Elon James White: The N-Word Belongs in "Huckleberry Finn"
[Elon James White is the editor-in-chief at This Week in Blackness.]
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....
Read entire article at Salon
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....