Censorship of Huck Finn

[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.

Why would anyone have a problem with not being "allowed" to say an ugly, hateful word?

Are you also angry that some gay people call themselves and others the "f word," but you can't say it (assuming you're not gay)?

[Anonymous]

if a word is ugly and hateful, then it should be that way regardless of who is using it. that is just common sense.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:if a word is ugly and hateful, then it should be that way regardless of who is using it. that is just common sense.

Even a child knows that the meaning of words change depending on who utters them.

[Anonymous]

Sorry. I posted the ginormous 'map of slavery' that was compiled by Edwin Hergesheimer of the US Coast Survey and is based on a census conducted in 1860. It only reflects the southern states. Smaller version here. http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/12/10/opinion/20101210_Disunion_SlaveryMap.html
Slavery is a fairly "modern" aspect of our nation's history, as in fairly close in time historically. Many slave holding families still reap the benefits of the practice and live in nearby states: Maryland, VA, NC.
I think we need to be sensitive to how a classroom full of teenagers react to repeated use of the "n" word during a discussion of serious literature. I think it is traumatizing and potentially humiliating to children of AA descent to have to endure this. For this reason, the book has been shunned by educators. If removing the offending word will encourage a younger generation to read it, then that would be a very good thing.

[Anonymous]

if we are ever going to move to a colorblind, multi-racial (or really, post-racial) society, then we cannot have certain rules for some groups but not for others. this is just common plain sense.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:if we are ever going to move to a colorblind, multi-racial (or really, post-racial) society, then we cannot have certain rules for some groups but not for others. this is just common plain sense.

Well, get the white people together and treat people with one set of rules, I am certain that minorities will come to the table with one language. Minorities have a right to deal with racisim in whatever way makes it tolerable, until it does not exist. It is childish of you to expect language reform in the absence of the tolerance that must precede it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sorry. I posted the ginormous 'map of slavery' that was compiled by Edwin Hergesheimer of the US Coast Survey and is based on a census conducted in 1860. It only reflects the southern states. Smaller version here. http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/12/10/opinion/20101210_Disunion_SlaveryMap.html
Slavery is a fairly "modern" aspect of our nation's history, as in fairly close in time historically. Many slave holding families still reap the benefits of the practice and live in nearby states: Maryland, VA, NC.
I think we need to be sensitive to how a classroom full of teenagers react to repeated use of the "n" word during a discussion of serious literature. I think it is traumatizing and potentially humiliating to children of AA descent to have to endure this. For this reason, the book has been shunned by educators. If removing the offending word will encourage a younger generation to read it, then that would be a very good thing.

Which of these states still have slaves? What do you mean by still reaping benefits?

[Anonymous]

My family surely owned slaves in Southern Maryland. Not sure it is still helping me today ....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sorry. I posted the ginormous 'map of slavery' that was compiled by Edwin Hergesheimer of the US Coast Survey and is based on a census conducted in 1860. It only reflects the southern states. Smaller version here. http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/12/10/opinion/20101210_Disunion_SlaveryMap.html
Slavery is a fairly "modern" aspect of our nation's history, as in fairly close in time historically. Many slave holding families still reap the benefits of the practice and live in nearby states: Maryland, VA, NC.
I think we need to be sensitive to how a classroom full of teenagers react to repeated use of the "n" word during a discussion of serious literature. I think it is traumatizing and potentially humiliating to children of AA descent to have to endure this. For this reason, the book has been shunned by educators. If removing the offending word will encourage a younger generation to read it, then that would be a very good thing.

Which of these states still have slaves? What do you mean by still reaping benefits?

Benefit continues to be conferred on the families and their descendants through economic dominance via land ownership and political power. My point really was, slavery is not "ancient history. And that there are direct descendants of it in many of our local classrooms of junior high and high school students. I only ask that you be mindful of repeated use of the "n" word on these descendants.

The effect of hearing that word uttered by whites on that population is traumatizing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sorry. I posted the ginormous 'map of slavery' that was compiled by Edwin Hergesheimer of the US Coast Survey and is based on a census conducted in 1860. It only reflects the southern states. Smaller version here. http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/12/10/opinion/20101210_Disunion_SlaveryMap.html
Slavery is a fairly "modern" aspect of our nation's history, as in fairly close in time historically. Many slave holding families still reap the benefits of the practice and live in nearby states: Maryland, VA, NC.
I think we need to be sensitive to how a classroom full of teenagers react to repeated use of the "n" word during a discussion of serious literature. I think it is traumatizing and potentially humiliating to children of AA descent to have to endure this. For this reason, the book has been shunned by educators. If removing the offending word will encourage a younger generation to read it, then that would be a very good thing.

