Amazon's Triple Injustice: A Deep Dive

The Story of a Bestseller Turned Film

The Coddling of the American Mind, a book penned by Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt, was published in 2018. It delved into the shifts in American society, such as safetyism, cancel culture, and identity politics. The book was a hit, making it to the eighth spot on the New York Times bestseller list.

The book was later adapted into a film, which was released earlier this year to positive reviews. The digital release of the movie was scheduled for October 17, 2024, on major streaming platforms Google Play, Apple TV, and Amazon Prime. However, Amazon Prime failed to release the movie as promised.

Ted Balaker, the director of the film, noted that Amazon had assured the team of the release date. However, Amazon did not uphold its promise, and no specific reason was provided for the delay. After five days and numerous emails from viewers, Amazon finally released the film.

Unpacking Amazon's Injustice

Amazon's handling of the situation was unjust. To understand this, we need to delve into the three types of justice as outlined by Scottish moral philosopher Adam Smith in his book, The Theory of Moral Sentiments.

Estimative Justice

The first form of justice is estimative justice. In this case, Amazon's actions demonstrated a misestimation of its own integrity, fair play, and the principle of keeping promises. If you undervalue or overvalue an object (in this case, the principles), it results in estimative unjustness.

Distributive Justice

The second form of justice is distributive justice. By failing to release the film on the promised date, Amazon misused its own resources – its platform, enterprise, effort, and attention. Distributive justice is about the appropriate use of one's resources, and Amazon's actions were distributively unjust.

Commutative Justice

The third form of justice, commutative justice, pertains to the treatment of others' possessions. This form of justice, which is central to private law, advises against interfering with others' possessions. Amazon's failure to uphold its promise to release the film on the agreed date violated this form of justice. The rules of commutative justice, like grammar rules, are precise and accurate, making violations clear and leading to outrage and damage to reputation.

Amazon's Triple Injustice

Ironically, Amazon, a company that prides itself on justice, acted unjustly in three ways. It misestimated principles, misused its resources, and violated the filmmakers' promises. In essence, Amazon was unjust in terms of estimative, distributive, and commutative justice.

Adam Smith wrote about resentment and punishments as "the great safeguards of the association of mankind, to protect the weak, to curb the violent, and to chastise the guilty." It's time to hold Amazon accountable and rally support for The Coddling of the American Mind, the movie!

Bottom Line

Amazon's handling of the release of The Coddling of the American Mind movie serves as a case study in triple injustice. It raises questions about the role of large corporations in upholding principles of justice and fair play. What are your thoughts on this matter? Do you think Amazon acted unjustly? Share this article with your friends and let us know your views. Remember, you can sign up for the Daily Briefing, which is delivered every day at 6 pm.