Amazon has formally apologized to customers for deleting ebooks from people's Kindles:

"This is an apology for the way we previously handled illegally sold copies of 1984 and other novels on Kindle. Our "solution" to the problem was stupid, thoughtless, and painfully out of line with our principles. It is wholly self-inflicted, and we deserve the criticism we've received. We will use the scar tissue from this painful mistake to help make better decisions going forward, ones that match our mission.

With deep apology to our customers,

Jeff Bezos
Founder & CEO
Amazon.com"

It's an interesting apology, the sort of apology that a "secret cutter" would make. They will learn from the scar tissue of their self-inflicted wounds and they promise not to do it again. They deserve the pain and shame, but they are glad they can still feel ALIVE. They just needed to feel something real. Anything at all. God, don't you understand?

I do understand. But I don't think Amazon is going to stop cutting books and delisting content until they recognize they have a problem and start getting the help they need.

So here is some advice for Amazon from "kidshealth.org," taken from an article called "How Can I Stop Cutting?"



"For people who cut, doing something different may be a big change. Making this change can take time because you are learning new ways of dealing with the things that led you to cut. The tips you'll see below can get you started. But a therapist or counselor can do more to help you heal old hurt and use your strengths to cope with life's struggles.

"Start by being aware of which situations are likely to trigger your urge to cut. Make a commitment that this time you will not follow the urge, but will do something else instead. Some people cut because the emotions that they feel seem way too powerful and painful to handle. Often, it may be hard for them to recognize these emotions for what they are â€Â" like anger, sadness, or other feelings. Here are some alternatives to cutting that you can try:

* draw or scribble designs on paper using a red pen or paint on white paper â€Â" if it helps, make the paint drip
* write out your hurt, anger, or pain using a pen and paper
* draw the pain
* compose songs or poetry to express what you're feeling
* listen to music that talks about how you feel

"Cutting can be a difficult pattern to break. But it is possible. If you want help overcoming a self-injury habit and you're having trouble finding anything that works for you, talk with a therapist. Getting professional help to overcome the problem doesn't mean that someone is weak or crazy. Therapists and counselors are trained to help people discover inner strengths that help them heal. These inner strengths can then be used to cope with life's problems in a healthy way."

DON'T BOTTLE UP THE PAIN, AMAZON! EXPRESS YOURSELF! IF IT HELPS, MAKE THE PAINT DRIP!

It's probably a good thing that Amazon has taken a recent interest in shoes by buying the company Zappos for a billion dollars. Amazon needs new hobbies. They need to feel young and pretty again.

One interesting result of this apology is that since Bezos posted the apology using his "real name" Amazon account, we can see what he's been reviewing!

Evidently, he really likes these cookies (five stars):


"This is an assortment of carefully wrapped cookies. They claim to ship only hours after the baking is done, and the taste would certainly indicate that that's true. I'm not exactly sure how many different cookie types there are in the box since I (and my co-workers) started eating before I started counting. But somewhere around eight or more different types. The snickerdoodles were the best I've ever had. Ridiculously good cookies."

And he really hates the movie "The 13th Warrior" (1 star: "one star is indeed too many"):



"Let's face facts. This is a terrible, terrible movie. We have to guess that all involved in this project are hiding. Really, I'm generally quite easy on movies, but this endless stream of uninteresting battle scenes with pointless dialogue and no discernable plot is perhaps one of the worst movies ever made. Sorry if this seems harsh, but I just don't want anyone to buy it unknowingly."

So there you go. Next time you feel the need to de-list all your books about gays and sex, eat some cookies instead. And the next time you feel the need to delete ebooks from the Kindles of your customers while they sleep, remember how mad Antonio Banderas made you in the movie "The 13th Warrior," and assume your customers will be just as mad.

We are gonna get through this together, Amazon!



Posted by miracle on Fri, 24 Jul 2009 06:11:38 -0400 -- permanent link