Friday 28 November 2008

this has come to my attention a little late: 'Offensive' word to be removed from Jacqueline Wilson book: After three complaints from parents, Random House is to amend My Sister Jodie
"The word 'twat' was used in context. It was meant to be a nasty word on purpose, because this is a nasty character," said a spokesperson for Random House. "However, Jacqueline doesn't want to offend her readers or her readers' parents, so when the book comes to be reprinted the word will be replaced with twit."
Wilson is one of the 750 authors to have put her name to a petition against age guidance, a publisher initiative to include the ages at which a children's book is aimed on its back cover.
(link thanks to Michael Evans)
************
This comment just made on my post of 20 August deserves to be made more visible:
Comment by Don Robbins:
Hello Eddie, I read the comments on Ed Robbins in the blog for august. Anyone still interested? The page illustrated is not the one that caused the disturbance or I believe it has been altered from the original. In the controversial strip the girl being tortured with cigarettes to the feet had her skirt hiked up above the knees exposing the top of the stockings. This appeared to some readers to be her crotch and caused an upset to the "moral" majority at the time of it's printing. I know this because I had seen the original work. You see, Edwin Robbins was my father and held on to some of the original art for Mike Hammer as well as other comics he worked on until he burned it all in the 1970's. He was also the original layout man for Captain Marvel and worked with Rod reed and C.C. Beck in New York City. He also wrote and illustrated a story for the Vampirella comic in one of the early issues titled 7 steps to lucy furh. I watched him draw that one at home in upstate N.Y. and it was one of my favorites. He was very dissapointed after the Mike Hammer strip was cancelled and didn't do comics for many years. People don't know that my father and Mickey Spillane were great friends until my dad's death in 1981. The two of them knew each other during the war and stayed friends. Mickey was a world war two ace and my dad did art to raise money for the war effort. I met Mickey on many occasions and believe me, he was Mike Hammer and fasioned the character after himself. I hope there is still some interest out there about this and thanks for the chance to comment. Sincerely, Don Robbins.
Your words are appreciated, Don. Thanks for taking the time.

2 Comments:

Blogger Yoga Gal said...

We're becoming so "P.C." in this world one is beginning to wonder if there is the any hope for the freedom of self-expression. Usually the so called "Offensive" word is taken out of it's proper context. How can artist and writers address important issues of the struggles of the human condition without sometimes using "offensive" language? In our attempt to "protect' our children we sometimes prevent them for having the insight of comfort. I usually don't talk about this but as a young child of 12 I was abused by a family member, if it wasn't for books writing and addressing this disturbing issue I would had felt alone and in pain with guilt and shame. Writers most write about the truth the whole truth even when it's dark and ugly and the freedom to use the most powerful words to express this truth no matter they offend!

28 November 2008 at 15:39:00 GMT-5  
Blogger Matthew Adams said...

I don't think it is political correctness that is causing this reaction (i actually think political correctness is a good thing, though the term itself is a right wing attack on the idealogy behind it), so much as it is misguided people trying to protect their children, and the misguided attempts of publishers and a chain store acting in fear of a possible backlash. So far only 4 or 5 people have complained, from what I can gather from the article, so it seems like a bit of a silly overeaction on the part of the publishers (though a chain store removing the "product" from their shelves has probably encouraged the move to reprint it).

In the big supermarket chains you can only buy one or two types of tomatoes, and both of these have to be big red varieties. This is common for a lot of fruit and vegies. Selling books in supermarket chains will probably end up with the same result.

28 November 2008 at 23:13:00 GMT-5  

Post a Comment

Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]

<< Home