Tintin Book Removed
 

LONDON - Borders is removing "Tintin in the Congo" from the children's section of its British stores, after a customer complained the comic work was racist, the company said Thursday.

David Enright, a London-based human-rights lawyer, was shopping at Borders with his family when he came upon the book, first published in 1931, and opened it to find what he characterized as racist abuse.

"The material suggests to (children) that Africans are subhuman, that they are imbeciles, that they're half savage," Enright said in a telephone interview.

"My black wife, who actually comes from Africa originally, is sitting there with my boys and I'm about to hand this book to them.... What message am I sending to them? That my wife is a monkey, that they are monkeys?"

The book is the second in a series of 23 tracing the adventures of Tintin, an intrepid reporter, and his dog, Snowy. The series has sold 220 million copies worldwide and been translated in 77 languages.

But "Tintin in the Congo" has been widely criticized as racist by fans and critics alike.

In it, Belgian cartoonist Georges Remi depicts the white hero's adventures in the Congo against the backdrop of an idiotic, chimpanzee-like native population that eventually comes to worship Tintin — and his dog — as gods.

Remi later said he was embarrassed by the book, and some editions have had the more objectionable content removed. When an unexpurgated edition was brought out in Britain in 2005, it came wrapped with a warning and was written with a forward explaining the work's colonial context.

Enright, who said he first complained to Borders and Britain's Commission for Racial Equality about a month ago, argued such a warning was not enough.

"Whether it's got a piece of flimsy paper around it or not, it's irrelevant, it's in the children's section," he said, adding that he felt the book should be treated like pornography or anti-Semitic literature and not displayed in mainstream bookstores at all.

Borders agreed to move the book to its adult graphic novels section, but said in a statement it would continue to sell it.

The Commission for Racial Equality backed Enright, saying in a statement Thursday that the book was full of "hideous racial prejudice."

"The only place that it might be acceptable for this to be displayed would be in a museum, with a big sign saying `old fashioned, racist claptrap.'"

SOURCE

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Considering that this book was published in 1931, it seems giving it such harsh reviews now is pretty fruitless. Even the author himself found it unsettling at the time of its release. Regardless, however, I think it's a bit stubborn to say that a big warning wrapped around the book as well as a disclaimer inside is not enough. If you don't like the book, then don't buy it, therefore your kids will be "safe" from its contents.

This Enright guy is being ridiculous. Wouldn't it be better to show kids the book and laugh at how Africans were portrayed in it, showing them that it was not only inaccurate, but wrong to do so? No, just push it away like a big plate of brussel sprouts and refuse to acknowledge its existence. Good approach.

I have the vague Idea that I took this book out in French at the library when I was little. *gasp* maybe it turned me racist and I don't even know it.

Man, that is foolish (Enright's ranting). Sure it's rather 'nasty' (so to put it), but was a thing of the time (cause of ignorance about other people).


But, heck, that kinda stuff has happened before.
Like, for instance, with the old Looney Tunes, etc. having content removed. Which is now being brought back via the DVDs.

Well, yeah, that book is pretty racist. Whether going to trouble of getting it banned is worth it is debatable though, considering its age.

I think it is better to have the book available with a disclaimer. That way parents can show children how our thinking has evolved and how the depiction is inaccurate. We need to learn from past mistakes- not just hide them forever.

This sounds like a clear cut case of a white guy (he sounds like one) trying to overcompensate by calling everyone racist. Like those white people who are more offended by the "N" word than black people. This is rediculous. They need to preserve things like this for historical refference. They have to know that people once thought of other races like that. Anyone ever see any cartoons made prior to 1950? They were brutal. Racist to Blacks, Racist to Native Americans, Racist to Asians, Racist to Italians, Racist to the French, Racist to the irish, Racist to Anglo Saxon whites, Racist to Catholics.... Basically every body, since that's what passed for humor those days. And let's not forget the 1960's period when they were able to get away with Asian stereotypes cuz they couldn't make fun of blacks anymore.

