the author’s description of this book, though noticeably short, is itself a brief insight into that kind of manipulation”.

While he had not seen the material inside the book, Madden said the author referred to “juveniles that ‘find themselves involved’ in situations with paedophiles – this is so typical of how a paedophile would want to share responsibility for his/her actions with the child, by describing the child as ‘involved’.

“The author also refers to establishing certain rules for adults to follow which he hopes will result in lighter sentences should they ever be caught.  This sounds to me like coaching a paedophile in how to abuse a child in such a way as to leave the child feeling that they went along with everything that happened.”

This tactic, Madden said, was “part of any paedophile’s modus operandi and presented an image to a courtroom that the child was not being forced to do anything “they didn’t want to do”.

“It is a great concern to think this book would be available to anyone who might take it as some endorsement of their activities especially as they see it so readily available on a website like Amazon.com,” Madden said. “It should be removed from sale immediately.”

Other books submitted by Greaves to the store include books on the rights of gay people to marry and of convicts to vote, another hoping to disprove the existence of God or any “omnipotent creator”, and another that examines the act of sex as “the supreme expression [of] friendship and love.”

Update, 9:07, Nov 11: Amazon has now removed the book from the online store: update here.

Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone...
A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation.

Close
Comments
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute P Quinn
    Favourite P Quinn
    Report
    Jan 17th 2019, 6:34 AM

    This is what happens when you rush reforms. Wait until Juniour Cycle is fully operational – then there will be chaos. Reform should have started with bringing an element of project work at Leaving Cert. Now we have students doing a Junior Cycle that ill-prepares them for Leaving Cert

    130
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Bruce van der Gutschmitzer
    Favourite Bruce van der Gutschmitzer
    Report
    Jan 17th 2019, 6:45 AM

    @P Quinn: Ricard bruton will go down as one of the worst ministers for education ever. Teachers still don’t know how to implement the new Junior cycle and the ones training them in don’t know what they’re doing either. All to fudge the numbers to look good internationally. FG are a crowd of con artists.

    122
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute minorproblem
    Favourite minorproblem
    Report
    Jan 17th 2019, 7:23 AM

    The points race here is the problem not necessarily the lc or jc courses.. that’s where the pressure is coming from!

    I think some small adjustments to syllabus would help but largely it’s the whole cao system that the pressure is coming from. That’s what needs looking at here

    25
    See 10 more replies ▾
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute P Quinn
    Favourite P Quinn
    Report
    Jan 17th 2019, 7:33 AM

    @Bruce van der Gutschmitzer: totally agree. I actually don’t think the wider public are aware of what changes have taken place at JC. There is now only higher and ordinary level options in English, Irish and maths. Everything else is a common level paper. It’s forcing all students towards the middle and then they have to go onto LC. Bruton was a disgrace as minister, all initiatives and bluster.

    27
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Bruce van der Gutschmitzer
    Favourite Bruce van der Gutschmitzer
    Report
    Jan 17th 2019, 8:32 AM

    @P Quinn: 100% idiot. He’s a slithery shnake that helped and is helping suck the lifeblood out of teaching. He even looks like a chameleon.

    13
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Deborah Blacoe
    Favourite Deborah Blacoe
    Report
    Jan 17th 2019, 8:52 AM

    @Bruce van der Gutschmitzer: I take it that you don’t like Mr Bruton? Perhaps you should use more reasoned argument to make your point rather than resorting to such a venomous attack. (No pun intended.)

    2
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Bruce van der Gutschmitzer
    Favourite Bruce van der Gutschmitzer
    Report
    Jan 17th 2019, 9:03 AM

    @Deborah Blacoe: I’ve no problem calling him that. I’m sure many others would too. FG have a policy of draining resources from education and then coming up with hairbrain ideas to counteract this to appear we are performing well internationally. Like health, housing and most things, education is crumbling.

    9
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Bruce van der Gutschmitzer
    Favourite Bruce van der Gutschmitzer
    Report
    Jan 17th 2019, 9:10 AM

    @Deborah Blacoe: a more reasoned argument-we have the worst investment in early education in Europe. Our class sizes are the highest in Western Europe. Less than 11% of our budget goes towards it compared to 13-16%, the European average. Pay parity has not been restored and teachers are continuing to leave for better opportunities. Less ppl are taking up teaching courses. We already have a huge skills gap and can’t fill positions in secondary and this will continue to get worse if investment isn’t increased dramatically.

