Censorship of Huck Finn

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: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

I don't think that many posters actually want the word stricken from the book. Most posters, when actually talking about the book itself, were negative on the edits or neutral on it because other versions will always exist.

Most of the current discussion is about the N word itself and its modern usage an meaning. The last few pages have been someone whining about why they aren't allowed to say it when black people get to. To that person I say: because your great uncle wasn't strung up in a tree or dragged behind a truck until he died, dumbass. That's the reason black people get to use it any damn way they want and you don't.

[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 used the word and (maybe) posted the picture of the cover of Cleaver book, for shock value. (If that was you) Of course you have the right to say the word to whomever you like--but I bet you don't because it is not the same when a white person says it. I know this and choose to be respectful of the word and it's nuanced meaning.

[Anonymous]

Those were two different posters. You can tell because one of them was logged in with a nifty screen name and everything.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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 used the word and (maybe) posted the picture of the cover of Cleaver book, for shock value. (If that was you) Of course you have the right to say the word to whomever you like--but I bet you don't because it is not the same when a white person says it. I know this and choose to be respectful of the word and it's nuanced meaning.

You had me confused about the book, since Eldridge Cleaver's book was "Soul on Ice". I was Dick Gregory's book whose cover Jeff posted. I was the one you referred to as using the word, but I disagree with your description. Writing "hammer" is not using a hammer, just referring to one, just as I referred to the word. I do not use the word any more than you do, although I might refer to it in conversation with a friend if it were relevant. But I admit that I would be careful doing so, since quotation marks are not as obvious in speech.

[Anonymous]

I just posted "I was Dick Gregory's book". I usually figure that typos are not worth commenting on, but in case this one is confusing, it was supposed to be "It was ...".

[Anonymous]

FWIW, here -- http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/08/opinion/08kirsch.html?hp -- is a senior editor of New Republic, Adam Kirsch, writing in the NY Times, writing the word in quotes, just as I di above. It is standard journalistic and grammatical usage. I can similarly write "." if I wish to refer to the symbol that ends a sentence without thereby ending the sentence. If the sentence can recognie the meaning of the quotes, surely we can do so.

Sorry for posting three in a row; I'll shut up for a while.

[Anonymous]

have to agree to disagree. I will never accept that there can be a word that is shockingly offensive when used by a person of one ethnic origin, and completely acceptable when used by persons of a different ethnic origin. if the later wants the former to not use the word (and face consequences when they do), then they have to get rid of the double standard. silly to take offense otherwise. reminds me of the debate about tarantino when he used the word in pulp fiction - a white filmaker using the N word.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:have to agree to disagree. I will never accept that there can be a word that is shockingly offensive when used by a person of one ethnic origin, and completely acceptable when used by persons of a different ethnic origin. if the later wants the former to not use the word (and face consequences when they do), then they have to get rid of the double standard. silly to take offense otherwise. reminds me of the debate about tarantino when he used the word in pulp fiction - a white filmaker using the N word.

Tellya what:

You get rid of double standards in dating, hiring, business transactions. and treatment by police. When you are finished, write back and I will take care of the double standard in language.

Seriously, do have some nerve to whine about a double standard over a single word, to a bunch of people who deal with real discrimination in their everyday lives.

As for Tarantino, it's not that an artist can't put the word in a character's mouth, but he uses it all the damn time. Did you see Jackie Brown? I mean, come on! He must have used it forty times in that film. Even so, most posters are not up in arms about Tarantino using it, nor are they up in arms about Mark Twain using it, in a work of fiction. They have a problem with white people using it in every day life, other than for the purposes of discussing the term itself.

But if you feel that strongly, try working it into a sentence at work. See how it goes.

And drop the double standard thing. It pales in comparison to actual racism.

[Anonymous]

true, we need to drop the double standard where AA police get promoted over whites because of their race, and AA job candidates get hired over whites because of their race. Good points. this racism thing is out of control! for a second I forgot our president is black, 2 of the last 3 secretary of states were black, etc. great logic, thanks for the contribution.

[Anonymous]

I would advise others in the thread to stop responding to 23:39/"why can't I say the n-word?!?!."

I don't think he/she is looking for discussion.

[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.

There will never be a colorblind or post-racial society in the US. Calline whites "honkeys", "the man," "
Whitry" and these are used in dergatory manner yet we are supposed to accept this? Double standard.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

There will never be a colorblind or post-racial society in the US. Calline whites "honkeys", "the man," "
Whitry" and these are used in dergatory manner yet we are supposed to accept this? Double standard.

DCUM spelling police, sorry about, actually, I'm not at all sorry, but I know there are misspelled words.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

There will never be a colorblind or post-racial society in the US. Calline whites "honkeys", "the man," "
Whitry" and these are used in dergatory manner yet we are supposed to accept this? Double standard.

I'm not saying this to be rude or snarky, but I don't get the point of your post. I don't think anyone in here has stated that racial slurs are only okay if they're directed at white people, but if I missed it, please point me to the post.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

There will never be a colorblind or post-racial society in the US. Calline whites "honkeys", "the man," "
Whitry" and these are used in dergatory manner yet we are supposed to accept this? Double standard.

Honkey, that's what makes your children feel belittled? When kids circle around them at the playground and call them honkey? Do you have vivid memories of how it scarred you when you were first called that?

A. No one calls white people honkey except on the Jeffersons, and that show was canceled decades ago. So get out the "Mission Accomplished" banner. Your workplace is safe again.
B. You trivialize this whole discussion with such moronic comparisons.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:true, we need to drop the double standard where AA police get promoted over whites because of their race, and AA job candidates get hired over whites because of their race. Good points. this racism thing is out of control! for a second I forgot our president is black, 2 of the last 3 secretary of states were black, etc. great logic, thanks for the contribution.

Honkey.