Changing these things is actually MORE racist than letting them exist. They try to white wash history, not letting kids know that people used to really hate each other back in the day and still do.

I can't stand people that go off saying Such and Such is a racist, and they completely ignore White Supremisists who are INTENTIONALLY trying to harm them.

That said, Much as I like Tintin, I feel it's over rated. i mean, dude's getting a US made movie... we didn't even get the British Dub of Asterix and the Vikings last year.... not even on DVD.

Just a small correction- Catholic is a religion and not a race. While there are some cases where religious discrimination can be racist (such as searching for people who look "Christian" or "Muslim" or another widespread religion not tied to a particular part of the world), I do not think that just plain discrimination against Catholics would fall under the racist heading.

History erased is in danger of repeating itself.

Such is human nature. :(

Banning it is just going to make more people want to read it.

Yup, It's pretty much worked for me. I wanna see if it's still at the library =3

I used it as an umbrella title. All the cartoons back then were seen as offensive, and most of them weren't even funny. They felt that being offensive was the only way to compensate for horrendous writing.

I will say a lot of said offensive cartoons just had offensiveness n stupid places. One was an old Bugs Bunny cartoon back when Elmer Fudd was fat and not cute. Bugs was in a firing squad, and somehow it leads to them to sing "Camptown Races" in black face. it was cut out of broadcast versions. But it showed the usually talented LT writers just wrote this crap cuz they didn't want to come up with an ACTUAL ending.

Well... I'm not really surprised by the guy's reservations, to be honest. Note that Congo was a Belgian colony at that time - a very badly treated by its owners, BTW. Therefore, this album was created in order to be more a propaganda tool, depicting colonialism as organized actions bringing European civilization to savage territories, rather than an innocent comic book.

So there.

Yeah... you are certainly entitled to your opinion, chief, but I am too and I just gotta say... HHHWWWWHAT?? Great writing and classic humor run rampant in old cartoons and comics, if you think they are generally horrendous and offensive, it's worth your time to check out more of them, because even though some of them are bigoted or ignorant, those are a product of their time and need to be treated accordingly. I just don't want to see anyone missing out on all the great old cartoons and comics because some of the material can be deemed offensive today, and sometimes, even back then. And Tooth, I am totally with you about trying to change and cover this stuff up being more messed up than letting it be. Like Aignatius said, "History erased is in danger of repeating itself."

As for Tintin, and all other such material, I think a warning should be enough. Let people know up front what's going on inside and let them make an informed decision if it's right for them or their kids. At least Border's is just moving it to another section, and not removing it all together, though it sounds like that's what this lunatic wants.

Censorship is BAD, right? When it gets to the point where writing and the arts are being policed, no one is safe from anything. But I guess this horsesh*t will never end, threre are too many sensitive idiots and self-righteous crusaders out there to make a name for themselves.

So you're telling me he sat down, wrote the damn book, sent it away to be published and then said "Hmm, this seems a bit off kilter! I'm truly offended by what I've created. Go figure."?


:| I guess he should've paid attention to what he was doing.

Not really. If we believe one of Tintin fan sites, Herge didn't have much to say in this matter:

http://www.tintinologist.org/guides/books/02congo.html

BTW - in earlier versions of this volume, Tintin apparently kills a rhino by drilling a hole in his back and putting a dynamite there... Hardcore.

I'm talking about REALLY old cartoons... silent era stuff (that Bugs was the only one I really had a problem with, only because they just cut the episode short with a terrible ending). I remember this one silent cartoon, which was basically stop motion of a guy drawing every single racist stereotype imaginable, even Irish guys drawn like monkeys.

If something was done tastefully, I have no problem with it. one of my favorite guilty pleasures was a Sylvester and tweety cartoon where he pretends to be a maid and talks with a Swedish accent, and after getting blown up, he says in a blackface sort of voice "I better go to the Kitchen, I Smell somethin' burnin'."

