The Power of Words

I recently listened to a fascinating podcast about the emergence of new editions of Mark Twain's American classics The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and The Adventures of Mark Twain which have removed all instances of the racial epithet "nigger" and have replaced it with the word "slave".

This has not surprisingly led to a great debate about censorship, political correctness, race relations and the sanctity of literature. There are those who believe that the epithet is so odious and inflammatory that the word should be removed at all costs, and that given that the spirit of Mark Twain's narrative is essentially unaffected by the change, the revision is well worth it. Others counter that removing the language unfairly compromises the integrity and intention of the artist, and the redemptive relationship between Huck and the slave Jim is best told in the backdrop of the racially charged culture of the times.

The debate hasn't stopped there, and has evolved in some circles as a debate on the word itself. For example, why is it that black hip=hop artists can use the word as a casual greeting while that same word elicits anger and offense when said by someone not of that same race? Why is the word's offensiveness not only altered by context (which is true for many words), but from the speaker? My Asian friends don't call me 'chink', or 'my chink'. And hearing that wouldn't make me offended or warm and fuzzy. I'd just be terribly confused.

I'm sensitive that words have meaning and words the power to wound. I remain highly skeptical that to alter literature is the best way to deal with those sorts of issues. I understand that some teachers who have their classes read either The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and The Adventures of Mark Twain smartly spend ample time with their classes discussing race relations and the cultural context of language and race even before touching Chapter 1. It seems to me that allowing students to engage in a deeper dive of understanding why words matter and why words are deemed racist and offensive would have a greater and lasting impact then never having the opportunity to discuss these matters - and if history has told us anything, it's that more civil discourse and engagement over difficult topics is better than less.

This is not like my denomination (rightfully, in my estimation) revising language in the doctrinal document such as the Westminster Confession of Faith around the Pope being the Antichrist (I also think that that we ought to revisit the 'papist' language in Chapter 24, but that's for another blog post). This is about a fictional work of literature which in of itself doesn't hold a moral imperative - it is an outpouring author's creative mind which people can read, interpret and discuss according to our own unique perspectives shaped by today's norms and principles.

I say we let Twain be Twain.