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One-star

reviews affect the dissemination of important information. By Jane Gilgun

Amazon Should Set Guidelines for Its Reviews

I JUST GOT ANOTHER ONE-STAR REVIEW ON AMAZON. This one really hurts because the article
contains information that people who are sexually active could use. I wish I had known what was in this article by the time I was a teen. The name of the article is Lust, Agape, Philia, and Erotic Love: Meanings in Personal Relationships. Few feelings are more pleasant and powerful than lust. How many young people have had conversations about the delights of feeling lust? How many people in general have? As I said in my summary of the article Who doesnt want to be in love and feel safe and cherished? While most people want this, many do not get it. Some of them may be confused about the different kinds of love. This article discusses lust, agape, philia, and erotic love, the main types of attraction we feel

toward others. These ideas will guide people to make good choices. The ideas will help avoid heartbreak and life-long spiritual damage that arises when there is a mismatch between lust and agape. Lust feels wonderful, but when its disconnected from the other forms of love, acting on it is a crap shoot. The odds favor hurtful consequences. Erotic love, on the other hand, builds on agape and philia. It transform the mindlessness and joy of lust to the joy of erotic love. When this happens, the consequences fulfill dreams. . The information in this essay is especially important for young people who are about to become sexually active. I wish Amazon would set some standards for reviews. It seems that one-star reviews mean that the reviewers already decide what should be in the article before they read it. If authors do not meet reviewers' expectations, then these reviewers give one-star reviews. This is the one-star review of my article on lust, etc. This did not turn out to be as anticipated...clearly one not to get. Relationships are to be built on respect and trust if it is to be a lasting relationship. Actually, I discussed both respect and trust throughout the article, as well as the importance of promoting the well-being of others. Here is an excerpt from the article about trust. Building relationships of trust takes time. If you do hop in the sack without really knowing and trusting another, be prepared for a range of consequences. This is lust responding to lust, which is sometimes satisfying in the short and long run. Its a crap shoot, however. The odds favor hurt, regret, and guilt. I wish someone had told me that when I was 18. I probably would have needed to hear it periodically for many years. Its unfair to allow reviews that misrepresent articles and books.

Reviewers who are even-handed first try to understand what authors' purposes were, assess whether authors fulfilled their purposes, and then reviewers state what they think about the article in light of purposes and whether authors fulfilled their purposes. They are free to say anything else they believe is relevant. One star-reviews based on these guidelines are likely to be fair. How about it, Amazon? How about establishing some standards? One-star reviews are often unfair, say more about reviewers than what they review, and affect sales. Affecting sales is particularly sad when the information is hard to get and the usual information is destructive. This certainly is the case for the article on lust, etc. Few young people understand differences between lust, agape, philia, and erotic love. Lust is delightful. Lust feels the head with images of bliss. Lust promises ever-lasting happiness. Acting on lust is at best a crap shoot and at worst a disaster if lust is not also integrated with agape, philia, and erotic love.

Other One-Star Reviews


Most of my books and articles on Amazon have good reviews. Those that have received one-star reviews either go against the beliefs of the reviewers or against their expectations. Here is a sampling of my one-star reviews. My comments on the reviews follow. Amazon allows comments on reviews.

The Sex Education of Children


The review: This reviewer who identified herself as a grandmother said her grandchild likes the Kindle, but that she doesnt think this article is good to read with children. I cant quote directly because of copyright concerns. My comment: Did I say the article is geared toward children? That is your expectation, but not my goal. However, I think it would be great if children read it. I have been a sex educator for

almost 40 years. I studied human sexuality at the Catholic University of Louvain in Belgium. I have done research on healthy and unhealthy sexuality for almost 40 years. This review does not follow the minimum standard of first understanding the purpose of an article and then evaluating whether the author fulfilled the purpose. Then reviewers are free to give their assessments. This is yet another case where readers had an idea in their heads about what should be in an article. When the article does not met their expectations, click on one-star. What is sad about this is that young people rarely are prepared when they start thinking about becoming sexually active. The information in this article could help many people. The one-star review will influence many people to ignore the article. I could be sarcastic say how delighted I am that the grandchild enjoys the Kindle. Maybe the grandchild will buy and read the article. I hope granny doesnt check the childs Kindle.

What Child Sexual Abuse Means to Girl Survivors


The review: This reviewer expressed appreciation that the article will help in understanding a friend's pain. My comment: If the article was helpful, why the one-star review? When you give a one-star review, other people will not buy the article. They don't get information you think will be helpful to your friend. Note: The article is free on Amazon. The reviewer didnt pay for it.