Anyway, One of my favorite cartoon series was made back in the 60's and featured several racist asian sidekicks for supervillains. Look up "The Mighty heroes" on Youtube... they have an episode called "The Monsterizer" which has a very racist bit in it.

But am I offended by it, NOOOO! I actually find thses quite funny. not the stereotypes, mind you, but the fact that they are terrible.

So if anyone thought I was offended due to race, nuh uh! I'm offended as a comedic writer. Buddump

I. . . still don't see how that worked, Rob. I'm just not that smart, I suppose.

This reminds me of a song:

Everyone's A Little Bit Racist From Avenue Q

Princeton:Say, Kate, can I ask you a question?
Kate Monster:Sure!
Princeton:Well, you know Trekkie Monster upstairs?
Kate Monster:Uh huh.
Princeton:Well, he's Trekkie Monster, and you're Kate Monster.
Kate Monster:Right.
Princeton:You're both Monsters.
Kate Monster:Yeah.
Princeton:Are you two related?
Kate Monster:What?! Princeton, I'm surprised at you! I find that racist!
Princeton:Oh, well, I'm sorry! I was just asking!
Kate Monster:Well, it's a touchy subject. No, not all Monsters are related. What are you trying say, huh? That we all look the same to you? Huh, huh, huh?
Princeton:No, no, no, not at all. I'm sorry, I guess that was a little racist.
Kate Monster:I should say so. You should be much more careful when you're talking about the sensitive subject of race.
Princeton:Well, look who's talking!
Kate Monster:What do you mean?
Princeton:What about that special Monster School you told me about?
Kate Monster:What about it?
Princeton:Could someone like me go there?
Kate Monster:No, we don't want people like you-
Princeton:You see?!
You're a little bit racist.
Kate Monster:Well, you're a little bit too.
Princeton:I guess we're both a little bit racist.
Kate Monster:Admitting it is not an easy thing to do...
Princeton:But I guess it's true.
Kate Monster:Between me and you, I think
Both:Everyone's a little bit racist sometimes. Doesn't mean we go around committing hate crimes. Look around and you will find no one's really color blind. Maybe it's a fact we all should face. Everyone makes judgments
Based on race.
Princeton:Now not big judgments, like who to hire or who to buy a newspaper from -
Kate Monster:No!
Princeton: No, just little judgments like thinking that Mexican busboys should learn to speak English!
Kate Monster:Right!
Both:Everyone's a little bit racist today. So, everyone's a little bit racist, Okay! Ethnic jokes might be uncouth, but you laugh because they're based on truth. Don't take them as personal attacks. Everyone enjoys them - So relax!
Princeton:All right, stop me if you've heard this one.
Kate Monster:Okay!
Princeton:There's a plan going down and there's only one paracute. And there's a rabbi, a priest...
Kate Monster:And a black guy!
Gary Coleman:Whatchoo talkin' 'bout Kate?
Kate Monster:Uh...
Gary Coleman:You were telling a black joke!
Princeton:Well, sure, Gary, but lots of people tell black jokes.
Gary Coleman:I don't.
Princeton:Well, of course you don't - you're black! But I bet you tell Polack jokes, right?
Gary Coleman:Well, sure I do. Those stupid Polacks!
Princeton:Now, don't you think that's a little racist?
Gary Coleman:Well, damn, I guess you're right.
Kate Monster:You're a little bit racist.
Gary Coleman:Well, you're a little bit too.
Princeton:We're all a little bit racist.
Gary Coleman:I think that I would have to agree with you.
Princeton/Kate Monster:We're glad you do.
Gary Coleman:It's sad but true! Everyone's a little bit racist - All right!
Kate Monster:All right!
Princeton:All right!
Gary Coleman:All right! Bigotry has never been exclusively white
All: If we all could just admit That we are racist a little bit, even though we all know that it's wrong, maybe it would help us get along.
Princeton: Oh, Christ do I feel good.
Gary Coleman:Now there was a fine upstanding black man!
Princeton: Who?
Gary Coleman: Jesus Christ.
Kate Monster:But, Gary, Jesus was white.
Gary Coleman:No, Jesus was black.
Kate Monster:No, Jesus was white.
Gary Coleman:No, I'm pretty sure that Jesus was black-
Princeton:Guys, guys...Jesus was Jewish!
Brian:Hey guys, what are you laughing about?
Gary Coleman:Racism!
Brian:Cool.
Christmas Eve:BRIAN! Come back here! You take out lecycuraburs!
Princeton: What's that mean?
Brian:Um, recyclables. Hey, don't laugh at her! How many languages do you speak?
Kate Monster:Oh, come off it, Brian!
Everyone's a little bit racist.
Brian:I'm not!
Princeton:Oh no?
Brian:Nope!
How many Oriental wives have you got?
Christmas Eve: What? Brian!
Princeton:Brian, buddy, where you been? The term is Asian-American!
Christmas Eve:I know you are no intending to be but calling me Oriental - Offensive to me!
Brian:I'm sorry, honey, I love you.
Christmas Eve:And I love you.
Brian:But you're racist, too.
Christmas Eve:Yes, I know.
The Jews have all the money, and the whites have all the power, and I'm always in taxi-cab with driver who no shower!
Princeton:Me too!
Kate Monster:Me too!
Gary Coleman:I can't even get a taxi!
All:Everyone's a little bit racist it's true. But everyone is just about as racist as you! If we all could just admit that we are racist a little bit, and everyone stopped being so PC maybe we could live in - Harmony!
Christmas Eve:Evlyone's a ritter bit lacist!

