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Huck Finn New Censorship

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jimipatterson

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http://www.cnn.com/2011/SHOWBIZ/01/04/new.huck.finn.ew/index.html

They're removing the "n" word to teach in school.

What do you think?

I believe compromising Mark Twain's original vision in the interest of meeting public education regulatory standards is wrong.

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The source of the problem seems to be that schools won't allow books with lots of uses of words like "nigger" and "injun". It is a bit ironic that schools do this, because Huck Finn is a good book to teach about racist attitudes.

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Since the owners of the copyright are doing it, it isn't censorship.

It is, however, faking reality by presenting classic works of excellent literature which accurately portray attitudes and beliefs of the time and making them more culturally palatable for today's hypersensitive whim worshipers who believe they have the right not to be offended.

And that faking of reality makes it an immoral act - one which sadly, they are free to perform.

But I will be sure to get extra copies of the originals. Han shot first, Elliot and ET were threatened with guns, and Jim was called a nigger.

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Since the owners of the copyright are doing it, it isn't censorship.

Copyright? He died in 1910, not one original word of his can possibly still be under copyright. It will be the modified version that can be copyrighted.

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Copyright? He died in 1910, not one original word of his can possibly still be under copyright. It will be the modified version that can be copyrighted.

Are you sure? Tolkein's heirs hold the copyright for his works to this day... couldn't someone have held copyright to Twain's too?

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Since the owners of the copyright are doing it, it isn't censorship.

It is, however, faking reality by presenting classic works of excellent literature which accurately portray attitudes and beliefs of the time and making them more culturally palatable for today's hypersensitive whim worshipers who believe they have the right not to be offended.

And that faking of reality makes it an immoral act - one which sadly, they are free to perform.

But I will be sure to get extra copies of the originals. Han shot first, Elliot and ET were threatened with guns, and Jim was called a nigger.

It isn't faking reality when you publish an edited book and tell everyone precisely what editing you have done.

And it is not "hypersensitive whim worshipping" to be offended by racist, hateful slurs. Ayn Rand challenges people who made lesser remarks about Jews, since she was a Jew. Was she being a "hypersensitive whim worshipper?" And people do have the right to be offended, it is one of the multiplicity of rights that people have.

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And it is not "hypersensitive whim worshipping" to be offended by racist, hateful slurs.
True, but a word itself is not a slur. It is the meaning that is the slur, and that is to be found from usage. If I say "do not use the word 'nigger' ", that ought not be offensive, even though I used the word "nigger". That's because I'm not actually calling anyone a nigger.Even if one calls someone a nigger, it may or may not be offensive. These days, some friends people use the term amongst themselves almost as a mockery of the original use.

When used in a book, there is no reason to be offended by use of the term "nigger" unless it is used in the author's voice and in a way where the author is not using it as a device but actually as a slur. In Huck Finn, the author is trying to depict racist attitudes among blacks and whites of a particular era. He does not need to use a term like "nigger" simply to show authentic dialog; he also has to show some of his characters thinking in terms of the word.

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It isn't faking reality when you publish an edited book and tell everyone precisely what editing you have done.

Do you really think that the schools will tell people that this is the Nigger Free version of Huckleberry Finn, then?

And it is not "hypersensitive whim worshipping" to be offended by racist, hateful slurs. Ayn Rand challenges people who made lesser remarks about Jews, since she was a Jew. Was she being a "hypersensitive whim worshipper?" And people do have the right to be offended, it is one of the multiplicity of rights that people have.

It's whim worshiping to expect that not wanting to hear those terms and editing a book to reflect that desire will change history.

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If I say "do not use the word 'nigger' ", that ought not be offensive, even though I used the word "nigger". That's because I'm not actually calling anyone a nigger.

More precisely, in your example you referred to the word "nigger" but you did not use the word.

John Link

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Nowadays only niggers call niggers niggers.

I always feel uncomfortable when hear the sort of speech to which you refer. It also reminds me of visits in the 60s by my cousins from the south side of Chicago who would tell me stories that would start off with "You know what the niggers in our school did last week?".

John Link

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Do you really think that the schools will tell people that this is the Nigger Free version of Huckleberry Finn, then?

The book ITSELF makes this point very clear. Yes, if you don't read the book, you won't know that.

It's whim worshiping to expect that not wanting to hear those terms and editing a book to reflect that desire will change history.

No one said that this will change history, it merely takes into account the feelings of a large number of people offended by the use of this vile word. It stirps no one of the right to read the other edition. There is no force involved in offering another choice.

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The book ITSELF makes this point very clear. Yes, if you don't read the book, you won't know that.

Citation needed. Does the book really say "we removed the word nigger and replaced it with slave"? Or does it say "edited for objectionable content" or some other meaningless phrase?

And I have no intention of reading a book which is a corruption of the original author's intent anymore than I would read a version of Atlas Shrugged that replaced the words looter and moocher with "social advocate" and "people down on their luck". The author may not own the copyright anymore - but that doesn't mean it isn't still the work of Samuel Clemens.

No one said that this will change history, it merely takes into account the feelings of a large number of people offended by the use of this vile word. It stirps no one of the right to read the other edition. There is no force involved in offering another choice.

The book fakes the reality of what the author intended and in doing so *presents* history as being other than it was.

And who said anything about force? Don't inject straw men.

Edited by Greebo
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I always feel uncomfortable when hear the sort of speech to which you refer. It also reminds me of visits in the 60s by my cousins from the south side of Chicago who would tell me stories that would start off with "You know what the niggers in our school did last week?".

John Link

We can't deal with "the N word" unless we note who is using it: almost all blacks and virtually NO whites. We also have to note who is racist today: the overwhelming majority of blacks and close to NO whites. :nuke:

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