Should TINtin in Africa be banned

[anotheoldgit]

http://www.telegraph....ike-book-burning.html

There is yet another call for this book to be banned, if they are successful in getting it banned, then what other books should be banned because they include something in them that offends a certain group of people?

Perhaps we can start by banning Edgar Rice Burrough's, Tarzan and the Apes books?

Then H. Rider Haggard's King Solomon's Mine?

Followed by Rudyard Kipling's books, etc, etc?

Then we could start on films, The Life of Brian, springs to mind.

Come on lets have a huge bonfire, reminiscent of another time perhaps?

[Gromit]

This about them being banned in Belgium not in the UK. Foreign Governments can ban whatever they want. Why are you interested in what the Belgians do?

// British editions of Tintin Au Congo have not been banned but are now sold with a band of paper around the cover, warning the content is offensive. //

[jno]

I don't see why adults shouldn't be trusted to make up their own minds on Tarzan (who as I recall was actually an English lord) or Brian. However, Tintin in the Congo is a kids' book, and that's a different matter.

[Gromit]

In respect to the TinTin books. They were written in another era and their contents were ignorant and poorly research. It may well not have meant to be offensive, but as we have become more educated, then the contents are at best inaccurate.

I do not believe in banning books, so the compromise of still selling them with a warning that some may find the contents offensive is best for everyone. That way, you can laugh at the little savages, and I can marvel at the nice graphic design and everyone is happy.

Bit of a non thread this really.

[Gromit]

http://www.theloonive...kuifje/afrika01n1.jpg

[jno]

Herge wrote his first few books as fairly mindless adventures culled from what he read in the newspapers - always a fruitful source of misinformation, as we all know. But he was criticised for this, and thereafter spent a lot of time on research and accuracy. Books like The Blue Lotus are much better for it. Apparently the rocket ship he drew in Destination Moon turned out to be remarkably similar to the ones actually used many years later, simply because he'd taken a lot of trouble to get things right.

[jake-the-peg]

Bad idea - if anything it reflects the times.

I used to read Kipling's just so stories to my daughter - but I did have to keep half an eye ahead to miss out the bits that were just way over the top for modern ears

But you have to remember what was going on in the Belgian Congo at the time
Locals were forced into slave labour - if they didn't produce enough rubber they had a limb cut off

Or a child's limb cut off.

Sir Roger Casement documented it all at the time with reports and pictures
http://tintinology.po...09/08/congo-hands.png

against this background "Tintin in the Congo" is a bit like "Tintin in Auswitz" would be - you can see why people'd get upset

[R1Geezer]

what? is nothing safe, they'll be banning the g0llyw0g off the Jam jar next!

[sp1814]

It most certainly should NOT be banned. It should be made available in every school so kids can understand why their grandparents think the way they do.

Different times, different attitudes.

[boxtops]

How do you define what was a way of life (whether thought now to be bad) or not? Uncle Tom's Cabin? The Railway Children ? Enid Blyton/Angela Brazil about middle-class white girls at boarding school?

[scotman]

I don't believe in banning books for any reason. Most of the books etc commented on were written a long time ago and are very much 'of their time'.
Biggles' books regularly get a pasting as well for the attitudes displayed in some of them.
In 1939 Agatha Christie had a book published with the title 'Ten Little ***' although it has been changed for some time now. It has been called and filmed as 'Ten Little Indians' although probably some people think that is bad too.
Times change.

[scotman]

Obviously i wrote 10 little 'N' words

[jno]

I believe Biggles books have been subtly rewritten over the years to remove some of the more racist remarks, and the smoking. That's fine by me if they're being sold as a good read for kids rather than as historical documents.

[Everhelpful]

What about "The Hottentots" in The Beano or Dandy years ago?

[sp1814]

What's a 'hottentot'?

[jno]

I doubt if even Little Plum Your Redskin Chum would pass muster these days. Quite right too - was someone saying 'How! Um heap big hello!' ever funny?

[anotheoldgit]

Was it the Dandy or Beano that had a black boy on the front page, eating a piece of melon.

Guy Gibson of 'Dambuster' fame had a dog called the 'N' word, I don't think this was changed in the old Black & White film, but I bet it has now.

[Zeuhl]

In Peter Jackson's remake of 'The Dambusters' they have indeed changed the name of Guy Gibson's dog from the offensive N*****. She is called Blackie.

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