Editorial: Dotcom - You are what you own?

Rotorua's public library owns two copies of Mein Kampf by Adolf Hitler.

I'm waiting for the big national news scoop about it. Admittedly it's unlikely to come, probably because it's perfectly normal for a public library to own copies of the book.

Just as it's perfectly normal for a World War II enthusiast to own a copy of the book.

But when that World War II enthusiast happens to be Kim Dotcom - and political mudslinging comes into play - it's all on. Some mainstream reporting of Dotcom's ownership of the rare signed copy has carried clear disapproving overtones - but that's nothing compared to strong allegations on the Whale Oil blog, which I won't repeat here.

Dotcom himself has strenuously denied he subscribes to Hitler's ideology. I don't know any better, and nor do you.

What I object to is the concept that if you own or read a book you necessarily agree with and buy in to what it says.

Here's what I wrote in a 2011 editorial about a controversial book on the Kahui twins.

"You might not agree with the concept or the origin of the book, but you don't have to read it ... Two points: 1) Shouldn't people be allowed to read it if they want to? 2) Just because they read it doesn't mean they buy in to what is being said. It's worth noting that our library stocks Mein Kampf (My Struggle) by Adolf Hitler, and no one's accusing them of condoning genocide."

There are clear political motivations at play, but perhaps most people are smart enough to see this story for what it is.

The result of yesterday's nzherald.co.nz online poll asking "How do you feel about Kim Dotcom owning Mein Kampf?" was quite telling. With more than 6500 votes, only one in 10 said it spoke poorly of him. One in five said it was a shrewd investment, and one in three said it didn't bother them.

That left nearly 40 per cent who felt the most important thing to point out was that they didn't like Dotcom before and they still don't like him now.