So Barnes and Noble has made us all aware…
They have a blogging policy.
Now, I haven’t signed it yet, but I believe that when I do I will have to either not mention the bookstore at all in my entries or preface each one with some crap about it not being the opinion of Barnes & Noble or some nonsense like that.
Here’s my problem with that: isn’t it already OBVIOUS that if I’m blogging something that blasts BN, they don’t endorse it? OK, OK, so I could post inflamatory remarks that people might, maybe, if they lived under a ROCK, assume came from my employer, but what the hell? Are we all so worried about getting sued that it isn’t enough that the feds want to take away freedom of speech, corporations have to limit it as well if we want to keep getting our $2 an hour from them?
And I’d like to note that while BN has a “policy” on blogging and the said disclaimer we must include with our entries, they sell many, many banned books that they do not include such a disclaimer with. Well, not my store, because we are shamefully understocked, but I understand many bookstores are now selling controversial books. What’s to keep people who buy Huckleberry Finn from assuming that BN endorses slavery? What’s to keep people from wondering, as they page through Jon Stewart’s America, whether BN questions our leaders? Worse yet, we carry Watermark. Does that mean BN … gasp… thinks it’s OK to be gay? But, no, that’s OK, our religion section (I call it our “fundamental pop Christianity” section) has plenty of books that assure the casual shopper we don’t advocate free sexuality. Relax, folks, we’re just as tight-assed as any other red state.
