Posted by David Brooks on March 27, 2002 at 19:57:51 from 208.210.80.35:
In Reply to: Re: N-word was Re: Colonialism in S&As posted by andy bolger on March 27, 2002 at -1:58:42:
"I personally hold the view that its use in quotes etc. is preferrable to pussyfooting around as it refelcts an unpleasant reality but I don't relish explaining this to a five year old."
I had similar experiences reading Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn aloud to my children (who were 8 and 9 at the time). The word "n****r" is an important part of the historical and literary aspect of those books and can't be avoided, and after considerable discussion with the kids I went ahead ... but even so, half the time I found myself skipping the word or changing it. The taboo against speaking it aloud is very, very strong.
I don't remember what I did when reading AR's works aloud, but I'll bet I just skipped over the terms or changed them on the fly.