Assignment task: Consider the following case:
Work Hard. Have Fun. Cleanse History.
Amazon, the world's largest online retailer, is taking a stand on racial injustice. They recently announced that they will no longer sell white supremacist and racist books, specifically citing works written by David Duke, a former Ku Klux Klan leader, and George Lincoln Rockwell, founder of the American Nazi Party. In addition to removing such books from their inventory, Amazon is also editing images by digitally removing the swastika from the books and videos they will continue selling (e.g., The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich).
As an independent company, Amazon has the right to determine what products they sell when those products propagate hate speech. They have received praise for their decision, especially in the midst of the growing Black Lives Matter movement and the call for sweeping legal and social reform. Their position as the world's largest online retailer might even inspire other retailers to follow suit.
However, Amazon's critics argue that this decision contradicts a core American value, free speech, and wonder how far the censorship will go. They point out that censorship of reading material and video was one of the first things the Nazi Party did upon assuming power. Additionally, others fear that some books important for education and some best-selling American classics may soon be unavailable through Amazon. These works might include To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens, certain works by Immanuel Kant, or even some writings of the primary author of the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson.
Based on the information above completes the following:
1) Identifies the central ethical question at issue of the case study.
2) Includes a brief summary of the relevant information needed to understand the case.
3) Identifies and explains the role of two ethical concepts implicitly or explicitly discussed in the case.
4) Takes a pro/con stance on Amazon's decision that applies at least one ethical principle and at least one normative ethical theory in support.