Censorship of Huck Finn

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

jsteele wrote:I wonder if Dick Gregory should rename his autobiography "Slave"?

Because there's no difference in context between the two. I'm not saying changing the word in Twain is right-- but I can see an argument for it considering a lot of kids read it in high school.

A lot of kids read it before high school-I did and it didn't traumatize me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hail to the Redskins ...
Changing their name, I support.
I don't think it makes sense to remove the N word from Huckleberry Finn. Does anyone know how the publisher deals with the change? In the forward?

Isn't it inconsistent to believe that "nigger" ought to remain in the book, but that it can't even be written in quotes in an adult discussion about that very word?

I'm torn -- I think we lose part of the book's value as a record of the time, but I also think that the emotional impact of the word in today's society distracts from and distorts the book.

Well you wrote it and no one criticized you. Some of us choose not to utter the word for personal reasons, not because of pressure from others. There is nothing wrong with that.

[Anonymous]

I wish the people who talk about PC would take a look in the mirror. Conservatives want to restrict books all the time. They call it "decency", but that can include practically anything.

Here is the list of the most frequently challenged books in the last decade. You can read the methodology in a related link, but it is pretty good.

#1? Harry Potter (promotes witchcraft).

http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/banned/frequentlychallenged/challengedbydecade/2000_2009/index.cfm

Here is the list from the '90's. Maya Angelou made #3 for I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. WTF?

http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/banned/frequentlychallenged/challengedbydecade/1990_1999/index.cfm

[Anonymous]

They have every right to hack up a classic and I have every right to find that offensive and not buy it. I don't buy music that's been edited either. It's kind of like saying to the artist "Yeah, it's good enough to buy, but I need to make a few changes that suit me better". If you don't like it all, then don't buy it. Don't whine about it.

I don't think libraries will replace the old one with the edited version. There are laws that govern that process.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hail to the Redskins ...
Changing their name, I support.
I don't think it makes sense to remove the N word from Huckleberry Finn. Does anyone know how the publisher deals with the change? In the forward?

Isn't it inconsistent to believe that "nigger" ought to remain in the book, but that it can't even be written in quotes in an adult discussion about that very word?

I'm torn -- I think we lose part of the book's value as a record of the time, but I also think that the emotional impact of the word in today's society distracts from and distorts the book.

Well you wrote it and no one criticized you. Some of us choose not to utter the word for personal reasons, not because of pressure from others. There is nothing wrong with that.

You're right; I apologize if I sounded critical or patronizing about "the N word". You have as much right to choose that locution as I have to avoid it. Note that I merely asked a question, and I accept your answer.

Anyhow, my main point was that I see arguments on both sides.

[Anonymous]

I am a bleeding heart liberal and I do NOT think we should, pardon the phrase, "whitewash" literature. It's important that future generations see the evolution of American race perceptions and relations. Fir example, as a feminist, I read the Bible, or Charles Dickens, or Greek myths, and pick apart the images of woman - and the language used to refer to her. Classic literature should be left alone to stand on its merits and its prejudices. To do anything else is to hide our history of racism and does not help people understand the road we've traveled to get where we are today.

If anything a famous black intellectual or author should do an introduction to the book discussing its worldview, use of the N word, etc.


The NAACP should be all over this, objecting to this bowlderization. We white folks shouldn't get to hide our ugly past.

[Anonymous]

the N word drives me crazy. I hear that word every day, because I listen to rap music and watch comedy. But it is ok for them so say it, supposedly, because they are african-americans. but where is the accepting line? do you have to be 50% black to be allowed to say it? 25% black? Can Halle Berry not say it but Derek Jeter can?

To me, its just ludicrous. Either the word is offensive or it is not. In a multiracial society where most will soon have traces of different ethnicities, we can't have such a silly litmus test as to who can use what words.

As for Mark Twain, I actually am ok with the chance and liken it more to a 21st century translation.

[Anonymous]

One knows if it is OK for one to say it, or not- yes, if one is black (enough). Don't be stupid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:the N word drives me crazy. I hear that word every day, because I listen to rap music and watch comedy. But it is ok for them so say it, supposedly, because they are african-americans. but where is the accepting line? do you have to be 50% black to be allowed to say it? 25% black? Can Halle Berry not say it but Derek Jeter can?

To me, its just ludicrous. Either the word is offensive or it is not. In a multiracial society where most will soon have traces of different ethnicities, we can't have such a silly litmus test as to who can use what words.

As for Mark Twain, I actually am ok with the chance and liken it more to a 21st century translation.

Do you really not understand why it is more "okay" for a black person to say the N word than for a white person to say it? I do not think anyone should be saying it, but if you know anything about black history in America, you'd understand why things are the way they are.

You seem very bothered by the word. I do not like it and I very rarely hear it. You can buy the censored version of rap songs to limit your exposure to the word. Actually, upon rereading your post, it doesn't seem that your issue is that you don't like the word. It seems your problem with it is that black people are "allowed" to say it but white people are not. Calm down. I manage to have a very rich life and am able to express myself fully without ever saying the N word.

I do not think the word should be censored in Huck Finn, BTW.

[Anonymous]

Actually, the Black establishment has asked Black rap singers and standup comics to stop using the N word, so ...
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/15922551/ns/today-entertainment/

[Anonymous]

exactly. the word itself doesn't bother me at all. I grew up listening to NWA so the word is a big part of my vocabulary.

the problem is that some are allowed to say it freely, when others would get fired or in big trouble for using the exact same word. that, to me, is ridiculous.

and what exactly is "black" anyways? is there a Jim Crow test we can use that tells me who is black and who is not? is it 3/4 grandparents?

just a silly thing. either a word is bad for everyone or it is not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:exactly. the word itself doesn't bother me at all. I grew up listening to NWA so the word is a big part of my vocabulary.

the problem is that some are allowed to say it freely, when others would get fired or in big trouble for using the exact same word. that, to me, is ridiculous.

and what exactly is "black" anyways? is there a Jim Crow test we can use that tells me who is black and who is not? is it 3/4 grandparents?

just a silly thing. either a word is bad for everyone or it is not.

This I do not agree with. People who have been targeted with racial or social epithets often coopt them in order to take away their power. That is why they get to use them and well-intentioned people who are not part of that group should not.

As for your question about what is black, it is not determined by some genetic ratio, as you suggest. It is a matter of how you identify yourself and how others identify you. I know people who consider themselves multiracial and others who consider themselves black, even though they have a similar ancestry. And I know people who are given the label by others, whether they like it or not, but the fact is that is how society treats them. Yes, you have to have some African ancestry, so don't pull a Malibu's Most Wanted hypothetical.

[Anonymous]

Imagine when they get to De Sade. 120 Days will become a 7 page pamphlet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:exactly. the word itself doesn't bother me at all. I grew up listening to NWA so the word is a big part of my vocabulary.

the problem is that some are allowed to say it freely, when others would get fired or in big trouble for using the exact same word. that, to me, is ridiculous.

and what exactly is "black" anyways? is there a Jim Crow test we can use that tells me who is black and who is not? is it 3/4 grandparents?

just a silly thing. either a word is bad for everyone or it is not.

Again, you are being intentionally dense. You know exactly why some people can use it and others can't. You know who is black or considers themselves black enough to use it. All you have to worry about is YOU. Apparently you are too white to use it. That's all you need to know.

[Anonymous]

The word bi-racial has been invented for those that do not want to say they are xxxx?