Joanne's Way

Saturday, January 29, 2011

Don't deny history
Submitted to News Press published January 28, 2011

Recently, the derogatory "N" word has raised its ugly head. This time referring to Samuel Clemens' a.k.a. Mark Twain's classic tales of "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn." To delete the "N" word would be inappropriate, but substituting the word "slave" would be equally inappropriate.The "N" word and slave are not interchangeable.Censorship is a serious matter and should be carefully considered as a violation of constitutional rights, freedom of the press and speech.Whether one is pro or con, we must consider the ripple affect and how far will censorship take us?At the time of Clemens' writing the "N" word was acceptable and appropriate. I would suggest, rather than condemning the contents of these classic novels, we would look upon them in a positive manner.These books are an excellent demonstration to the younger generation of how our culture has changed. Many of the younger children have never heard the 'n' word and cannot appreciate how degrading and demeaning it once was toward people of color.Let the young generation understand the reforms that have evolved within our culture. By condemnation of the "N" word and regarding it as socially unacceptable, we have demonstrated our ability to improve civil behavior and respect toward fellow citizens.Both young and old should be aware of what was then and what is now. Leave Samuel Clemens' classics as they were masterfully written.