    17
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Deborah Blacoe
    Favourite Deborah Blacoe
    Report
    Jan 17th 2019, 9:49 AM

    @Bruce van der Gutschmitzer: Excellent reasoning skills! 10/10. Go to the top of the class. Sorry for that, couldn’t help myself. I hear you loud and clear. And I don’t disagree. I wonder what happens to politicians between when they start out on their political career and when they reach the dizzy heights of government? The political life appears to be the best learning ground for subterfuge and the most unwelcome forms of compromise. Mr Bruton was the first politician I voted for over 40 years ago. Both he and George Birmingham (now Justice Birmingham) were the bright lights in our constituency. I was never a ‘party’ person. My vote has always been a considered one, but I took an interest in Mr Bruton’s career. That bright star has dimmed a little. Such is life.

    1
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Bruce van der Gutschmitzer
    Favourite Bruce van der Gutschmitzer
    Report
    Jan 17th 2019, 10:56 AM

    @Deborah Blacoe: there was no offence taken, don’t worry. Agree 100%. Politics is a cesspit that would turn the most righteous of ppl into the biggest of mé féiners. I’d be aligned with the Russell Brand strand of politics and just scrapping the whole system and starting again after the failure that was Anglo being allowed to fail in the manner that it did. I just don’t trust most ppl that go into politics so quick without getting a rounded scope and view of the world. He just comes across as a careerist politician. Coming out with the shcuther that Ireland will be the best education system in Europe in 10 years when he has no plans to invest properly and implementing a new syllabus that has been proven to have failed but he decides to push on anyway because it looks progressive. We now have children who are less prepared for the leaving cert and will be under more stress compared to those before them. I anticipate that there will be higher suicide rate among leaving certs next year. That’s why I despise the guy. It’s all about optics.

    6
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Deborah Blacoe
    Favourite Deborah Blacoe
    Report
    Jan 17th 2019, 11:24 AM

    @Bruce van der Gutschmitzer: the biggest problems with the current education system are that 1) it is outdated and 2) it is geared for winning points. The academic subjects introduced so far back in time, when the industrial revolution was happening across Europe, are the ones which earn most credibility. This path should no longer be followed exclusively. The development of the ‘whole’ child is imperative towards maximizing skills and options. Otherwise it will be a system which will increasingly polarize goals and waste the opportunity to nurture a cross section of abilities. The level of merit awarded to academic success by society has to change. Only then can we achieve the diversity necessary in our education system in order to fuel a changing workplace.

    1
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute sean o'dhubhghaill
    Favourite sean o'dhubhghaill
    Report
    Jan 17th 2019, 2:48 PM

    @P Quinn: Do you want some really bad news? If the present ‘reforms’ are deemed to be ‘successful’ there is a further plan to have completely common papers for JC English, Maths and Irish. So, never mind Foundation, there will be no Higher or Ordinary any more.

    1
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute P Quinn
    Favourite P Quinn
    Report
    Jan 17th 2019, 7:39 PM

    @sean o’dhubhghaill: that’s absolutely disgraceful and completely irresponsible

    1
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute CarlAnne Greene
    Favourite CarlAnne Greene
    Report
    Jan 17th 2019, 8:20 AM

    It’s called ‘dumbing down’ so everyone passes. While I agree we should be encouraging our youth, it’s another example of nanny state.

    58
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Barry Zuckerkorn
    Favourite Barry Zuckerkorn
    Report
    Jan 17th 2019, 7:46 AM

    Both Micky mouse exams when it comes down it

    15
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Gerard McDermott
    Favourite Gerard McDermott
    Report
    Jan 17th 2019, 9:47 AM

    @Barry Zuckerkorn: They might be Mickey Mouse to you, but they are very important to those students that are sitting them, and cause many of them a lot of stress.

    31
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Jason Byrne
    Favourite Jason Byrne
    Report
    Jan 17th 2019, 12:54 PM

    It’s mainly due to the increase in points needed for most basic courses in decent universities and colleges .
    Considering the maximum amount of points you can get for an ordinary subject is 56
    Taking basically everything in higher is the only option you have if you want a decent course.

    8
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Gerard McDermott
    Favourite Gerard McDermott
    Report
    Jan 17th 2019, 1:08 PM

    @Jason Byrne: For the most part, the points required is set by the students that get offered a place. If a course has 100 places and is filled on the first round, then the student with the 100th best points score will set the points – the last student to be offered a place in round 1!

    The problem is, as subject reform occurs, subjects often get easier. This allows the more able student to get more points, and points for courses go up.

    In certain instances, the Universities can cap the points level for a course.

    4
Submit a report
Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines.
Thank you for the feedback
Your feedback has been sent to our team for review.
JournalTv
News in 60 seconds