James Bond books edited to remove racist terms

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Books were from the 1950s and 60s so they probably do need an update.

I personally can't stand scenes of rape or sexual torture on TV which is why even though I wanted to watch Game of Thrones as a fan of dark fantasy genre I could never really bring myself to fully watch it due to the graphic way they presented rape and torture. I don't understand how people like my mom who were also victims of sexual abuse can stand seeing that stuff.

GOT was labelled as misogynistic due to the ample scenes involving female rape. When it was released the NY Times labelled GOT as "boy fiction" containing gratuitous sex, rape and debauchery (much of the first series was filmed inside brothels) designed to attract teenage male audience.

Yet the most reliable statistics indicate 42% of the viewership are women and 50% of all social media supporting GOT were from female users
https://www.wired.com/2013/06/women-game-of-thrones/

Maybe humans are attracted to seeing violence regardless of their gender? The Ancient Romans seemed to exploit this too when they forced gladiators to slaughter each other for entertainment.

Six and Castellanos say enacting rape fantasies in search of liberation is not uncommon among rape survivors, who try to master their trauma by turning it into something positive. And it can yield positive results: “If they play out a rape fantasy and don’t get hurt or scared, [and] they only get aroused, it creates a positive interpretation of the action,” Castellanos says. “The fear and uncertainty gets replaced with an erotic association. It’s a way of rewriting history and claiming it,” says Six.

But Six also emphasises that everyone should process their trauma, and attempt to overcome it, in their own way. Some people, like Britni, need to have talk therapy first; for others, just acting on their fantasy helps them feel a sense of control.

I have heard and read a number of women who have been victims describe say they have rape fantasies.


When Rape Survivors Have Rape Fantasies

Why not have a “historical” version and a censored version?

That seems like a fair suggestion.

Publisher Penguin Random House announced Friday it will publish "classic" versions of Roald Dahl's children's novels after it received criticism for cuts and rewrites that were intended to make the books suitable for modern readers.

Along with the new editions, the company said 17 of Dahl's books would be published in their original form later this year as "The Roald Dahl Classic Collection," so "readers will be free to choose which version of Dahl's stories they prefer."

The move comes after criticism of changes made to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and other much-loved classics for recent editions published under the company's Puffin children's label, in which passages relating to weight, mental health, gender and race were altered.

While tweaking old books for modern sensibilities is not a new phenomenon in publishing, the scale of the edits drew strong criticism from free-speech groups such as writers' organization PEN America, and from authors including Salman Rushdie.

"When it comes to our rich and varied literary heritage, the prime minister agrees with the BFG that you shouldn't gobblefunk around with words," a spokesperson for British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said this week, aping the word-twisting language used by Dahl's Big Friendly Giant.

Camilla, the Queen Consort, appeared to offer her view at a literary reception on Thursday. She urged writers to "remain true to your calling, unimpeded by those who may wish to curb the freedom of your expression or impose limits on your imagination."

Dahl, who died in 1990, is also a controversial figure because of antisemitic comments he made throughout his life. His family apologized in a statement in 2020.

Francesca Dow, managing director of Penguin Random House Children's, said the publisher had "listened to the debate over the past week which has reaffirmed the extraordinary power of Roald Dahl's books and the very real questions around how stories from another era can be kept relevant for each new generation."

Camilla, the Queen Consort, appeared to offer her view at a literary reception on Thursday. She urged writers to "remain true to your calling, unimpeded by those who may wish to curb the freedom of your expression or impose limits on your imagination."

Dahl would probably be appalled today by some of things he wrote and thought. However, given his aggressive style of writing, I don't think he'd soften quite as much as the current publisher seems inclined to..

I'm honestly more bothered by the fact that 007 has always treated women badly and has complete disregard for human life (what do you suppose having a "license to kill" actually means?).

To me he's nothing more than a symbol of toxic masculinity and no amount of censorship or blackwashing his character will ever change that.

GOT was labelled as misogynistic due to the ample scenes involving female rape. When it was released the NY Times labelled GOT as "boy fiction" containing gratuitous sex, rape and debauchery (much of the first series was filmed inside brothels) designed to attract teenage male audience.

Yet the most reliable statistics indicate 42% of the viewership are women and 50% of all social media supporting GOT were from female users
https://www.wired.com/2013/06/women-game-of-thrones/

Live And Let Die (the 1973 movie) always seemed to have blatant racist overtones to me. I never liked it because of that issue.