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How to read books with old racism?


tammyw
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I am sure this has been discussed before, and if anyone can find links to post, that would be wonderful.

 

I am wondering though, how to read and handle books like Huckleberry Finn (just one example). I have not yet read this book, but of course I know what word is liberally used throughout. I just have no idea how to best handle stuff like this, which probably happens a fair bit in old classics (and I don't really have any desire to read books that have been "edited"). We came across this a little in The Little House books -- I just talked about what people thought at the time about native Americans.

 

Help!

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I am sure this has been discussed before, and if anyone can find links to post, that would be wonderful.

 

I am wondering though, how to read and handle books like Huckleberry Finn (just one example). I have not yet read this book, but of course I know what word is liberally used throughout. I just have no idea how to best handle stuff like this, which probably happens a fair bit in old classics (and I don't really have any desire to read books that have been "edited"). We came across this a little in The Little House books -- I just talked about what people thought at the time about native Americans.

 

Help!

Both Farrar Williams and I blogged about this very topic this week! We even referenced the same book -- NurtureShock -- as a way of finding a solution to this.

 

My solution is to read (unedited) and discuss, because the discussions are actually the better way of combating racism.

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I teach about HUMAN rights, by introducing the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

 

Here are some videos on each the articles, that make a nice introduction, but see warning below.

 

Some of the human rights materials are pro-UN and will be unacceptable to some members here that are anti-UN. I encourage people to dig deeper and find resources that do not focus on enforcement, but stick to the message of the document. Just like when it comes to the Declaration of Independence and The Constitution. Few Americans advocate throwing away the documents because we disagree on how to implement them.

 

Abuse and coercion and racism are not about the individual marginalized group. They are about a bigger repeating mentality. It's not about individual slurs, it's about an attitude and belief system, that some humans are superior to other humans. That we are NOT born equal.

 

This is tricky, because I have become aware that some members here do not believe that all humans are BORN equal, so I guess I am making a political statement here even if I talk about the Declaration of Independence, never mind the Declaration of Human Rights :-0

 

But I personally teach the ALL humans are BORN equal, and that it is our BIRTHRIGHT to enjoy ALL of the articles, and that it abuse to have them STOLEN from us, and from others.

 

I quickly move my students away from black, women's, children's, disabled and any other individual rights and immediately focus on HUMAN rights. I don't know how to teach any other way :-0

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I just did a quick read through of the links so far. I'm giggling a bit that I am bringing this subject just days after several others. How does that happen? Are we aligned in the universe somehow? Funny is I've been thinking about this recently because we too are starting to read a lot of old classics, and I'm trying to prepare myself for words that I really don't want to encounter. I've always found it easy to discuss racism in the past, based on many different scenarios, but when it comes to really.really.really Offensive words, like in Huckleberry Finn, I fear it. I don't fear discussing racism - we discuss that all the time. I fear reading certain words - especially the one in particular used in that book. Honestly, I don't want to read it. How do I handle that? Seriously?

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Both My solution is to read (unedited) and discuss, because the discussions are actually the better way of combating racism.

 

:iagree:Well, said - this is exactly how I've handled the issue. Your blog post was spot on! Thanks for sharing

 

ETA: My perspective is also that when you keep a historical perspective it helps. Literature,art, music and other creative expressions are a product of the time and culture in which they were created, which is why reading the stories as they were written can be a wonderful jumping off place for talking about how and why things have changed, or not depending on your point of view.

Edited by JustGin
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:iagree:Well, said - this is exactly how I've handled the issue. Your blog post was spot on! Thanks for sharing

 

I probably used the wrong words in asking my question, because I fully agree with this - we talk about the issue all the time. The thing I have a hard time with is using a particularly offensive word, that will inevitably come up in several books we want to read soon (Huckleberry Finn being one of them). I can discuss the topic of racism easily, all day long (and have! lol!) but when it comes to certain words, I just don't know what to do.

