"Huckleberry Finn" and the N-word

A Southern publisher's sanitized edition of "Huckleberry Finn" that replaces the N-word with "slave" over 200 times is the focal point for a debate on the use of the controversial word in American society. Byron Pitts reports.

[@mattsmith20111]

i heard about the controversy. So i actually read the book. Twain and his book are clearly anti-slavery.

[@lebaguetteboi7773]

yea its a piece of its time

[@squidface4381]

Figured that out did you?

[@raybuns3635]

@@lebaguetteboi7773 22e1 11 l

[@tulayamalavenapi4028]

KUDOS.... The new generations are severely attention span limited. Plus there should be laws against SANITIZATION of books. It's crazy. Nobody should be allowed to touch an author's book. My Lord, don't you think Bob Dylan would be highly insulted if his lyrics were tampered with. That kind of scizophrenia is just a sign of the mental diseases that have become more acute than the physical diseases in the most powerful country. 🇺🇸😢

[@thischannelisdeleted]

Don’t you love it when they lie to you?

[@samuelng5996]

Who came here for their Ap Lang homework?

[@kylezach9978]

Two years late, but yep

[@steven123lucky]

Came here for honors English hw

[@daniajena7609]

same

[@nevaehlopez8411]

Online school bc of Rona 🥴

[@Oreomilkshake.]

Well for my myp English class

[@NarekAvetisyan]

The white teacher feels a personal guild to remove the word. Not because of the word itself but because he personally feels uncomfortable with it. Well history is not comfortable. And if you start altering it insted of learning it you're doomed to repeat the same mistakes that were made in the past.

[@groundfurdonyt2810]

Narek Avetisyan very nicely put together.

[@georgepumpernickel5952]

Narek Avetisyan, yes, it’s called Historical Revisionism.

[@teewrx420]

No one seems to understand this. To the victor goes the spoils I suppose.

[@TheMarcelinee]

EXACTLY

[@yaccfonoti]

Lol that makes no sense.

[@twiseguy2772]

8:10. I died in English class when this happened.

[@thomasbridges6026]

that was not 60 minutes

[@ro0739]

um if u think about it is

[@guy6356]

rohan07 how exactly?

[@liat2768]

The series is called 60 minutes. Usually divided into segments covering different topics. the segment covering this issue is, of course, not the entire 60 minutes

[@jjjjj22221]

Regardless of where you stand, it's nice to see the time when the conversation could at least be had!

[@tulayamalavenapi4028]

Okay Utube..... The word is used in the video... And you gonna trip on me for using it in a comment??? I want to delete it anyways. .and you aren't letting me do even that?

[@tulayamalavenapi4028]

I used the controversial word.... 😅

[@cherylwade264]

​@@tulayamalavenapi4028 Yet some music has content a advisory. Freedom of Speech at work.

[@horrorjunkie92]

When you make the word into a big deal and won't even speak it like it's fucking Voldermort or something, you're giving it more power. Children should be taught the importance of context ...So should a lot of adults.

[@deezballs4733]

horrorjunkie92 Well yes but white people shouldnt be able to read that

[@chrismason1530]

@@deezballs4733 When it comes to race, blacks and whites aren't the only ones. :/

[@bambamie5711]

@@deezballs4733 you can't not read something. You can refrain from saying things but it is impossible to not read a word unless you are told exactly when it appears and even then you're brain will still process and read the word if you see it

[@DoubleDub2]

@The505Guys that ain’t it chief!

[@TheMonteCarlo]

@@deezballs4733 that's reprehensible.

[@wardragonprime]

What makes Huckleberry Finn so effective is its accurate portrayal of life in the pre-Civil War South.

[@ethan323z]

It's sad how society is deprived of the truth and that fact you can't read an old book and not be "offended" by anyone or anything.

[@jeromebrown1231]

Because they are used to being told lies of expectations instead of asking for the truth.

