February 28th 2023.
Whoopi Goldberg recently voiced her disapproval of those attempting to revise classic books containing language that is now deemed offensive, on an episode of The View. She believes that instead, a disclaimer should be included that explains the language used was the norm at the time of the book's initial publication. "Just put a disclaimer on it that says, listen, this book was written at this time, or put out the original and what y'all have done. Because kids should have the right to read how people thought so that they know how to make the change," she argued. Puffin publishing house recently edited words in works by Roald Dahl, such as Matilda, James and the Giant Peach, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
Goldberg also mentioned they wanted to do the same with Mark Twain, who used the n-word in his classic works. Her co-host Sunny Hostin disagreed, using the example of the sensitivity editing in the James Bond book series, Live and Let Die. "In that novel, he visits Harlem and uses the n-word to describe almost every Black person he sees there. And in my view, the sensitivity of the edits now says ‘Black man,’ ‘Black woman,’ ‘Black person.’ I appreciate that. You don’t have to call me the n-word for me to understand my oppression. And I think when someone who is oppressed tells you that, you should listen," she said.
Whoopi Goldberg recently aired her opinion that books containing language that is now deemed offensive should have a disclaimer describing the time of the original publication, rather than be rewritten. On The View, she explained that "kids should have the right to read how people thought so that they know how to make the change." Puffin publishing house recently edited words in works by Roald Dahl, such as Matilda, James and the Giant Peach, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Similarly, they had also wished to make changes to Mark Twain's books that contained the n-word.
However, her co-host Sunny Hostin argued that sensitivity in editing should be taken into account, citing the James Bond book series, Live and Let Die, as an example. She said, "In that novel, he visits Harlem and uses the n-word to describe almost every Black person he sees there. And in my view, the sensitivity of the edits now says ‘Black man,’ ‘Black woman,’ ‘Black person.’ I appreciate that. You don’t have to call me the n-word for me to understand my oppression. And I think when someone who is oppressed tells you that, you should listen."
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