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The word isn't such a problem, in my opinion, as the ATTITUDE. But, then maybe I have been unfairly influenced by just one person, that maybe is not representative of the bigger community. I am good friends with one of Dick Gregory's daughters, who seems to delight in playing with the word, until I start to just twitch, she takes it so far.

 

“Dear Momma―Wherever you are, if ever you hear the word "nigger" again, remember they are advertising my book.â€

― Dick Gregory, Nigger

 

Mark Twain was “so far ahead of his time he shouldn’t even be talked about on the same day as other people,†according to comedian and author Dick Gregory.

 

“People were afraid to ask for my book, and bookstore owners were afraid to put it in their stores. Some Black folks would go into a bookstore and say, ‘I want one of Dick Gregory’s what-you-call-it.’ They just couldn’t say the word. And White folks would say, ‘You named that book a title I just can’t say.’ Or they would complain, saying, ‘I just can’t stand the name of your new book.’ I didn’t hear White folks complaining about the word nigger when I was growing up. I only heard them using it. If they had complained about the word nigger in the past, there would not have been a need to name my book Nigger. Titling my book Nigger meant I was taking it back from White folks. Mark Twain threw it up in the air and I grabbed it.â€

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I just did a quick read through of the links so far. I'm giggling a bit that I am bringing this subject just days after several others. How does that happen? Are we aligned in the universe somehow? Funny is I've been thinking about this recently because we too are starting to read a lot of old classics, and I'm trying to prepare myself for words that I really don't want to encounter. I've always found it easy to discuss racism in the past, based on many different scenarios, but when it comes to really.really.really Offensive words, like in Huckleberry Finn, I fear it. I don't fear discussing racism - we discuss that all the time. I fear reading certain words - especially the one in particular used in that book. Honestly, I don't want to read it. How do I handle that? Seriously?

 

I'm with you. I would be OK having the discussion with them, but I just honestly don't want my kids HEARING that word repeatedly. And I don't want to SAY it over and over again, even reading. So glad we aren't at the age for that book yet!

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There are copies of Huck Finn where the word in question is written N----- throughout. My high school English class used one. It was an all-white class so it wasn't done out of concern for the feelings of minority students. The teacher just explained that it was an ugly word that she didn't feel was necessary for us to see (and speak aloud when reading selections in class) over and over and over again. My kids aren't old enough yet to read Huck Finn, but when they are, I'm planning to look for a similar copy. I wouldn't want a copy where the word was completely sanitized out, because that's changing Twain's writing. But N----- makes it clear what Twain wrote without having to see the slur thousands of times.

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I just did a quick read through of the links so far. I'm giggling a bit that I am bringing this subject just days after several others. How does that happen? Are we aligned in the universe somehow? Funny is I've been thinking about this recently because we too are starting to read a lot of old classics, and I'm trying to prepare myself for words that I really don't want to encounter. I've always found it easy to discuss racism in the past, based on many different scenarios, but when it comes to really.really.really Offensive words, like in Huckleberry Finn, I fear it. I don't fear discussing racism - we discuss that all the time. I fear reading certain words - especially the one in particular used in that book. Honestly, I don't want to read it. How do I handle that? Seriously?

 

I remember reading Huckleberry Finn as a tween, not for school, and not with any parental guidance. I saw the word, and knew it was a word people don't use unless they're not nice and trying to be mean and insulting. I could also tell it was commonly used back then due to the context -- it was used very casually and with no obvious objections by anyone. I came to this conclusion without much fanfare and it did not affect me otherwise, and didn't cause me to look at black people any differently.

 

So I think you'll be okay reading it as an adult. ;)

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As far as I can see, being "afraid" a word leads to one action: censorship. And so it is opposed to "read and discuss" approach, which is what appeals to me.

No doubt there are audiences for whom Huckleberry Finn is not an appropriate book choice, for whom Twain's choice of narrator is rhetorically too alienating for the work to be effective. But if you're going to read it, go the whole hog, I say!

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The word isn't such a problem, in my opinion, as the ATTITUDE. But, then maybe I have been unfairly influenced by just one person, that maybe is not representative of the bigger community. I am good friends with one of Dick Gregory's daughters, who seems to delight in playing with the word, until I start to just twitch, she takes it so far.