Marly, a Bright Future if Only.


The review: This reviewer said the article is like a book report that a high school student would write. My comment: As the author, I am shocked at this one-star review and its dismissive brevity. It

took me many hours to gather the information from interviews and case records and more hours to think about it and write it up. The general public knows little about the lives of children like Marly. If the general public did, they may pressure politicians to develop more humane policies. I find this review to be narrow-minded and destructive to the well-being of children. I wish Amazon would set some standards for reviewers and take down any reviews that don't consider what the authors' purposes are and then the review does not cover whether authors fulfilled their purposes. How can anyone with a heart not have empathy for Marly and her situation?

The Thin Blue Line of Police Brutality and Other Essays on Violence
The review: The author is angry because I give one case of police brutality and then talk about rapists, woman abusers, and other sadists. (I also discussed a nanny alleged to have killed two young children, which he didnt mention.) He also said I must have gotten my Ph.D. from a diploma mill and that the set of essays is a sad commentary on education in the United States. My comment: This is a set of four essays. The purpose of the set of four essays is stated clearly. This is the purpose I stated to introduce the essays. "This document is a set of four essays that focus on why they do it. Why are police sometimes brutal? Why did a nanny kill two children in her care? Why do men rape and beat women? Why do men go on murderous rampages? This 30-page set of essays answers these questions by showing how beliefs about violence lead to violent acts." This reviewer doesn't seem to like the idea that beliefs lead people to commit violent acts. I think society needs to understand that widely-held beliefs can come together in some individuals to create a perfect storm that leads to horrific acts of violence. When the Boston Marathon bomber is brought to justice, he will fit the profile that is in each of these four essays. Furthermore, by showing similar patterns in four different kinds of violence, I make a case for the idea that there are identifiable patterns in what motivates people to be violent. The reviewer obviously has no idea how to see patterns in situations that on the surface seems different. It's annoying to me that a superficial review like this one will keep others from buying this set of essays. They contain important information.

Its Time for the Roman Catholic Church to Show the World What Penitence is
The review: This review says that the church did not protect thousands of molesters and that the Protestant churches have more molesters than the Catholics. According to the reviewer, this article is inflammatory, bigoted, and ignorant. My comment. A one-star review for this article is a high recommendation. That means that I could have upset someone who appears not to understand the gravity of the church's cover- ups. I hope I get more one-star reviews from people who don't get it. Read the most recent news articles--this time about the diocese of Los Angeles in February 2013. How many priests? How many cover-ups? How much damage? How much repentance? Still waiting for that. "The church has protected thousands of molesters." Yes, it has. For hundreds of years, the church has minimized and dismissed the effects of clergy abuse on children, teenagers, and adult parishioners. The church has protected its reputation at the expense and devastation of survivors. The church has taken advantages of blame the victims mentalities where survivors of clergy abuse are afraid to say anything for fear of being blamed. Many are. The church has taken advantage of a holy aura. Jesus denounced those who desecrated the temple. What would he say about those who desecrated and continue to desecrate the temple of the holy spirit and the holy spirit that is within? Clergy abuse damages the holy spirit. The church has a great opportunity to show the world what penitence is. Instead, the official church is showing perpetrators how to weasel out of accountability. How to be aggressive toward those who speak out about child sexual abuse. Most clergy are marvelous in their ministry and they show the penitence that the spokespeople (some bishops, cardinals, the pope) have not shown. I'm still waiting for the bishops to drop lawsuits against survivors. I'm waiting for them to open the windows as John the 23rd did, our little round pope who died too young.

A second, five-star review. This reviewer said he couldnt put the book down and its thought provoking. He recommends it. Discussion One-star reviews may sometimes be fitting. When they are, reviewers have shown that they understand the purposes of the article and find that authors have not done a good job of fulfilling the purposes. I hope that Amazon sets minimum standards for the reviews they post. Otherwise, information will be unavailable to people who will benefit. About the Author Jane F. Gilgun, Ph.D., LICSW, is a professor and writer. See Janes other articles on scribd.com and her articles, books, and childrens stories on Amazon, iBooks, Barnes & Noble, and other internet booksellers. She has about 75 scholarly publications and books. She has a Ph.D. from Syracuse University, an M.A. from the University of Chicago, an M.A. from the University of Rhode Island, a licentiate from the Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium, and a B.A. from the Catholic University of American, Washington, D.C. She has won two Excellence in Research Award from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, USA. She is the incoming president of the International Congress on Qualitative Inquiry and has lectured all over the United States, in the United Kingdom, Brazil, Thailand, Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. She has been a full professor at a research one university for 16 years.

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