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Was Enid Blyton Racist?
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Many of her books depict an idyllic vision of rural England, those days before mass immigration, when our very culture was changed forever.
Providing certain things do not cause any physical harm or disadvantage to certain groups, either because of the colour of their skin, religion or sexuality, should certain children's stories be banned or altered to fit in with today's political correctness thinking?
It was said that the very bad Golliwogs were replaced with White Goblins, then is this not also racist against whites?
The golliwog owner of the Toytown garage was replaced by a ‘Mr Sparks’.
/// Golliwog appears as a total villain only in the notorious Here Comes Noddy Again, where a golly asks the hero with a bell on his hat to give him a lift into the dark dark wood - and then steals his car. ///
But then that could have been anybody.
Many of her books depict an idyllic vision of rural England, those days before mass immigration, when our very culture was changed forever.
Providing certain things do not cause any physical harm or disadvantage to certain groups, either because of the colour of their skin, religion or sexuality, should certain children's stories be banned or altered to fit in with today's political correctness thinking?
It was said that the very bad Golliwogs were replaced with White Goblins, then is this not also racist against whites?
The golliwog owner of the Toytown garage was replaced by a ‘Mr Sparks’.
/// Golliwog appears as a total villain only in the notorious Here Comes Noddy Again, where a golly asks the hero with a bell on his hat to give him a lift into the dark dark wood - and then steals his car. ///
But then that could have been anybody.
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/Not trying to be purposely aggressive here, but have you lost your dictionary? /
May I explain something about intelligent debate to you aog?
People use words all the time and attach their own meaning to them in particular contexts
I'm sure sp1814 already has HIS understanding of the word 'disadvantage' (and there may be several)
And looking in a dictionary isn't going to help him know what YOU meant by it when YOU used the word 'disadvantage'
So it is a perfectly valid and sensible question to ask when trying (i use the word deliberately) to have an intelligent discussion with someone else.
May I explain something about intelligent debate to you aog?
People use words all the time and attach their own meaning to them in particular contexts
I'm sure sp1814 already has HIS understanding of the word 'disadvantage' (and there may be several)
And looking in a dictionary isn't going to help him know what YOU meant by it when YOU used the word 'disadvantage'
So it is a perfectly valid and sensible question to ask when trying (i use the word deliberately) to have an intelligent discussion with someone else.
/// Why you need to bring in imigration is - as often - a mystery, AOG ///
Not really Andy, the mass-immigration into this country that we have witnessed has changed so many things, and the constant referral to racism or being offended, is just one of many.
/// i would have explained to them that these books are very old, and people are different now, and explain that gollies are not baddies at all - and so on. ///
An admirable attitude to take Andy, but only if you equally explained to them that along with people of other skin colours and races gollies can be the baddies at times, and that Goblins and other little dwarf like people are not always the baddies also.
Not really Andy, the mass-immigration into this country that we have witnessed has changed so many things, and the constant referral to racism or being offended, is just one of many.
/// i would have explained to them that these books are very old, and people are different now, and explain that gollies are not baddies at all - and so on. ///
An admirable attitude to take Andy, but only if you equally explained to them that along with people of other skin colours and races gollies can be the baddies at times, and that Goblins and other little dwarf like people are not always the baddies also.
AOG
You wrote:
You often quote about blacks being lynched
Well now it's my turn to apologise for being aggressive, but I have to ask...why do you lie?
I have never ever ever written a post which refers to lynching.
In fact, you should go to the AB home page and search for the word 'lynch'.
Then try and find a single post from me where I've referred to lynching.
You will find none.
I won't ask for an apology because you've simply made a mistake. I will simply enjoy the warm glow of smugness knowing that I can bring this up at some time in the future when you make a similar claim.
You wrote:
You often quote about blacks being lynched
Well now it's my turn to apologise for being aggressive, but I have to ask...why do you lie?
I have never ever ever written a post which refers to lynching.
In fact, you should go to the AB home page and search for the word 'lynch'.
Then try and find a single post from me where I've referred to lynching.
You will find none.
I won't ask for an apology because you've simply made a mistake. I will simply enjoy the warm glow of smugness knowing that I can bring this up at some time in the future when you make a similar claim.
"An admirable attitude to take Andy, but only if you equally explained to them that along with people of other skin colours and races gollies can be the baddies at times, and that Goblins and other little dwarf like people are not always the baddies also."
That would be covered in my overall attitude that there are good and bad people of all races, religions, sizes and colours in the world. That is the approach I have always had - and that is the approach with which i have raised my children - so explaining Ms Blyton's writing style would simply be a part of that - rather than a separate exercise in education and tolerance.