[@hoim5114]

Ethan Van Beck your white

[@rohantumkur7915]

Hoi M first of all it’s “you’re.” Secondly does it matter if he’s white or if i’m white? (i’m not) People are so unwilling to hear the word because it has history, yet people are also unwilling to learn the history of the word. That is foolish in my opinion.

[@chrismason1530]

@@hoim5114 Nice assumption

[@kfcmanager3199]

@@hoim5114 you’re black

[@Bouvier28]

I agree with the black professor.

[@RedzicMuharem]

Daughter of Zion he's such an intelligent man, wow

[@FungusMossGnosis]

His reasoning for why whites shouldn't say "nigger" is as silly as the Jeff Foxworthy "redneck" thing. The intent and context of usage is all that should matter with an word. No race or culture should be denied the full breath of language used or description and education. I'm not saying there aren't bad usages that shouldn't be discouraged. But the English (and Spanish, Latin, etc.) language is for everyone. It's only a slur if a racist makes it that way. There are no evil or racist words.

[@adamzanzie]

@@FungusMossGnosis David Bradley didn't necessarily say that whites shouldn't use the word at all, just that they can't use it so casually. Mark Twain was a white man, after all, and Bradley praises Huck Finn as a great book because it's about a white boy unlearning his racism through his friendship with Jim.

[@The_Gallowglass]

Me too

[@neilhigginson]

The minute there is no offence in the word, the word is diffused and can no longer be used as a ‘weapon’. I like that professor 👍🏻

[@OldSchopenhauer]

The sad thing is controversy can take complex figures like Mark Twain and even Shakespeare, and reduce them and their work to either being "racist bigotry" or "a progressive message of tolerance". To pigeonhole these figures into a polarized framework of modern taboo is to completely misunderstand them. As far as this debate goes, I don't know why you'd have to shield people from a word even most children know. Anyone reading the censored version will know what "slave" really means.

[@morganacres9360]

It's because it's the feeling of excitement that they are trying to censor. Like with sexual words like 'fuck' and 'cunt'. They are in literature and because of the Taboo they induce excitement in young readers. Society has never liked that. Which is curious to say the least. However if people stopped using these words in their modern form the wouldn't induce such excitement and curiosity. Therefore no more reason to sensor the actual words, and no risk of misunderstanding from the reader

[@tulayamalavenapi4028]

How many pulp fiction books or magazine articles in sensational tacky venues are examined for their vocabulary use?... Of course this is a nonsense proposal... They want to target the greats.

[@johannesswillery7855]

Sad that in 150 years so few educators comprehend Twain's ability to nullify the word by using it.

[@dennissutton4698]

This story and others were written back when people used that kind of language and did for a long time, it's a historical reference, I find it amazing that the ones that have the most problem with it aren't black people but white people, it is what it is, it's part of history, so quit trying to sanitize history, you don't do it justice!

[@KronikLoser]

I also like a lot of what the black teacher had to say. "Get over it," he said. The word has different meaning for different people in different instances, just like any other word. Like he said, how you use it is what it makes it offensive. Learning about the word is just another part of English class, really, and a part of history class as well. You can't teach about most of a part of history; you have to either teach about it or don't.

[@lamarfwm1039]

it may be educational but don't use it to describe any person of color,it'll only show your evil personality

[@kilgortrout3432]

Censorship is a horrible cancer for society. I would much rather know who I am speaking to. If someone uses that word outside of literature or historical context I know I want nothing to do with them.

[@deniaroque1507]

Skip to 8:10 for the best part

[@glory4nem]

Thank you 😂😂

[@adamhensley6850]

A true hero

[@starduster2138]

😂😂😂 it is when he says it like he does!!!! What is documented is the only issue. How does it apply to the corporation and indigenous peoples. Native everywhere AND indigenous here. Research ourstory...not his tory. I loved his perspective. I am that I am. Love to you family🥰💫 You are beautiful.

