Even Augustus Gloop ain't safe (Dahl being censored)

PlacidCasual said:
Irony alert Canadian “progressives” had a flame cleansing of ”problematic” books not so long ago. Honestly the social liberals are becoming as intolerant as the old school reactionaries they railed against.

The first unpaywalled Google return on the book burning.
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A book burning held by an Ontario francophone school board as an act of reconciliation with Indigenous people has received sharp condemnation from Canadian political leaders and the board itself now says it regrets its symbolic gesture.

The “flame purification” ceremony, first reported by Radio Canada, was held in 2019 by the Conseil scolaire catholique Providence, which oversees elementary and secondary schools in southwestern Ontario. Some 30 books, the national broadcaster reported, were burned for “educational purposes” and then the ashes were used as fertilizer to plant a tree.

“We bury the ashes of racism, discrimination and stereotypes in the hope that we will grow up in an inclusive country where all can live in prosperity and security,” says a video prepared for students about the book burning, Radio Canada reported.
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PlacidCasual said:
Sensitivity readers, the consequence of enlarging universities humanties departments and no useful role for them to fill upon graduation so they get employed to bugger up more talented peoples work with the indoctrination they picked up at university.
It's a good wheeze from the grievance industries it creates jobs for otherwise unemployable activist types.

I quite like Spiked here's another story on the matter of sensitivity readers.
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In Victoran times, the fourth son of a well to do family often went into the church.

That option is no longer available...
 
robfosters said:
Rishi has weighed in on it now, as has Salman Rushdie and Philip Pullman

www.bbc.co.uk

Roald Dahl: Rishi Sunak joins criticism of changes to author's books

A debate rages over changes to references to characters' appearance and weight in the author's works.
www.bbc.co.uk
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As has Nicola Sturgeon.

www.thenational.scot

Nicola Sturgeon shares warning over rewriting of Roald Dahl books

NICOLA Sturgeon has shared a warning over the rewriting of parts of Roald Dahl's books deemed too offensive for publication.
www.thenational.scot www.thenational.scot
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imtoooldforthis said:
So not that different to decades ago when one of his books was rewritten to make oompah loompas orange rather than african slaves ?

Edit: out of interest was there any uproar back in the 60s when this happened or was it simply a case of no one knowing due to a lack of a centralised hub (the internet) for faux outrage ?
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No, infact it was the other way round, according the link posted earlier there was heavy public pressure to change it. Which is entirely different to what happened this time round where the changes came from within to out
 
is that rhetorical

Which movies on Sky have been given a disclaimer?​

Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)

The only non-white character in the film Mr Yunioshi is played by white actor Mickey Rooney. Pretending to be a Japanese man, he wears fake teeth and puts on a Japanese accent.

The Jungle Book (1967 and 2016 live-action remake)

There have been suggestions the character of orangutang King Louie, which did not feature in Rudyard Kipling's original novel, implied inequality between African Americans and Caucasians. It has also been claimed the character's portrayal is based on what white people thought about black people at the time, such as his poorer linguistic skills and him wanting to be 'like the other men'.

Aladdin (1992)

Critics have expressed concerns over the story's use of Orientalist stereotypes, while casting decisions also came under scrutiny, with Aladdin, Princess Jasmine and the genie played by white actors in the animation.

The Goonies (1985)

The portrayal of Clever Data, a gadget freak who helps the boys in situations, speaks in a stereotypically Asian accent.

Dumbo (1941)

Dumbo has been accused of containing racist stereotypes of African Americans at the time in the form of black crows, who use jive-like speech patterns. The main bird is even named Jim Crow, a nod to the racist segregationist Jim Crow laws of the time, and is voiced by a white actor.

Aliens (1986)

The film has been accused of 'hi-tech racism and android apartheid' due to the way in which humans in the film deal with the presence of 'other'. It has been suggested the character of Ripley, played by Sigourney Weaver, treated them with fear and suspicion.

