6 ms·

When they say original, do they mean just without this round of bowdlerization or really original? Are people looking for the Oompa Loompas as African Pygmies

by jefftk 4y ago

When they say original, do they mean just without this round of bowdlerization or really original? Are people looking for the Oompa Loompas as African Pygmies from the original version of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, before they were removed in the 1972 edition?

giraffe_lady 4y ago
We're at most five years away from florida passing a law requiring the original phrasing of eeny meeny miny moe.
- geraldwhen 4y ago
  There is no original. The rhyme is shared among many languages with variants based on the language. Earliest known variant: Hana, man, mona, mike; Barcelona, bona, strike; Hare, ware, frown, vanac; Harrico, warico, we wo, wac. The rhyme potentially comes from old English.
  - giraffe_lady 4y ago
    "The one my great grandfather would have used" could you well-actually that one as hard for me please?
  - petsfed 4y ago
    I believe you should understand "original" in the parent as in quotation marks as well. The "original" here is akin to referencing the "original" pledge of allegiance in the US, the one with "under god" appended during the red scare. That is, the parent is saying they won't be surprised if Florida requires the line "catch a tiger by the toe" to instead be sung as "catch an [racial slur] by the toe".
    - jefftk 4y ago
      If someone said "the original pledge of allegiance" I think most people would interpret that as being about its form before any alterations. And so, the 1892 "I pledge allegiance to my Flag and the Republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all." (Before the 1923 addition of "the Flag of the United States of America" and the 1954 addition of "under God")
lexicality 4y ago
In a country where people complained bitterly about the golliwog being taken off a jam label, I would suspect that yes, a certain segment of society would like that version back on shelves.
Forgeties79 4y ago
>Are people looking for the Oompa Loompas as African Pygmies from the original version of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, before they were removed in the 1972 edition? The reasonable answer is "they should still be something people can readily access but not endorsed/actively reprinted" but usually these arguments boil down to very partisan takes on speech unfortunately.
martopix 4y ago
The difference, I suppose, is that Roald Dahl was alive and well in 1972. And that, compared to references to African pygmies, some of the things that have been changed in this new edition are totally baffling.
- iosono88 4y ago
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iosono88 4y ago
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oska 4y ago
Your example has been comprehensively dealt with before in this ongoing discussion (e.g. in previous threads on this matter). Dahl made the textual changes about the Oompa Loompas himself , after listening to some feedback on the original text that was made. I've quoted what he had to say on the matter before in previous threads, if you care to look. [1] [1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34853399 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34853399

by jefftk 4y ago

giraffe_lady 4y ago

We're at most five years away from florida passing a law requiring the original phrasing of eeny meeny miny moe.

geraldwhen 4y ago
There is no original. The rhyme is shared among many languages with variants based on the language. Earliest known variant: Hana, man, mona, mike; Barcelona, bona, strike; Hare, ware, frown, vanac; Harrico, warico, we wo, wac. The rhyme potentially comes from old English.
- giraffe_lady 4y ago
  "The one my great grandfather would have used" could you well-actually that one as hard for me please?
- petsfed 4y ago
  I believe you should understand "original" in the parent as in quotation marks as well. The "original" here is akin to referencing the "original" pledge of allegiance in the US, the one with "under god" appended during the red scare. That is, the parent is saying they won't be surprised if Florida requires the line "catch a tiger by the toe" to instead be sung as "catch an [racial slur] by the toe".
  - jefftk 4y ago
    If someone said "the original pledge of allegiance" I think most people would interpret that as being about its form before any alterations. And so, the 1892 "I pledge allegiance to my Flag and the Republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all." (Before the 1923 addition of "the Flag of the United States of America" and the 1954 addition of "under God")

lexicality 4y ago

In a country where people complained bitterly about the golliwog being taken off a jam label, I would suspect that yes, a certain segment of society would like that version back on shelves.

Forgeties79 4y ago

>Are people looking for the Oompa Loompas as African Pygmies from the original version of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, before they were removed in the 1972 edition? The reasonable answer is "they should still be something people can readily access but not endorsed/actively reprinted" but usually these arguments boil down to very partisan takes on speech unfortunately.

martopix 4y ago

The difference, I suppose, is that Roald Dahl was alive and well in 1972. And that, compared to references to African pygmies, some of the things that have been changed in this new edition are totally baffling.

iosono88 4y ago
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iosono88 4y ago

[dead]

oska 4y ago

Your example has been comprehensively dealt with before in this ongoing discussion (e.g. in previous threads on this matter). Dahl made the textual changes about the Oompa Loompas himself , after listening to some feedback on the original text that was made. I've quoted what he had to say on the matter before in previous threads, if you care to look. [1] [1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34853399 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34853399