[@michaeldennistooley4271]

Words like love, peace, brother and sister. Theses are the words to dominantly come from our hearts to our lips in ever situation ☮️

[@MagnusJurgen]

Hold up, hey - for my SLAVES who be thinkin' we soft We don't, play - We gonna' rock it 'til the wheels fall off Hold up, hey - for my SLAVES who be actin' too bold Take a, seat - Hope you ready for the next episode

[@NilaktheProphet]

Yeah slave, I'm still f*cking wit ya, still waters run deep... (In context, that could totally be Huck talking to Jim)

[@jamesbrown646]

My slave, my slave My slave My slave, my slave (That’s my motherfucking slave)

[@louiselavigne5085]

What’s thattt

[@prehistoricgamer9503]

I think you guys should do something like the Germans did with Mein Kampf: put a disclaimer on the front, saying this is a product of its time, this is the way people used to talk, we don't do that anymore, it's generally considered to be bad, enjoy the history lesson.

[@Tommyme]

as if it's not obvious - must we dumb reading even classic history down?

[@teewrx420]

I read the turner diaries out of curiosity a few years ago it had a disclaimer on it saying it was the blueprint for Timothy McVeigh. Honestly, it was a convoluted story that seemed more like an author in his own dream land. But I don't believe that books should be censored, it leads to banning, which is a product of totalitarianism.

[@tslmiami6288]

@Columbo Bumbo Very well put....

[@wacksonjang4498]

thats what i was thinking

[@danielbisson8032]

denying history

[@yaccfonoti]

History? It's fiction lol

[@miguelBT2809]

Yacc Fonoti, writers thrive & lean on the conversations & speech patterns of everyday people. ...denying history.

[@yellowbelly7863]

@@miguelBT2809 History does not just exist in Twain's book. No one in a wide range of places is denying shit about that fucked up moment in time.

[@rohantumkur7915]

Yellow Belly yes but if you’re unwilling to use it in a classroom, a place of education, and teach people about the word and it’s history and how it was used then you’re denying history in my opinion.

[@JoeBChill]

I'm black, I read Huckleberry Finn this past school year, I think they should just simply let it be. That's simply how most of the people Huck and Jim(whom of which were white & black and still were best friends) encountered in the book identified black people. The N-Word doesn't have any affect on me or alot of black people anymore unless it is used in a manner that is used to be racist.

[@flhxri]

Twain put that word in the book to create this type of controversy. This is the greatest troll in history.

[@wanlitan7406]

No, that would be Luis Buñuel's Un Chien Andalou (1929).

[@jce34me]

Boy, 11 years ago. Those were the days.

[@NateSassoonMusic]

the enthusiastic reading at 2:39 gets me every time

[@DoBap_]

I love the journalistic integrity displayed by CBS here, taking a divisive topic, and showing respect and understanding to people on all sides of the issue.

[@easyDoes1T85]

Jim: who told you, you could use our word. That's our word Huck: ... ok, N-word Jim Jim: That's better

[@theguywhoisaustralian1465]

So now we're censoring 135 year old books?

[@kevindouglas5333]

Hell. Now they going after Shakespeare from the 1500

[@afridgetoofar1818]

Welcome to the Marxist States of America.

[@micahatkins5286]

Fascinating, how I was of the same attitude as the two young brothas, when at the age.. BUT now, I'm completely in sync with the opinions of the professor. With that said, ...I understood the book makers concerns and internal dilemma.

[@tulayamalavenapi4028]

Which friggin "book MAKERS".... They didn't write anything, they're sanitizing. That word triggered me. Stop sanitization of what's not your property. It's nobody's business. Would anybody dare sanitize Bob Dylan and not get sentenced with criminality? There are law suits in courts about this type of Tom Foolery.

[@spacecatboy2962]

it should be left the way twain wrote it because that is how he wrote it. Thats it

[@IMPBrainZ]

@@iamandres618 no u

[@owen5023]

WinstonJohnsonEnt Oooh aaahhh looks like we got a real intellectual right here

[@eddo1983]

Slave isn't an upgrade...its a downgrade.