 

“Dear Momma―Wherever you are, if ever you hear the word "nigger" again, remember they are advertising my book.â€

― Dick Gregory, Nigger

 

Mark Twain was “so far ahead of his time he shouldn’t even be talked about on the same day as other people,†according to comedian and author Dick Gregory.

 

“People were afraid to ask for my book, and bookstore owners were afraid to put it in their stores. Some Black folks would go into a bookstore and say, ‘I want one of Dick Gregory’s what-you-call-it.’ They just couldn’t say the word. And White folks would say, ‘You named that book a title I just can’t say.’ Or they would complain, saying, ‘I just can’t stand the name of your new book.’ I didn’t hear White folks complaining about the word nigger when I was growing up. I only heard them using it. If they had complained about the word nigger in the past, there would not have been a need to name my book Nigger. Titling my book Nigger meant I was taking it back from White folks. Mark Twain threw it up in the air and I grabbed it.â€

Thank you for posting this; I've long admired Dick Gregory, but have never read Nigger... I just put a copy on hold at Powell's.

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I'm with you. I would be OK having the discussion with them, but I just honestly don't want my kids HEARING that word repeatedly. And I don't want to SAY it over and over again, even reading. So glad we aren't at the age for that book yet!
It's a word mine hear frequently anyway in the neighborhood. I wouldn't censor Huck Finn while reading aloud, but I did skip most of the "darky"s in Penrod, which is admittedly a far more troubling read than is Twain (despite Tarkington's personal feelings about racism). I'd forgotten much of "those" chapters, otherwise I probably wouldn't have started it; it is, however, wonderfully written, and, while it's doubtful I'll read it to my youngest, the clever writing made it worth it to DD the Elder.
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I remember hearing a professor of Pan-African studies saying he disliked those books with "nigger" edited out of them. He said the fear of saying the word or even reading the word in classic books gave it way more power than it deserved. He encouraged teachers to read it, say it and discuss it. When we get to that point, that's exactly what I plan to do. We will talk about it in context, why it was used, and why it is not appropriate.

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I think I'm particularly sensitive because I have a few relations that thought nothing of their use of the word - and not because they were discussing literature either. I'm not opposed to reading these books in their original format at all - in fact I don't want to see a scrubbed version. I guess one could call it censorship. I don't really want my children hearing strong language either - makes me cringe. But then again, they're only 6 and 9. I think this will be a challenging read aloud for me.

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Thank you for posting this; I've long admired Dick Gregory, but have never read Nigger... I just put a copy on hold at Powell's.

 

He is one of the most eclectic individuals I have ever heard of. He even has a book on nutrition.

 

I don't read his biographies, because there are just things I do NOT need to know about my friends' dad. I starting skimming one of his books where he discussed an accusation of adultery and his wife's reaction to it, and I slammed the book shut, and said to myself, "No, No, too much information!" :-)

 

I've HEARD that Nigger is a great book. It is on the required reading list at many high schools and colleges. I should probably read it, but...I just got squeamish after reading that last little blurb from one of the other biographies. I know he didn't do it, but that's not the point. It's just TOO MUCH INFO. Ick! Shudder.

 

And I will NEVER get used to the family's comfort with the word Nigger. I don't like people walking down the hallway hearing such liberal use of the word from my visitors. My friend tells me to "Get a grip!" I tell her it's MY home. She then starts singing ditties that include the word to further torture me. Sigh! Let's just say the word Nigger is used daily if not hourly here, when I have certain visitors.

 

Let me know what you think of the book!

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I think I'm particularly sensitive because I have a few relations that thought nothing of their use of the word - and not because they were discussing literature either. I'm not opposed to reading these books in their original format at all - in fact I don't want to see a scrubbed version. I guess one could call it censorship. I don't really want my children hearing strong language either - makes me cringe. But then again, they're only 6 and 9. I think this will be a challenging read aloud for me.

 

Yup, I know the WORD isn't a big deal, but it still makes me twitch, literally.

