Amazon CEO Says Retailer Will Continue to sell Antisemitic Film

Author: Mike Roc

Amazon CEO, Andy Jassy, stated on Wednesday that the business has no intentions to cease selling an anti-Semitic that went viral lately after Brooklyn Nets player, Kyrie Irving, posted a link to it.

Since Irving shared the link on Twitter in October, criticism has been rising on Amazon to stop selling “Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America.” According to the Amazon summary, the film “explores the actual identity of the Children of Israel.”

The CEO of Amazon stated that the company will continue to offer anti-Semitic films.

Andy Jassy, CEO of Amazon, defended his choice to keep selling the inflammatory anti-Semitic video that placed Brooklyn Nets player Kyrie Irving in embarrassment. 

During a conference in New York, Jassy argued that the film, “Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America,” did not openly encourage hatred, which is why it is still on the website.

“Trying to decide which content contains hate content to the extent of which we don’t provide access to customers is one the trickiest issues we deal with at the company,” Jassy informed interviewer Andrew Ross Sorkin. “We have hundreds of millions of customers with different viewpoints.” The response irritated Sorkin, who is Jewish and has stated that the film may incite anti-Semitism. Jassy, also Jewish, concurred but maintained his position while conceding that part of the film’s material is “objectionable.”

What is the movie and book about?

Based on the same-titled 2015 book, the film boost anti-Semitic stereotypes and false claims, such that the Black Hebrew Israelites are the descendants of historical Israelites.

It further claims that there was a global Jewish plot to subjugate black people and that Jews were partly responsible for the African slave trade. 

Kyrie shared a link to the film on Twitter earlier this month, and when asked by the media, he refused to criticize it. The Nets finally penalized Kyrie Irving for eight games. 

Now, the book is available on the Amazon website in the kindle ($53) program, hardcover ($53), and paperback versions for $36. in addition, a free version of the audiobook with your Audible trial is also available. 

Customers also have the opportunity to rent the movie for 12 dollars or buy it in HD quality for $50.

The problem with adding a Warning label

Sorkin inquired whether Amazon would view including a disclaimer or warning label on the book or film. 

According to Jassy, Amazon has a group of individuals who look at every page of the book to determine if it should be deleted. 

It still needs a procedure in place for warning labels. Counting this extra layer is “tricky” since it is “difficult to scale,” according to Jassy.

“The reality is that we have very expansive customer reviews,” he said. “For books with a lot of attention — especially public attention — customers do a good job monitoring other people.”

Bottom Line

According to Jesse, the firm will not tolerate racism, discrimination, or harassment. Furthermore, Amazon claims that as a service provider to hundreds of millions of consumers with a wide range of viewpoints, it must be ready to access those viewpoints, even if they are disagreeable. Even if Amazon CEOs oppose it, the book and movie format will be universally accessible to serve people with different opinions.