tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16538843.post1507304372747988919..comments2024-01-02T09:18:23.893-05:00Comments on Written World: Criticizing Old StuffRagnellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00373059673228550524noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16538843.post-67727968353628923132008-12-16T22:59:00.000-05:002008-12-16T22:59:00.000-05:00Oh man, I am so glad to see this post! I've been ...Oh man, I am so glad to see this post! I've been mainlining 40s/50s Carl Barks comics, and while they're fantastic, I keep being completely appalled by the racism, and wanting to post but worried that there's no point because they're so old. But you've convinced me that it <I>is</I> worth posting about, especially considering these stories were the inspiration for something as recent as DuckTales, not to mention the currently-published Disney comics. Huzzah!Jessicahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15664266214163981568noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16538843.post-36522095472507666522008-12-16T03:40:00.000-05:002008-12-16T03:40:00.000-05:00BradyDale:"it's not fair to call one story or one ...BradyDale:<BR/><BR/>"<EM>it's not fair to call one story or one book racist/sexist, because that starts to put PC constrictions on narrative that will turn it all into so much propaganda.</EM>"<BR/><BR/>Could you clarify your thoughts please? All I'm getting right now is '<EM>Whte, male dickwad likes to throw the words "PC Constrictions" around</EM>'.Avalon's Willowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07539301720154191607noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16538843.post-86041346937827731272008-12-16T02:38:00.000-05:002008-12-16T02:38:00.000-05:00In defense of Howard...Well, not really in defense...In defense of Howard...<BR/><BR/>Well, not really in defense of Howard. Or even to explain him, since I can't say I know more about him than you.<BR/><BR/>But from what I've read of Howard's work, and what I've read about Howard himself, I wonder if some of the racism (not all) in his writing comes from consciously emulating the conventions of his time? He never really wrote a novel or stories meant to stand together as a written collection, they were all written to sell to the pulp magazines of the day. With that in mind, it's possible that he deliberately used racist images and messages because he thought that was what the magazines expected, and that it would increase the chance of the story being taken and thus him being paid.<BR/><BR/>Obviously that doesn't explain all of the racism that appears in his work, but it was something I thought of after reading your post.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16538843.post-3306137275258757982008-12-15T17:36:00.000-05:002008-12-15T17:36:00.000-05:00You know, I'm usually just not that into analyzing...You know, I'm usually just not that into analyzing racism/sexism in detail, but I saw your tweet and popped to your blog and got sucked in and this post was totally money. You're absolutely right that there is merit in unpacking old stuff with a contemporary view, especially if you do it like you did (which I can't quite explain, but I guess can be summed up as grounding it in the fact that you know it's old).<BR/><BR/>Favorite quote:<BR/>"Don't get me wrong, not every black or brown person in the entire story collection is bad. Howard does seem to have been a pioneer of the offensively obsequious minority pulp sidekick."<BR/><BR/>I also appreciate the fact that you seem to get what I've always said: it's not fair to call one story or one book racist/sexist, because that starts to put PC constrictions on narrative that will turn it all into so much propaganda.<BR/><BR/>But, if you can discern a pattern or practice or unconscious stereotyping, that's worth unpacking.BradyDalehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08252479014150097407noreply@blogger.com