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It's a word mine hear frequently anyway in the neighborhood.

 

SERIOUSLY??? I didn't know ANYONE in America used that word anymore!! Except for really old people and maybe some backwoods remnants of the KKK or something like that.

 

I truly don't know that I have heard anyone say that word more than 5 times in my whole life. (I live in a suburb of Charlotte, NC, so maybe location makes a difference?)

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Why do you *have* to read Huck Finn to a 9 and a 6 year old? That's the bigger question. There's more than enough read alouds for that age, classic and modern, to give a kid that age a great education without Mark Twain. If it bothers you that much save it for upper middle school or high school when they can read it themselves and have more mature discussions with you about the word and the time period it was written.

 

If you want them to know *about* Mark Twain try The Prince and the Pauper. I remember reading that when I was around 10 years old. I don't remember reading Huck Finn until middle school or later. If it's Huck Finn you want them to know about try to find one adapted for children---bring it down to a 6 year old's level. Save the mature stuff for when they are mature.

 

With stuff like this I ask myself how important to cultural literacy is this book and how important is it personally to my family? How bothered am I personally with the book? The references in Little House and Huck Finn don't bother me because the value of the literature over rides those things for me. But I do wait for some maturity---we haven't read aloud either yet. I don't even have Huck Finn down *as* a read-aloud. That seems to be something a person can read on their own at an older age.

 

I am bothered by D'Aulaire books and won't ever read another one---ever. I do however want my children to be aware of the D'Aulaire's art---Greek Myths is enough for that imo.

 

I guess that's my question for you Tammy---why do you feel you need to read aloud a book that would be so hard for you to read? Can it wait a few years? Is there something else that can take it's place? They are only 9 and 6.

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Why do you *have* to read Huck Finn to a 9 and a 6 year old? That's the bigger question. There's more than enough read alouds for that age, classic and modern, to give a kid that age a great education without Mark Twain. If it bothers you that much save it for upper middle school or high school when they can read it themselves and have more mature discussions with you about the word and the time period it was written.

 

If you want them to know *about* Mark Twain try The Prince and the Pauper. I remember reading that when I was around 10 years old. I don't remember reading Huck Finn until middle school or later. If it's Huck Finn you want them to know about try to find one adapted for children---bring it down to a 6 year old's level. Save the mature stuff for when they are mature.

 

With stuff like this I ask myself how important to cultural literacy is this book and how important is it personally to my family? How bothered am I personally with the book? The references in Little House and Huck Finn don't bother me because the value of the literature over rides those things for me. But I do wait for some maturity---we haven't read aloud either yet. I don't even have Huck Finn down *as* a read-aloud. That seems to be something a person can read on their own at an older age.

 

I am bothered by D'Aulaire books and won't ever read another one---ever. I do however want my children to be aware of the D'Aulaire's art---Greek Myths is enough for that imo.

 

I guess that's my question for you Tammy---why do you feel you need to read aloud a book that would be so hard for you to read? Can it wait a few years? Is there something else that can take it's place? They are only 9 and 6.

 

Thanks for your response. I definitely need to further clarify - I don't have any plans to read it aloud to my 6 year old :) Actually, my dd9 just did a play of Tom Sawyer, and we have the classic book of that, of which I haven't read either. My thought was that *at some point* I would either read Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn aloud to HER, or I would read them separately and she would read them separately, and then we would discuss. Since I've not read either, only read reviews (and seen plays, movies, etc. which never give the real picture of course), I'm not saying if 9 is the best age - just trying to learn about how to deal with these issues so that I will be better at handling when I come across them. I have seen them on book lists for 9-10 year olds though.

 

More than that though, I just wanted a discussion on how people in general handle racism in books. Certainly Huck Finn is just one of the classics in which this occurs. It's come up for me now because we are starting to get into reading a lot of classics. I've come across quite a few books where reviewers say there are lots of overt racism. I don't plan to stay away from all these classics just because of that, and I definitely don't shy away from racism discussions. In this case, this particular word has always been offensive to me. I was hoping that in posting, I could get insight into how to handle it better (as I'm sure Huck Finn isn't the only book this occurs).