Trading Places (1983)

The film was littered with controversies, including Dan Akroyd wearing blackface, continuous stereotyping of black people and women and frequent use of the 'n-word' throughout the movie.

Flash Gordon (1980)

The film's antagonist, Ming the Merciless, played by Max von Sydow, is viewed as a classic example of 'Yellow Peril' xenophobia.

Gone With The Wind (1939)

Gone With The Wind has been criticised for romanticising slavery and glosses over the horrors of slavery. The film also features the 'n-word' throughout, which was used in the book.

Lawrence of Arabia (1962)

Some criticised the film for feeding on racial stereotypes and on Western beliefs that Arabs needed foreigners to guide them.

Tropic Thunder (2008)

Robert Downey Jr appeared in blackface for the comedy blockbuster, while many considered use of the word 'retard', uttered 17 times in the film to denote a person with learning difficulties, as unacceptable.

The Jazz Singer (1927)

The musical drama was criticised for Al Jolson's use of blackface, though many have since pointed to the fact the actor was a civil rights advocate, often backing projects by black artists, including playwright Garland Anderson.

The Littlest Rebel (1935)

Perhaps Shirley Temple's most controversial movie, The Littlest Rebel, in which she appears in blackface, is also accused of glorifying Confederate ideals, with black slaves appearing unhappy to be set free.

The Lone Ranger (2013)

Questions were raised over Johnny Depp's portrayal of Tonto, a Native American, as it sparked a debate over whether actors should play a race other than their own. The actor himself said he considered the role an attempt to 'try to right the wrongs of the past', meaning poor portrayals of Natives in Hollywood.

Balls of Fury (2007)

The ping-pong based comedy starring Christopher Walken was criticised for caricaturing Asian characters and carrying racist jokes and a running gag making fun of blind people.

The Last Samurai (2003)

Tom Cruise's role as a captain hired to train the Japanese army to fight a Samurai rebellion is considered problematic by some for the sense of American superiority portrayed in the film.
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The trouble with updating books to be in line with current thinking is that what is current constantly changes. If books are revised every time words or phrases become outdated then what is written by the original author just gets slowly eroded.

It's the ship of theseus in book form.
 
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Zatoichi.uK said:
The trouble with updating books to be in line with current thinking is that what is current constantly changes. If books are revised every time words or phrases become outdated then what is written by the original author just gets slowly eroded.

It's the ship of theseus in book form.
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...and when current thinking returns to a more normal theme of not being hyper sensitive over words and their positioning, usage and context, when artistic licence permits some literary excess and books don't get burned, we can have the Orwells, the Greenes and the Dahl, even a Fleming in their original form and format.

These things don't get changed back and ill educated twerps get to pronounce upon and denounce their masters. People who cannot compose a literary sentence chopping down forests to recreate a lesser work.
 
One More Solo said:
More culture war nonsense to distract from actual issues. What a surprise.
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It wouldn't surprise me if that's the whole point. The people behind this are incapable of solving any real problems, because that would be difficult, so they invent an easy to solve "problem" and then "solve" it, so they can claim to have done something with their life. :rolleyes:
 
torn on this one. yes it seems a bit daft... OTOH they are kids books and I tell my lad to not call people fat or ugly........ but that makes things awkward when it's in a kids book

also where do you draw the line. one of my famous 5 books (may be secret 7 but think it's the 5s). the kids come out of the coal shed as black as (N word). I don't want my pre teen reading that..... but equally I loved Enid blyton books and want my lad too as well.

I think over all...... if the content is for adults then probably should leave it alone... if it's for kids then it's correct to update where certain values have changed.
 
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If they think Roald Dahl is bad, just wait till they become literate enough to manage the Hobbit and LOTR... where you have a whole race of midgets, aggressive warlike tribes with dark skin, and a genetically superior race of fair haired and pale-skinned models...
 
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