I'd tell the guy If you don't like it, DONT READ IT!

Somehow, this comes to mind. (Warning: thar be cherished and beloved cartoon characters doing all sorts of things to gross Asian stereotypes.)

I think that we as human beings should try to learn from these unfortunate mistakes. I read a few (very) old comics of Tintin when I was very very young and vaguely remember finding racial stereotypes in it. I am not sure that it was this particular volume, but as an African-American myself, it's kind of difficult to be offended when one sees this kind of crap all the time anyway...

You see, the only racial things that bug me from the actual SOUND cartoons (I was thinking of really old ones, like the one the Itchy cartoon from the epiosde of the Simpsons "the Day the Violence died." was a parody of) was that particular Bugs Bunny Cartoon (I hate shallow endings, unless they are done well) and the 1940's War Cartoons. I also remember reading Japan made Anti-Popeye cartoons at that time, so the world balances out.

Funny thing no one said anything about Asterix. In the older ones there WAS some stereotyping. In Asterix and Cleopatra, a lot of Cleo's servants were those stereotypical Black characatures with those big lips. No one seems to bring that up. but then again, Tin Tin's getting a US made move, and Asterix and the Vikings is never going to be released on US DVD.

Imagine a cartoonist working for a German newspaper in the 30s. He himself didn't have to be terribly anti-Semitic but since the editor placed orders for some anti-Jewish cartoons... well, he had to draw them or he might have lost his job.

The point is - earlier volumes of Tintin were intended to be slightly supremacist, unlike Asterix.

I agree. If kids are exposed to this, they are not automatically doomed to racism. In my own young childhood I was exposed to OLD racist kids books (any of you ever seen Little Black Sambo??) and Loony Tunes (OLD ones) That book was one of my mother's old books from when she was a child. I read it over and over and over. It hasn't scarred me. In fact, I think I'm better for having been exposed to that stuff and seeing how horrible some of those things were. There comes a point in your life, whether you realize it or not, when you make the choice to follow the sins of the past or go your own way.

I also have to say that from a very early age I really found myself wondering why there was such a fuss about differences. All I knew at the time was black and white (funny since I am half Native American, huh) I thought my daddy was black and my mom was white......and thinking that very young made little Katie think things like race through a whole lot more than most kids my age.

Yeah... I thought this story came up mainly due to the fact it would have been great press for the movie they intend to make.

I know that originally Tintin was published in a Nazi sympathiser paper. There was some amazing special on PBS a while back that dealth with it.