I’ve never considered myself a white person. I know, weird, right? The world looks at me and thinks, “White girl.” It’s not that I think I’m not white, or am something else, I just don’t align myself that way. But being Jewish, I always felt in the minority, and add to that, growing up in the sixties with very dark skin, I was called the ‘N’ word more than once.
I grew up in a house where my mom considered the ‘N’ word worse than the ‘F’ word. I can curse like a truck driver, but I don’t think I’ve ever said the ‘N’ word aloud. Even reading it is hard for me. Hearing it makes me cringe (as does the ‘K’ word and other Really Bad slurs). My kids, who are big rap fans and hear it hundreds of times a day, do not share my feelings about the ‘N’ word. They’re used to it, it’s familiar so it’s become just another word.
Which could be a good thing. But I have a big but. (A big BUT. No extra ‘T’ there, okay, so calm down.)
BUT here I am, defending the use of this word. Why? Because the publishers of Huck Finn are taking it out and replacing it with the word “slave”. They’re also taking out “injun” and replacing with “indian”. Have we gotten so politically correct that classic works of art must be altered? If subtle smiles became bad form, would we take a paintbrush to the Mona Lisa? If big naked men were a bad thing would we topple The David? (Okay, probably a bad example, but it was fun to imagine, so sue me.)
My point is, Huck Finn is social commentary of a time in history. Mark Twain’s time, not ours. We think the ‘N’ word is unconscionable, but Twain used it to illustrate the ignorance and the horror of slavery. Take it out and where is his intent?
Why alter Mark Twain’s work now? Imagine this happens in 100 years to the work that is coming out now. You going to take the rape out of SPEAK? The holocaust out of THE DEVIL’S ARITHMATIC?
I could go on, but I gotta go listen to some rap music.