 

ETA: After some thought, I am just going to read these two books myself, and make my own decisions at that point, I think :)

Edited by tammyw
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SERIOUSLY??? I didn't know ANYONE in America used that word anymore!! Except for really old people and maybe some backwoods remnants of the KKK or something like that.
I don't know anyone white who uses it. The word has long been reclaimed (though said without the "r"), but it still makes me uncomfortable.
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SERIOUSLY??? I didn't know ANYONE in America used that word anymore!! Except for really old people and maybe some backwoods remnants of the KKK or something like that.

 

I live in the suburbs of Philadelphia. We hear that word all the time, especially in the city. NOT spoken by white people.

 

When we encounter it, we read it. My kids won't say it; their Dad and I don't say it unless we're quoting or reading. But I think it has gotten too much power as a word. Of course it's easy for me to say that, as I am white! But, when I hear black people saying it with impunity, it makes me wonder how offensive it really is.

 

(And I hope this is not offensive because I certainly don't mean it to be.)

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Thanks for your response. I definitely need to further clarify - I don't have any plans to read it aloud to my 6 year old :) Actually, my dd9 just did a play of Tom Sawyer, and we have the classic book of that, of which I haven't read either. My thought was that *at some point* I would either read Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn aloud to HER, or I would read them separately and she would read them separately, and then we would discuss. Since I've not read either, only read reviews (and seen plays, movies, etc. which never give the real picture of course), I'm not saying if 9 is the best age - just trying to learn about how to deal with these issues so that I will be better at handling when I come across them. I have seen them on book lists for 9-10 year olds though. But it doesn't have to be is my point. Actually I believe that Tow Sawyer is probably a better choice. Just because it's on someone's list doesn't mean that it needs to be on yours. I guess I'm trying to figure out what is the worst that could happen if a kid read it in 8th grade or whenever as opposed to 3rd or 4th grade? There's just so much to read I can't see culling a troublesome book to be a big deal. Read alouds have to be somewhat enjoyable as well. If I'm cringing or bored or tripping over a writing style best left to silent reading, then it doesn't make my read aloud list.

 

More than that though, I just wanted a discussion on how people in general handle racism in books. Certainly Huck Finn is just one of the classics in which this occurs. It's come up for me now because we are starting to get into reading a lot of classics. I've come across quite a few books where reviewers say there are lots of overt racism. I don't plan to stay away from all these classics just because of that, and I definitely don't shy away from racism discussions. In this case, this particular word has always been offensive to me. I was hoping that in posting, I could get insight into how to handle it better (as I'm sure Huck Finn isn't the only book this occurs).

ETA: After some thought, I am just going to read these two books myself, and make my own decisions at that point, I think :)

 

See that's why I don't read book reviews. I'd rather read something myself. :001_smile:Actually unless it's blatantly obvious, use of the word N--- or images like in the D'Aulaire books or TinTin comics, I don't find a whole lot of issues with classic works. It's usually a matter of perspective and a bit too much politically correct sensitivity imo. I think the best way to handle it is to pre-read those that may be a concern for you and then to decide if it's appropriate for your kids where they are at in their maturity and development. If we do run across something that seems to trouble my kids I try to talk about it as simply as possible. Not just racism, but anything. My ds was concerned about the abuse of Miggory Sow in Despereaux and it required a discussion.

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See that's why I don't read book reviews. I'd rather read something myself. :001_smile:Actually unless it's blatantly obvious, use of the word N--- or images like in the D'Aulaire books or TinTin comics, I don't find a whole lot of issues with classic works. It's usually a matter of perspective and a bit too much politically correct sensitivity imo. I think the best way to handle it is to pre-read those that may be a concern for you and then to decide if it's appropriate for your kids where they are at in their maturity and development. If we do run across something that seems to trouble my kids I try to talk about it as simply as possible. Not just racism, but anything. My ds was concerned about the abuse of Miggory Sow in Despereaux and it required a discussion.

 

All very good points!

