This issue rears its stubborn head every few years and I don't have much to say about it other than we all know the word. I read Huckleberry Finn when I was 11 years old and even though I was not the most enlightened youth I knew instinctively what Mark Twain was trying to do. I was more shocked by the way Jim was treated than by the word used to describe him - if you read the book you will know Jim and the word. And if you haven't read it - it's time you did.
If the new publisher of this book thinks they are "protecting" the youth of today from being exposed to the ugly truth that history reveals they better think twice. There are millions of copies of this book in print that are not going anywhere. And with the advent of new technology anyone can download the original version in mere seconds like I just did.
I suppose if this new version makes the book accessible to more young readers then perhaps it is not all bad. I personally think most readers can handle the fact that the book was written in another time and dialect. It has been said that there is no such thing as bad publicity so ultimately this recurring controversy only serves to promote more interest in this book which has been in circulation for over 100 years.
Mark Twain was no fool. He once said "Never let your schooling interfere with your education." I think any schools that choose to teach from the new expurgated version will be guilty of doing just that. I listened to a live radio show recently where they discussed this issue and took listeners calls. There were many comments but the best one was from a 10 year old girl who said she felt she should be allowed to read the book in the same way her father and grandfather did. Smart girl...
And now just to bring the matter up to date - here is another little digital donut for ya. You remember Dire Straits song "Money for Nothin'" don't you? It was a huge hit on radio and MTV and has become a mainstay of popular music. Well, the CBSC (Canadian Broadcast Standards Council) has just seen fit to ban this song from the Canadian airwaves due to the inclusion of an offensive word. I won't tell you what the word is - if you don't know you can find out for yourself. But not on the radio. Maybe they should just have the offensive word changed to "clampett" like Weird Al did in his satirical version which can be seen in the video below. Enjoy - and y'all come back now, hear?
