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The
N-word belongs in "Huckleberry Finn"
The new censored version of the
classic book is a cowardly
attempt by Americans to avoid their own tortured history
The Internet is on fire today with
the news that the American classic "Huckleberry Finn" is being
edited to censor the word "nigger." In order to make the book more
palatable for a wider audience,
Twain scholar Alan Gribben spearheaded the project to neuter one of the
greatest pieces of American
literature ever written. Many have cried censorship in the name of
political correctness.
But this isn't a case of political correctness. This is a case of being
racially uncomfortable.
The idea that the book would be used if it didn't contain the word
"nigger" is preposterous. The book,
which deals directly with racism, is not better served by erasing the
racial slur. The only purpose is
to ease the tension that is felt by parents and teachers of students
who would read it. To pretend this
is for some higher good is to insult the intelligence of the American
public. America is a society in
which our ugly history is not so far gone as to allow for cold,
detached analysis. Because of the
mistreatment of everyone who wasn't/isn't white, straight and male,
America is constantly defending
itself instead of dealing head-on with the wrongs that it willingly
played a role in.
Our society has a problem speaking truth about our attitudes toward
race. When the book "Game Change,"
for example, included comments by Harry Reid saying that Obama could
win the presidency because he
was a "light-skinned Negro with no negro dialect unless he chose to
have one," many people had a
conniption because you're just not allowed to "say" that. Was it true?
Absolutely. Scientific studies
have proven a bias -- among blacks and whites -- against dark-skinned
people, but for a politician
to state a truth about America
and race was unacceptable. Because our
incredibly immature mind-set
can't acknowledge fact without fear of reprisal.
Gee, that reminds me AGAIN of
Bill Clinton in 2008 in Carolina.
But let's not go there today.
I
think the N-word belongs in the Huck Finn book because that's how it
was written.
If it shocks people reading it today (it should) kids need to be
educated that the N-word
was once acceptable but we've since learned that Blacks can be surgeons
and astronauts
and presidents and every
other tough job in the world so the distinction no longer applies.
Dragging the past out into the light is good for America.
I'm
reminded of Bugs Bunny with "slanted eyes" doing anti-Japanese cartoons
in WWII.
Should those toons be on Saturday mornings for kids to see? No.
But they shouldn't be hidden because it was patriotic to hate and mock Japan
in WWII.
Remember
the Three Stooges doing anti-Hitler skits in WWII?
Granted, no racism there, but there WAS racism on the German side.
I'm also reminded of a song racist Charlie Daniels sings,
"Long Haired Country Boy,"
where he changed the lyrics from, "But I will take
another toke," to "I will tell
another joke,"
which makes no sense in the song but Charlie's a Obama-hating asshole
now, so fuck him.
Let's not hide from our past. Let's learn from it.