Posted by Peter H on January 02, 2006 at 19:38:51 from 86.130.123.62 user Peter_H.
In Reply to: Re: Political Correctness posted by Mark Dudley on January 02, 2006 at 17:59:20:
I also fail to see what compassion has to do with the re-writing of works of fiction
Well, I agree, it it doesn't have much to do with 're-writing', but I have never advocated 're-writing' AR's works. I simply believe that one, particularly offensive, word ought to be removed. Again, the question is asked 'But where do you stop?' My answer is: right there! If anyone doubts that the word is offensive, try using it on this board in a conversational way and see how long it takes for Ian to remove it (or rather don't try it, but you get my point). Yet there it is in Ransome.
As to the 'black' business, of course we cannot, as a society, retrospectively alter every literary or other written reference to 'black' as denoting evil - that would be a totally over-the-top reaction. What I am saying is that we should listen to people who find a public use of the term offensive, and if we can sympathise with the hurt feelings we should try and ameliorate the cause of the offence, in the interests of a balanced society. For instance, if someone was opening a new 'museum of crime', I believe that they should not now call it a 'Black Museum' - there are plenty of other titles which could be used. If the police proposed no longer referring to an 'accident black spot', I would approve. I know that 'black' here is not referring in any way to race, but there may be a subliminal reference.
I take Ian's point that 'black' and 'white' are, literally, black and white terms, and that we are all various shades in between. That is a logical viewpoint, but I think you'll find that black people, whatever their actual hue, think of themselves as 'black', both for social and political reasons. I am not advocating wholesale censorship, least of all 'political correctness', but just a more careful attitude as to how we use words which can also denote people of a non-indigenous race but who are part of modern Britain. I don't mean to 'preach' - I am simply reacting to the Telegraph article linked by Jock. The right-wing press in Britain do tend to harp on about this sort of thing. I see the whole issue as essentially a matter of courtesy.
I appreciate all the new posts - thanks for all the reactions!