ridiculous

entirely too PC for my liking

Insulting to the author... proof that any written word can be edited after the fact *coughbiblecough*

It's stupid and dumb and lame, and children reading the 'fixed' version will also be these things.

I am all divided on this. Because many people are unable to think critically, their reaction to the N-word is banning it even in historical

works, so the book has been driven out of schools. I guess, editing it to get it back in schools could be worthwhile, though slave is

an inaccurate and misleading substitution. Not that I have a better one. However, it's bad teaching and bad history. Children are capable of

discerning the different values of the past and present. Moreover, the transformation of understanding that HF goes through is going to be

diminished by sanitizing his words. His discovery of Jim's humanity is so powerful because of his use of that word.

Thank you Cajsa... Youre hired!

remember the talk after 9/11 of going back and editing pre-9/11 movies to take out the towers?

I don't want to think that we're a nation of people wearing blinders.

so what you're saying is, the word should be restored to the book? that after 100+ years we are smart enough to realize that the word

but we are Blanche we ARE in that chair

nigger used in original text and used for purposes of example such as I'm doing now is not meant to degrade? yeah I agree yet I see so many

"N-words" being hurled out here so it tells me that we are all still not really ready. we may all be intelligent but still too scared.

Lets be clear about this: One publisher is putting out one edition of Huck Finn/Tom Sawyer (combined in one volume)

And the premise behind this is that schools *today* are dropping the book from their reading lists

So should the debate be about publishing the edition? should it be about the school reading lists?

oh well in that case what's all the hub bub bub? why the big deal?

yes that's what it is

reading somewhere that it is the 4th most often banned book in schools, or something

yet I remember kids reading it when I was in school. not sure what the trending is on banning from then til now

(I also read that it was banned when it first came out for not being racist enough)

thinking about how last year, Tina Fey was awarded the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor

in her acceptance speech, she said:

"I hope that, like Mark Twain, 100 years from now, people will see my work and say, 'Wow, that is actually pretty racist.'"

at first thought - it's ridiculous, let's not sanitise, too PC and whatever. Then someone pointed out the fact that Huck Finn is taught

in schools. And how awful it would be if you were an african american child and your teacher stood at the front of the room and

taught with the word "nigger" again and again. That would be terrible I think, and were that my situation I would HATE to see my kids

my kids go through that.

Heck I was offended when they didn't read the three fifths clause in the Constitution when the politicians read it the other week.

Not because I believe someone is 3/5th of a person but because it is part of our contitition. It was later superseeded by the 13th and 14th

sorry for my spelling, been here at work way to long.

I was upset also they didn't read the enacting of prohibition ammendment either.

I think it's entirely inappropriate to change history like that. That's why the bible is such a mess. It is what it is. I am utterly sick

of bleeding hearts trying to sanitise humanity's brutal history. People need to KNOW what we do to each other.

apparently this was brought about by one guy who is a Twain scholar who realised that Twain wasn't being taught in schools because of the

n-word so he released an alternate version to be taught alongside the original. I'm trying to get a source.

but I wonder if this will set a precedent to sanitise other books the same way? not that it doesn't happen already.

Also, it's not just the n-word

they are also changing 'injun'

www.aum.edu/profile_ekti... it's this guy according to my hubby

www.newsouthbooks.com/tw... this is the actual foreword in the new version of the book

I don't like it either, but at least this way people might still read it. He is an important historical figure, after all.

The question is: Does reading a 'cleansed' version where the cleansing damages the author's meaning really benefit the readers?

also, why change Twain's books, when the offensive words are still very much in use in common vernacular? media, music, movies, television.

when popular radio talkshow hosts feel free to repeat it over and over again on their show to prove a "free speech" point?