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Video: Robot Huck Finn
By
John Del Signore
Published Feb 10, 2011
Modified Feb 10, 2011
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By
John Del Signore
Published Feb 10, 2011
Modified Feb 10, 2011
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Yes, another riff on the publishing company that's putting out a sanitized version of Mark Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn with the word "nigger" replaced with "slave." The last parody of this was the Hipster Huckleberry Finn. Not to be outdone, two West Coast wags are raising money to release a version that trades in the clunky old analog n-word for the shiny high-tech r-word. While we're all pretty much over this, the video they made to promote the Robot Huck Finn is definitely good for a laugh:
And for good measure, here's an excerpt of how the Robot Huck Finn would read:
Jim was monstrous proud about it, and he got so he wouldn't hardly notice the other robots. Robots would come miles to hear Jim tell about it, and he was more looked up to than any robot in that country. Strange robots would stand with their mouths open and look him all over, same as if he was a wonder. Robots is always talking about witches in the dark by the kitchen fire; but whenever one was talking and letting on to know all about such things, Jim would happen in and say, "Hm! What you know 'bout witches?" and that robot was corked up and had to take a back seat.
Jim always kept that five-center piece round his neck with a string, and said it was a charm the devil give to him with his own hands, and told him he could cure anybody with it and fetch witches whenever he wanted to just by saying to it; but he never told what it was he said to it. Robots would come from all around there and give Jim anything they had, just for a sight of that piece; but they wouldn't touch it, because the devil had had his hands on it.
The people behind the robot project tell Nerdist, "Statistically, people prefer robots to the word ‘n-word.'" And the more money they get, "the cooler they believe they can make the finished product. More money means more altered illustrations. More money means getting a scholar to add a piece about the 'n-word' controversy to add context and credibility. More money could mean hardcover editions." Hardcover editions? Robot, please.
Tagged
huck finn
huckleberry finn
n-word
robot huck finn
robot huckleberry finn
video
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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