That would be covered in my overall attitude that there are good and bad people of all races, religions, sizes and colours in the world. That is the approach I have always had - and that is the approach with which i have raised my children - so explaining Ms Blyton's writing style would simply be a part of that - rather than a separate exercise in education and tolerance.
/No in answer to the word Racist, it would be racist if an actual black person was lynched by a white person, simply because of the black person's skin colour.
Other matters are just words and can do no personal harm, to an individual no matter what colour skin. /
That must be one of the most brainless AB posts ever
Whilst I agree with sp's dismantling of it above, I would add that for every person physically lynching someone, or shoving someone into a gas chamber or committing an 'honour killing' or throwing acid into a woman's face
there are a thousand others voicing their support (in words, 'just words') without whom the act of violence wouldn't have been possible.
And they support it because of what they believe ('just words' of course)
that the person being physically harmed deserved it due to the things they had been told about them (again 'just words')
and the general belief that their race or gender or lives are somehow of lesser value (all 'just words' of course)
/Other matters are just words/
As soon as someone thinks anything is 'just words' you know the lights have really gone out.
Other matters are just words and can do no personal harm, to an individual no matter what colour skin. /
That must be one of the most brainless AB posts ever
Whilst I agree with sp's dismantling of it above, I would add that for every person physically lynching someone, or shoving someone into a gas chamber or committing an 'honour killing' or throwing acid into a woman's face
there are a thousand others voicing their support (in words, 'just words') without whom the act of violence wouldn't have been possible.
And they support it because of what they believe ('just words' of course)
that the person being physically harmed deserved it due to the things they had been told about them (again 'just words')
and the general belief that their race or gender or lives are somehow of lesser value (all 'just words' of course)
/Other matters are just words/
As soon as someone thinks anything is 'just words' you know the lights have really gone out.
aog, "It was only a certain class of men that thought themselves superior to women" Really? Was that the class that thought married women had to have their husband's signature to open a bank account? Or thought women should get less money for the same job? Or thought that women were not suited to be at the criminal Bar? Or thought that women should be permitted to join clubs but never on equal terms to the men? Or made our laws on sexual equality necessary?
And was it the same class that thought black people were inferior?
And was it the same class that thought black people were inferior?
Excuse me if I go off on a tangent for the moment but I wish to state that although I did not get that far I am old enough to have served in India in the final days of the Raj & I can categorically say that I would not have got on well with my peers for the simple reason that I abhor the way the majority of the Indian races were treated by the British. I wholeheartedly admire the way they helped us in the last war & have nothing but warmth & comradeship towards them & much to the surprise of a lot of my contemporaries I welcome them to this country so that they can at least share some of our good things.
WR.
WR.
I think it's important that stories which echo how things used to be - warts and all - are available to be read by all. I see it as a testimony as to how we have become more socially sensitive and aware.
I would go as far as to say that "Little Black Sambo" should be in any school library as well as books by Enid Blyton. School teachers these days are pretty well trained in social awareness and how to explain how things were compared to how they are now to any pupil who might giggle and misunderstand.
I would go as far as to say that "Little Black Sambo" should be in any school library as well as books by Enid Blyton. School teachers these days are pretty well trained in social awareness and how to explain how things were compared to how they are now to any pupil who might giggle and misunderstand.
It's great fun to go back and judge a writer of the 1930-60s by today's standards, but it's pretty meaningless, really, don't you think?
You could just as well say that the Old Testament is racist and any other -ist you like. It changes nothing and doesn't address the problems we have today.
That was then, this is now.
Live with it.
Get a life.
You could just as well say that the Old Testament is racist and any other -ist you like. It changes nothing and doesn't address the problems we have today.
That was then, this is now.
Live with it.
Get a life.
About time we 'updated' Enid Blyton's books to suit our more enlightened age.
While we're at it I recently came across a couple of plays & the way the author disparages Moors & Jews is a disgrace.
As someone? suggested earlier I can't see any harm in re-writing said plays as the author would no doubt write them himself today.
While we're at it I recently came across a couple of plays & the way the author disparages Moors & Jews is a disgrace.
As someone? suggested earlier I can't see any harm in re-writing said plays as the author would no doubt write them himself today.
// I would go as far as to say that "Little Black Sambo" should be in any school library as well as books by Enid Blyton //
Answerprancer makes an interesting point here. There's an argument to say that this kind of stuff should be available now to be judged for what it is, rather than just airbrushed out of history as if it never happened. I'm not sure I agree with it, but it's a fair point.
Answerprancer makes an interesting point here. There's an argument to say that this kind of stuff should be available now to be judged for what it is, rather than just airbrushed out of history as if it never happened. I'm not sure I agree with it, but it's a fair point.
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