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Tintin and Herge...Those Racists!

There seems to be quite a fuss being kicked up in the UK over Tintin in the Congo portraying blacks in an unflattering light:
A Commission for Racial Equality spokeswoman said: "This book contains imagery and words of hideous racial prejudice, where the 'savage natives' look like monkeys and talk like imbeciles.

"How and why do Borders think that it's okay to peddle such racist material?

"Yes, it was written a long time ago, but this certainly does not make it acceptable. This is potentially highly offensive to a great number of people.

"It beggars belief that in this day and age Borders would think it acceptable to sell and display Tintin in the Congo."
What I'm wondering is... why kick up a row now? Tintin in the Congo isn't a recent publication. It was first published in 1930s for god's sake! A lot of materials at the time had racist contents. Tintin in the Congo was just a reflection of the zeitgeist of that era.

And why all this harping about Tintin? Everyone knows Asterix is ways better! Pfft!
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Comments

  1. sharkgila16/7/07 11:02 pm

    ..and the golliwog gets inked out of Enid Blyton's books. I loved the golliwog!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous17/7/07 10:47 am

    Asterix RULES!!!

    Meanwhile, people in Hong Kong are complaining that the Bible is obscene...

    ReplyDelete
  3. Ted Mahsun17/7/07 12:12 pm

    Shark: So do I! Maybe we should start up a "Save the Golliwog" movement!

    Irene: Yeah... I was a little befuddled by that. Why now? Did Hong Kong only gain access to the Old Testament after the handover to China or what? I think someone's just doing this for a ploy.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Ted Mahsun17/7/07 12:17 pm

    Oh wait. Just realised it was a response to that sex survey controversy earlier this year. All I can say is: What a good rebuke! :D

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous17/7/07 2:52 pm

    Asterix all the way!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Ted Mahsun17/7/07 2:54 pm

    Word to that my brotha!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Anonymous18/7/07 11:19 am

    Nothing like going over-the-top to show up inconsistency ;)

    ReplyDelete

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