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Comment by ulysses | Hacker News Reader

Think of it this way: app stores are kind of like privately owned bookstores. The owner of the bookstore doesn't have to carry the art book of nudes or the pro-Nazi thesis.

I would be very unhappy with a general bookstore openly refusing to carry a book solely because of its political content.

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Bookstores don't carry every book ever made; they're "curated". They have no obligation to carry every book you might want... if your tastes are significantly outside of the mainstream, you're going to sometimes have to order from a specialty seller or directly from the author/publisher.

Of course they don't. But not carrying every book ever printed is different from refusing to carry a class of books because of their political content.

And I did mention general bookstores. Let's take Glenn Beck books as an example. Personally, I find them rage-inducingly offensive. But I'd still expect the local bookstores, even here in liberal Seattle, to carry them, and, if they didn't have a copy on their shelves, to order it for me. Should I, say, have some sort of psychotic breakdown and decide that I wanted a copy.

> I would be very unhappy with a general bookstore openly refusing to carry a book solely because of its political content.

What is "openly" and why is it relevant?

BTW - What bookstores do you think that you're happy with?

"Openly" was poorly phrased, I merely meant "that I know about". I don't actually spend a lot of time vetting bookstores.

I liked Village Books, but I haven't lived up in Bellingham for well over 18 years.

I like Elliott Bay.

I like the UW bookstore, but that's largely because of their fabulous SF&F selection.

Of the big chains, I prefer B&N.

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