Which of these states still have slaves? What do you mean by still reaping benefits?

Benefit continues to be conferred on the families and their descendants through economic dominance via land ownership and political power. My point really was, slavery is not "ancient history. And that there are direct descendants of it in many of our local classrooms of junior high and high school students. I only ask that you be mindful of repeated use of the "n" word on these descendants.

The effect of hearing that word uttered by whites on that population is traumatizing.

On what do you base your statement that all descendants of slaves are traumatized by using the "n" word? Have you spoken with every single descendant of a slaves?

[Anonymous]

18:21 had a good point, although he/she should have typed


"The effect of hearing that word uttered by whites on that population can be traumatizing."

And I would say perhaps not traumatizing, but certainly bothersome and hurtful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sorry. I posted the ginormous 'map of slavery' that was compiled by Edwin Hergesheimer of the US Coast Survey and is based on a census conducted in 1860. It only reflects the southern states. Smaller version here. http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/12/10/opinion/20101210_Disunion_SlaveryMap.html
Slavery is a fairly "modern" aspect of our nation's history, as in fairly close in time historically. Many slave holding families still reap the benefits of the practice and live in nearby states: Maryland, VA, NC.
I think we need to be sensitive to how a classroom full of teenagers react to repeated use of the "n" word during a discussion of serious literature. I think it is traumatizing and potentially humiliating to children of AA descent to have to endure this. For this reason, the book has been shunned by educators. If removing the offending word will encourage a younger generation to read it, then that would be a very good thing.

Which of these states still have slaves? What do you mean by still reaping benefits?

Benefit continues to be conferred on the families and their descendants through economic dominance via land ownership and political power. My point really was, slavery is not "ancient history. And that there are direct descendants of it in many of our local classrooms of junior high and high school students. I only ask that you be mindful of repeated use of the "n" word on these descendants.

The effect of hearing that word uttered by whites on that population is traumatizing.

On what do you base your statement that all descendants of slaves are traumatized by using the "n" word? Have you spoken with every single descendant of a slaves?

It is pointless to discuss this with someone so literal and obtuse. You are an insensitive person and apparently you don't care how deeply your words hurt.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:18:21 had a good point, although he/she should have typed


"The effect of hearing that word uttered by whites on that population can be traumatizing."

And I would say perhaps not traumatizing, but certainly bothersome and hurtful.

Agree. I typed those words and perhaps hit submit too quickly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sorry. I posted the ginormous 'map of slavery' that was compiled by Edwin Hergesheimer of the US Coast Survey and is based on a census conducted in 1860. It only reflects the southern states. Smaller version here. http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/12/10/opinion/20101210_Disunion_SlaveryMap.html
Slavery is a fairly "modern" aspect of our nation's history, as in fairly close in time historically. Many slave holding families still reap the benefits of the practice and live in nearby states: Maryland, VA, NC.
I think we need to be sensitive to how a classroom full of teenagers react to repeated use of the "n" word during a discussion of serious literature. I think it is traumatizing and potentially humiliating to children of AA descent to have to endure this. For this reason, the book has been shunned by educators. If removing the offending word will encourage a younger generation to read it, then that would be a very good thing.

Which of these states still have slaves? What do you mean by still reaping benefits?

Benefit continues to be conferred on the families and their descendants through economic dominance via land ownership and political power. My point really was, slavery is not "ancient history. And that there are direct descendants of it in many of our local classrooms of junior high and high school students. I only ask that you be mindful of repeated use of the "n" word on these descendants.

The effect of hearing that word uttered by whites on that population is traumatizing.

On what do you base your statement that all descendants of slaves are traumatized by using the "n" word? Have you spoken with every single descendant of a slaves?

You are being deliberately ignorant. Not EVERY one has to feel hurt by the n word in order for her point to make sense. You KNOW this.

[Anonymous]

The book is not written in modern English, so why do you use modern English to judge it. It was written more than 100 years ago and so the language we speak today has changed from what was spoken then.
Nobody then had heard of political correctness, or even knew why somebody would want to replace a word like a chairman with a 'chairperson'. Those were just tough times and that was it. After all, the red man was annihilated, but the word holocoust was invented for another time.
It is a great book if you want to travel back in time, understand how simple people were. The native Americans had to wait until 1924 to be declared human. American colonialists bought slaves from Africa and kept the trade alive. Do not for a moment think those times were pretty