"not Appropriate For Children" Labels...wtf?

[Amethyst]

I've been browsing Barnes and Noble online for some time, and noticed that some of the Babylon 5 reference books have all been labled "Not Appropriate For Children." These are just reference books. And yet, strangely enough, none of the actual B5 novels had that label.

 

For example:

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearc...7997&itm=14

 

From the Publisher

The Galactic Guide to Babylon 5 is a huge resource for any Games Master or Player wishing to know more of the galaxy they operate in. Containing studies on ancient planets and races as well as detailing the varying political influences on the galaxy, this book will prove invaluable to all fans of the Babylon 5 universe.

 

So what gives? Did some fundy go overboard? Are books getting a rating system now, and if so, why are they being rated this way?

 

Obviously, someone's child under the age of 7 probably won't be reading this stuff, but I'd think it wouldn't be that bad for an older kid who was a Babylon 5 fan. I probably would've loved to read that kind of thing when I was 12 or so, if B5 had been around at the time. And none of the Dungeons & Dragons references have that description either, just the B5 references. Surely there is far worse stuff on TV and even in the Bible than Babylon 5.

[white_raven23]

Hm. Weird.

 

I think you should ask them. Maybe there is another message they are trying to convey - like children of a certain age wouldn't be interested in the reference material. Either way, they need to be informed that the message line you see is unclear as to its intent. Insist on a response.

 

If their response sounds anything like censorship or an attempt at censorship, you need to let someone know.

[Thurisaz]

Well, B5 isn't known for leaving willfully braindead persons in that state for long... provided they keep watching that is.

 

Maybe some morontheist parent feared that B5 exposure might shatter the oh-so-fragile brainwashing of her brats...

[Amethyst]

I e-mailed their customer service. I will probably only get a form letter, but when I do, I'll paste it here.

 

Now the funny thing is that I looked up the Dungeons & Dragons books, and the White Wolf books, and none of those had such a disclaimer. You'd think the fundies would be after them even more than Babylon 5.

[CyborgX]

That IS odd. I would think that one would put that sticker on the Bible itself, with all the gore and human rights violation. But then again, maybe not.

 

I was in a dollar store once and saw a "children's bedtime bible stories" type book. I randomly opened the book and read a passage saying that King Harod had decapitated children and it had pictures too!

 

Uh children's bedtime stories? I kid you not - that is what was in there, and what the book was! I was so appalled.

[Max]

I was in a dollar store once and saw a "children's bedtime bible stories" type book. I randomly opened the book and read a passage saying that King Harod had decapitated children and it had pictures too!

 

I guess that's why it wound up in the dollar store!

[CyborgX]

Where most people trying to save a penny would shop.

[Yaoi Huntress Earth]

I e-mailed their customer service. I will probably only get a form letter, but when I do, I'll paste it here.

 

Now the funny thing is that I looked up the Dungeons & Dragons books, and the White Wolf books, and none of those had such a disclaimer. You'd think the fundies would be after them even more than Babylon 5.

 

RPG hate has lost it's appeal after the 80's. It's probably a good thing since World of DArkness would make their heads explode.

[Amethyst]

This was the response I got:

 

Dear Customer,

 

Thank you for your email requesting additional information on titles

available through our site.

 

Please note that the description "Not appropriate for children" was

provided to us by the item's publisher, and was not added by BN.com or

any of our site editors. While we are unable to speak on the

publisher's behalf directly, this description may have been provided to

inform customers who wish to purchase the item as a gift for young

readers.

 

 

Sincerely,

 

Philip

Customer Service Representative

Used & Out of Print Books

Barnes&Noble.com

 

So apparently it was the publisher, and not B&N.

[Yaoi Huntress Earth]

Any chances of contactng publisher?

[Amethyst]

They have a web site.

 

http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/

[The Sage Nabooru]

It may be simply a mistake on the part of the publisher. A nonintentional one.

 

At my work, you can always expect a mislabeled CD every couple of music shipments. Again, these are labeled by the publisher, but I've found compilations of 80's rock music labeled "Christian" (where none of the songs within were so), Hawthorne Heights labeled as "Country", and a Jim Brickman CD with an "Edited" sticker slapped on it. Just today I came across a Sugarland CD that was fully wrapped in plastic and sent out to us without any CD booklet. You would think somebody at the factory - say, in "quality control" - would have noticed that it was missing its entire front cover and remove it from shipping, but no.

 

Perhaps this one just slipped with a keystroke into a list of books to be "not recommended for children" and the publisher is unaware of it, and perhaps would be grateful for your heads-up. It would sound really bizarre for them to allow all the other B5 books to go unlabeled and for seemingly no reason put one on this one.