Political Correctness strikes again

[scattered_grass]

http://www.witn.com/home/headlines/N...112908649.html

New Edition Removes Mark Twain's "Offensive" Words
A new edition of Mark Twain's "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" and "Tom Sawyer" plans to replace the N-word with "slave" in an effort not to offend readers.

A new edition of Mark Twain's "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" and "Tom Sawyer" plans to replace the N-word with "slave" in an effort not to offend readers.

Twain scholar Alan Gribben is working with NewSouth Books in Alabama to publish a combined volume of the books in February. He says the N-word appears 219 times in "Huck Finn" and four times in "Tom Sawyer."

Gribben says he has used "slave" instead of the N-word at public readings and found audiences to be more accepting.

Other Twain scholars blasted his decision and Gribben has received a flood of hateful e-mail accusing him of desecrating the novels.

Twain scholar Stephen Railton, a University of Virginia professor, said Gribben was well respected, but called the new version a terrible idea.

Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

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What makes classic literature great is the context of the times in which it is written. Hemmingway said something to the effect that all great modern writing was rooted in the book Tom Sawyer. So much for respecting greatness.

[worldcat lemon]

Who was it that said "unless we understand our past we are bound to repeat it"?

I read an old book in college written by a black author that gave me a look into black culture and it was called "Die Nigger Die". I learned a tremendous amount about black culture and the struggles post slavery.

I would never, ever, call a black individual the N word as it has the connotation of treating another human being as a lesser individual, but the root word "niger" means the color black. And well, black people are black so that's where it started.

If we continue on this pansified struggle to be politically correct we will have to re-write practically every important historical document we hold to have value. IMO people are becoming to ridiculously "sensitive". We need to get a little thicker skin and stop this before we can no longer tell people what we think, because it might be offensive. It will lead to pretentious, fake, lying bunch of weak kneed flippin pansy people. I would rather hear what someone really thinks so I know where they stand, whether I agree or not. At least take a stand for something and have the guts to say "this is where I stand, like it or not". Can you imagine if John Wayne was politically correct, how would the outlaws respond to that? Can you hear John Wayne say "well, I hope it doesn't offend you that I tell you that you are trespassing on my land, and I respect your right to feed your cattle, but would it be too much to ask if you kindly move your cattle....when you feel up to it? Or I'm afraid I will be forced to shue them away." Heck no! The West wasn't settled by political correctness, but by men and women who stood up to what was wrong and told it like it was! And there is a black and white right or wrong, I don't care what any weak kneed fruitcake has to say!!!!!!!!!!!!