The Sci Fi Catholic Yak Module
I viewed the anime version of Metropolis this past week. Other than the character artwork reminding me of something out of Mario Bros, I enjoyed it very much.
I too agree with our illustrious blogmeister conecerning these "apologetic" introductions. Uh yeah--these are period pieces, people's views, opinions and descriptions are going to differ than mine today..however DON'T apologize for the work!! A brief introductory paragraph setting the stage is fine. This is starting to learn in the direction in my public schoolin the early 80's where books were starting to be BANNED (yes!!) in school classrooms and school libraries because they dealt with racial (especially ANY writing that had the word "nigger"), sexuality, language, violence or other uncomfortable topics. "Banned" authors included Hemingway, Twain, and many other classics of literature. High school literature classes were becoming severely censored and the hands of teachers were tied to the extreme.
But I am a grown-up (really??) now, and I can sit back and read what I want, perhaps engage in discussion concerning the book, and have a grand ol time. And if I don't like the book or it bores me?? I put it down and move on, but I don't slam the author... And if I read a book that has an intro that "apologizes" for the book?? I think I'll write the publisher a rather snarky letter....
The Chesterton warning notice is meaningless boilerplate. I have a Kierkegaard book with a very similar notice in the front. I doubt the publishers gave much thought to the contents of these books when slapping in the warning labels; it seems to be purely a case of covering one's ass (as they say in those countries where the punishments of men are levied upon their donkeys) when publishing literature that's too old to be sanitised according to modern requirements.
The manga notice is truly appalling. But it could be worse: at least they settled for insulting you and letting you read the work unabridged, rather than cutting or modifying and not telling you about it, as sometimes happens.
I recall sometime back reading an edition of The Hound of the Baservilles that, without any notice that the work had been abridged and bawdlerized, cut out the parts about Holmes smoking.
Wait, covering their @5$$es? Pardon me if I'm wrong, but aren't we supposed to have what Metallica called "free f#&%ing speech"? What are these publishers in danger of if they publish the great works of great men without abridgments?
And honestly, are we really going to accuse the likes of G. K. Chesterton and Osamu Tezuka of racism? What exactly does it take to not be a racist?
OK, I'm going to go read "Farhenheit 451" till this is over....remember the passage predicting just this?
Cutting Holmes' pipe is a new one; during the 80's some editions cut out his cocaine use. Probably the Count of Monte Cristo wasn't doing opium in the 80's, either. Arghh! Makes me want to go read some Rudyard Kipling....
And honestly, are we really going to accuse the likes of G. K. Chesterton and Osamu Tezuka of racism? What exactly does it take to not be a racist?
The warning doesn't accuse Chesterton of anything at all. It is the equivalent of "this product might contain traces of nuts", which is not a guarantee that the foodstuff will actually contain traces of nuts.
And yes, the book publisher has freedom of speech. The readership also has freedom of speech, and the freedom to irritate the hell out of the book publisher by phoning up and whining about how bigoted and terrible and un-PC their product is, and maybe to find friendly media outlets to air their complaints. Freedom of speech does not mean freedom from people complaining about what you say. Easier for the publisher to stick a mildly irritating warning label on anything over 50 years old, or anything even potentially objectionable. Even in the case of the manga you cite, I suspect the publisher gets fewer complaints for their contempt of the readership than they would if some grievance-mongers had scented blood (which does not require the work in question to be actually racist, these days).
...which is not to say it is an ideal state of affairs. But the book publishers are acting rationally according to a desire to (a) publish interesting old stuff, (b) please their audience, and (c) not awaken the wrath of the Kindly Ones, who've apparently given up protecting the sanctity of hearth and kinship and instead pledged allegiance to modern PC progressivism. We should maybe write and complain that we do not like being insulted like this, because otherwise the obvious thing for a publisher to do is continue with this nonsense.
I'm more concerned with the insult to the writer than the insult to me. Makes it sound as if anything older than a few years is too insensitive to be taken seriously.
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