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I just did a quick read through of the links so far. I'm giggling a bit that I am bringing this subject just days after several others. How does that happen? Are we aligned in the universe somehow?

 

I know Farrar's post was influenced at least somewhat by the recent article in the NYTimes about it.

 

Personally I thought the three options offered in that piece, about how to deal with a black person drawn to look like a gorilla, were insufficient. There are other options than a longwinded diatribe OR simply saying "Oh, yes, that's a black person."

 

SERIOUSLY??? I didn't know ANYONE in America used that word anymore!! Except for really old people and maybe some backwoods remnants of the KKK or something like that.

 

Um, if nothing else, it's pretty common among urban youth and music. Some white kids won't use it for fearing of looking racist, and some black kids also dislike it for its racist history.

Edited by stripe
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I guess that's my question for you Tammy---why do you feel you need to read aloud a book that would be so hard for you to read? Can it wait a few years? Is there something else that can take it's place? They are only 9 and 6.

 

I am not finding it possible to just skip racist books. They are included in complete curriculums and skipping them weakens the educational experience and leaves a student ill prepared for the next lessons.

 

Not only do we need to worry about the vintage books, but we also need to worry about modern curricula being written directly to young students. I asked these questions about Logos Press and Veritas Press, recently.

 

To even dabble in a "classical curriculum" is too run straight into the arms of racism and other forms of marginalization, that run so much deeper than mere names.

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SERIOUSLY??? I didn't know ANYONE in America used that word anymore!! Except for really old people and maybe some backwoods remnants of the KKK or something like that.

 

I truly don't know that I have heard anyone say that word more than 5 times in my whole life. (I live in a suburb of Charlotte, NC, so maybe location makes a difference?)

 

Yes, it is still used. I don't think my boys went a day without hearing a white person use the term. We were living in the Cape Cod area of MA. I left the area 6 years ago, but I doubt if it has changed that much. Yes, there are lots and lots of people in the area who don't use the word, but there are PLENTY that do.

 

At a cook out, I watched my husband's boss and his neighbors abusing some Latin American yard workers. It was so sickening, that even one person who used the N word almost daily, actually was upset to see what was happening. I was starting to freak out, and my husband had a hold of my arm desperately telling me to stay out of it. Back then I was brainwashed into thinking I needed to be submissive to him, and did as I was told.

 

I witnessed DISGUSTING discrimination of a mentally ill woman in the ER this week that is still haunting me. Many mental and medical health care workers believe themselves to be morally superior to mentally ill patients, and believe they have the right to abuse and neglect them.

 

I constantly watch people be abused because they are women. I literally chased one couple down the street a few nights ago, after I saw the man push the woman for the 3rd time. I just lost it and went off on him. I know I probably made things worse for her in the long run, but she at least laughed when I took him on, as he was more than double my size and I was even a lot smaller than her. I just couldn't walk away without confronting him. I just couldn't.

 

Racism and marginalization are alive and actually growing in some spheres. Anger about "the economy" is fueling people. It's so easy to use money to stir people up, into simplistic ideas about why they have less money in their pocket than they "deserve".

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Racism and marginalization are alive and actually growing in some spheres. Anger about "the economy" is fueling people. It's so easy to use money to stir people up, into simplistic ideas about why they have less money in their pocket than they "deserve".

 

It's been thirty years since Vincent Chin was murdered. (Beaten to death because he was assumed to be Japanese and therefore somehow to blame for his attackers' unemployment.) Have things changed that much since then? I don't know.

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A sports team in our state recently lost a game. I don't know which team. I just know that for some reason a black man has been blamed for the loss. A suburban school that one of my friend's nephew attends, has erupted with racial slurs and hate talk, that has left this child feeling alienated and angry.

 

Before the lost game these children were not publicly using the N word on a regular basis, but overnight it became acceptable. Adults are doing very little to contain the situation. Even if things quiet back down to where they were, I doubt the children of color in that town will EVER feel as safe and included as they did. The hate was just lying dormant. It's amazing how quickly a politicly incorrect word resurfaced and is being tolerated by the authority figures. Overnight it became black against white, including name calling on both sides.

