His chin looks like balls should I cover that too?

Before I even started writing this post, I had to listen to the Freakin’ FCC song from Family Guy for motivation (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NDPT0Ph5rA). This post is a long time coming. I have mixed feelings on censorship, which I’m going to, in the most illogical way possible, try to parse out here. If I offend you, fuck off. Well, okay, now you know my feelings on censorship.

A couple of weeks ago, CT’s literary hero, Mark Twain, received some harsh scrutiny. Specifically, his exemplary novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Around the first week of January, publishers announced that they are releasing a scrubbed up version of the book. They’re removing all instances of the n-word within the text as well as any other offensive phrases. I’m going to be straight with you. I hate the n-word, a lot. Ironically, I have no qualms against calling Jewish people by derogatory words (How do you define an anti-Semite? Somebody who hates Jews more than absolutely necessary. Thanks Cooperman). That being said, I will always refer to it as the n-word unless I’m singing along to T.I. and Justin Timberlake’s “Dead and Gone”. Still not excusable, I know. It’s a double standard.

Why is it okay that the n-word has been in music for years but NOW parents, teachers and publishers want it out a timeless American text. I’m not Black but I don’t find that usage of the n-word any more offensive than the music that the rapscallions of American youth listen to today. In fact, I find it more offensive now. I can’t make judgments here on what will offend people or not, but I find this argument similar to censoring Holocaust literature. Sure, every time I see a swastika, I get a sinking feeling in my stomach. Yet, I understand that it was a part of history. As with Huck Finn, I think deleting any instance of the n-word would be like deleting history. Sure, as an American, I’m not proud that we had slavery or tolerate language like that. However, it should be treated as a learning experience and not a lesson in decades late censorship.

Plus, it’s not like kids are going to read the book anyways. I personally Sparknoted it the first time I read it. Kids will hear the n-word more times in one day listening to their iPods than they will if they actually read Huck Finn.

I’m not wholly against censorship either. I’m so wishy washy that I view it as a case by case basis. I get just as pissed as the next person when my favorite scenes from Sex and the City are cut out on TBS. Then again, I don’t want to see nipple during Modern Family (unless it’s Gloria’s). Overall, the idea of a revised book is nice, in theory. It’s great that students can request it and I would never tell anyone what they can and can’t be offended by, except for right now. Yet, it’s a slippery slope. Everything is offensive to someone. Sometimes you just need to man up and take a heavy blow to the face from history. You’ll be a stronger person for it.