4 ms·

Well come on it's not a big story, it is a "fat" story obviously... The disconnect between the reality of kids being subjected to shaming like never before than

Well come on it's not a big story, it is a "fat" story obviously... The disconnect between the reality of kids being subjected to shaming like never before thanks to social media, and the desire to remove the word "fat" and replace it by "enormous", makes my head spin. So this is a fat story because it teaches that hiding issues behind euphemism is the way, instead of confronting problems and helping fat people turn into fit ones...

faeriechangling 4y ago
I don't much care if people don't want to read stories where fat children are put into humiliating situations and portrayed as greedy animalistic cretin's, but the correct solution is to not read the book, not to have some hack edit it. Many fine and underrated children's books have come out since 1964 which are smothered by the popularity of a few classics which arguably teach children the wrong lessons. It's fine to not want to read such a book or read such a book to children. Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory is rather mean and dark for a children's book, that's a huge part of the appeal, I would just prefer a mean dark book to remain a mean dark book instead of trying to water down the story to cash in on it's existing commercial value while trying to make it blander and tolerable by more audiences. It's hardly just Augustus Gloop who is treated in a cruel way either, it's just that he by far seems to be getting the most sympathy from the editors, but the book doesn't really teach one to be kind to say... rich spoilt children either. Changes like “But Augustus was deaf to everything except the call of his enormous stomach” to “But Augustus was ignoring everything” takes the punch and wit out of the story while not actually making it so children can't read between the lines. You're replacing a line that'll make children laugh at a fat character with one that just won't make them laugh at all and calling it an improvement.
- JohnFen 4y ago
  > the correct solution is to not read the book, not to have some hack edit it. I'd even be OK with the existence of a hacked-up version, as long as it was made clear that it was a derivative work and not the original.

faeriechangling 4y ago

I don't much care if people don't want to read stories where fat children are put into humiliating situations and portrayed as greedy animalistic cretin's, but the correct solution is to not read the book, not to have some hack edit it. Many fine and underrated children's books have come out since 1964 which are smothered by the popularity of a few classics which arguably teach children the wrong lessons. It's fine to not want to read such a book or read such a book to children. Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory is rather mean and dark for a children's book, that's a huge part of the appeal, I would just prefer a mean dark book to remain a mean dark book instead of trying to water down the story to cash in on it's existing commercial value while trying to make it blander and tolerable by more audiences. It's hardly just Augustus Gloop who is treated in a cruel way either, it's just that he by far seems to be getting the most sympathy from the editors, but the book doesn't really teach one to be kind to say... rich spoilt children either. Changes like “But Augustus was deaf to everything except the call of his enormous stomach” to “But Augustus was ignoring everything” takes the punch and wit out of the story while not actually making it so children can't read between the lines. You're replacing a line that'll make children laugh at a fat character with one that just won't make them laugh at all and calling it an improvement.

JohnFen 4y ago
> the correct solution is to not read the book, not to have some hack edit it. I'd even be OK with the existence of a hacked-up version, as long as it was made clear that it was a derivative work and not the original.