 

The temporary lack of use of a WORD, didn't mean much. So even if people are not hearing the word, it doesn't mean things are not ready to erupt overnight over something as silly as a game.

 

Make people think their access to money is at stake and watch out.

 

A lot of the abuse happening in ERs against the disabled, is excused by the lack of money of the disabled to pay their bills. Even when they have "insurance" it's not the type that reimburses the hospitals well. The staff will actually quote figures as they are abusing and neglecting their patients, to shame the patient into silence, if they begin to complain or beg.

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This thread addresses two topics that have been on my mind a lot recently: racism (or other forms of offensive content) in classics, and the tendency to want to read classic books (which may contain racism and/or other very adult themes) to very young children.

 

I'm just finishing up Robinson Crusoe. It appears on a number of classic book lists, in some cases for pretty young kids. I decided to pre-read it before reading it aloud, and am glad I did. It is a totally disturbing book - it is racist in the extreme, but also just unbelievably brutal. Murder, cannibalism, rape, massacre - it's got it all. It's matter-of-fact tone about enslavement, rape, and brutality is extremely disturbing and it strikes me on many levels as an extremely immoral book - in the sense of matter-of-factly presenting a moral stance to the world that I find extremely appalling.

 

So I get this book's place in the literary history of the British novel. And reading and discussing it in a high school class covering the history of the novel, or discussing the development of worldview over the past 300 years seems entirely appropriate. But a 4th or 5th grade reading list? I don't get this.

 

It's not that I try and avoid squeamish situations entirely, or to avoid mature themes. I read aloud To Kill a Mockingbird with Miss P a few months ago - complete with the n word said out loud - and it was amazing. We had the best discussions we've ever had during that book. After we finished we went and saw a community theater production, and after the show the cast came out on stage and answered questions from the audience. It was *amazing* - the cast members, black and white, reflected on how challenging it was to deal with the racist themes and language. After everyone talked around it for 10 minutes or so, the actor who played Tom Robinson said "Nigger. Nigger nigger nigger. Ok, there - let's say it. Let's face it, let's own it." It was exactly the kind of enlightening discussion that a 9 year old can really, really learn a lot from, and I'm so glad we had this experience together.

 

So I've been reflecting on the difference in my reaction to TKAM and RC. I think the difference is that the message, themes, and worldview of TKAM are profoundly moral - embodying a world view and an approach to life and others that I hope my children emulate. RC is the opposite - it exposes a world view and themes that I am profoundly greatful have changed. I think for young children, who are still figuring out how the world works, this is an important difference.

 

I haven't read Huck Finn since I was in high school, so I'll be pre-reading it again before deciding when it is appropriate to cover it with the girls. I know that Twain presents the moral view of racism/slavery as an evil, so I'm not worried about the the use of the word nigger. I agree with those who have said that fearing the word gives it too much power. When we read TKAM, I read the word, and then stopped and explained it: not only the fact that it is derogatory and to be avoided, but how it affected me to read it - my stomach knots up a little - and its history of use as an insult, and its current use in hip hop & rap music, etc. It meant a lot to her to be entrusted with this very adult knowledge, and she has handled it with a lot of respect.

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I am not finding it possible to just skip racist books. They are included in complete curriculums and skipping them weakens the educational experience and leaves a student ill prepared for the next lessons.

I agree with this, completely.

 

I'm writing to think here, if that makes sense ... One of the things that has been in the back of my mind is that in today's society, we generally agree that racism and sexism and other forms of marginalization are ideologies that we don't want to encourage in our children. And because of our position in history, we can look back on vintage books that have these ideologies embedded in them and talk about how to handle them.

 

It's left me wondering ... what are today's ideologies that are embedded in our literature that will be obvious (and offensive) to future readers? What sorts of words and ideas are there present in modern literature that future parents will agonize over? And ... is it possible that by doing the work of identifying and addressing the nasty parts of literature from the past, we can train ourselves and our students to discover today's sleeper ideologies in current literature?

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