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Video: Colbert, Ebert Weigh In On Huck Finn Debate
By
Ben Yakas
Published Jan 6, 2011
Modified Jan 6, 2011
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By
Ben Yakas
Published Jan 6, 2011
Modified Jan 6, 2011
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Some people don't think there's much to debate about, but one thing is certain about the forthcoming cleaned-up edition of Mark Twain's classic "Huckleberry Finn": everybody has an opinion on it. There are so many varying opinions and angles on the sanitized novel—besides offering an editorial criticizing the new version, the Times let ten different writers and professors weigh in on the controversy on the Opinion Pages. And that still left plenty of room for others to stir the pot.
Roger Ebert threw in his two cents about the plan to replace the 200-plus instances of the N-word with "slave": "I'd rather be called a Nigger than a Slave." He later pulled back on his statement after a commenter noted he probably wasn't speaking from his own experience, tweeting, "You know, this is very true. I'll never be called a Nigger *or* a Slave, so I should have shut the **** up." And Stephen Colbert covered the story last night, noting that the NY Times is his N-word, and suggesting they change the word "slave" to "intern." Ultimately, he doesn't believe it's a big deal, since high school kids only read the Cliff's Notes anyway.
The Colbert ReportMon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30cHuckleberry Finn Censorshipwww.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full EpisodesPolitical Humor & Satire Blog</a>March to Keep Fear Alive
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debate
huckleberry finn
mark twain
n-word
roger ebert
stephen colbert
Ben Yakas
Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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