[@LemonGaming_ph]

Hunkle berry fin:"I'm gonna say the N word" Jim: "you can't say that word it's racists"

[@devilsephiroth9000]

Ok that last part of the interview hit it on the nose. And I teared up a bit.

[@OneHeart71]

Listening to David Bradley speak ... I wish I'd had the chance to attend his classes.

[@Spaceboulevard3]

I go to Woodbury High School and have had Ms. Wise and Ms. Morrill as English teachers...it's kinda funny watching this because it was Pirate vs. Ninja day for spirit week.

[@jdaltgang]

It makes me sad that people don't understand context and how people might have acted differently than today.

[@EthanVanHorn]

Bro if this was made now the amount of cancellation on twitter would be crazy

[@bychen5011]

When you focus on the one word instead of the entire message of the story

[@CostumeJewelryHome]

There is a publishing company in Alabama?

[@TortugaLuv]

But today it is unexeptable to use this word. But because of what I said before I don't feel uncomfortable with in these particular books.

[@ImAlrightITHINK]

Interviewer is good at his job. At first I thought he was for the word, then seemed like he was against it. I still don't know how he feels about it but he was able to provoke the conversation and play both sides. 😅

[@ZealanTanner]

0:05 ah yes. “adventures of fhuckleberry finn”

[@hotranbraski]

I think if Huck Finn is gonna be re-writen, so should every rap song with the nword in it. That is just as offensive.

[@ConradSpoke]

Banned by cowards. Rewritten by idiots. There's no "discussion."

[@adamzanzie]

This guy David Bradley is AWESOME! Wish he'd been my professor in college. He tells it like it should be.

[@allys744]

Yeah I like him too.

[@seven-sixtwo762]

this makes me blast the entire collection of Johnny Rebel's songs in public

[@Tommyme]

thanks for signaling your virtue . . .

[@moonman1783]

Johnny Rebel. What a legend.

[@EwanCumia]

Hero

[@vodka65]

i don’t like how the white teachers say it and that the professor makes everyone say it-

[@Meta13099]

Bradley, Thank you!!!!

[@chargerfish1]

you my niggah man!

[@jonathan11594]

I was in tears 😂

[@edwardgierek1487]

69 likes... xD

[@yjadalyn1]

I'm an African American student, and I understand he gravity of the book, but I am also sympathetic to the time back then, I realize that was the word used in that time. No I do not neccesarilly condone the word, but I don't see a problem with the word staying in. I am open for opinion

[@jeaninempanzone6754]

I read that 📖 in high school 🏫 and I’ve never heard that word

[@fatman1443]

Yo who wanna help me write a 500 word essay on this?

[@mena88]

In the bigger scope and with no intention to offend, the purpose of words, phrases, sentences... is to represent intention(s). Intention is far more important than the word(s) used. Words are simply words unless the receiver or sender of the word adds onto it considerations such as moral codes of the rightness or wrongness of the word, which depends on the time and location that individual lives in. Take the individual into the year 3000 in a colony on Mars and chances are that person will have a drastically different consideration on the word of interest. To not understand the difference between words and considerations is obfuscate the intention behind communication and consequently this leads to miscommunication and misunderstanding and its many side effects.

[@nitrofairywing1541]

Do some people not understand the time period this book was written in? And this is coming from a black person, why the hell was this ever? Especially when the book was published in what, the 1884 I believe 😑?

[@michaelreidperry3256]

There are no bad words. Context and timing are what matter.

[@owor22924]

Brilliant statements on both sides that leave it all with choice.

[@gart9680]

*Why replace any words? That act is facistic in nature. If you don't have the maturity to understand the book is of its time and place, I'm surprised you can read.*

[@RTF666]

Ok, so we edit "Huckleberry Finn" but we leave out the two ads in this video??

[@yogiyogi1826]

7:43 you can see how regretful and remorseful this man is when he said that. He is acknowledging that he knows what his people did\do is wrong. He is educated. He knows exactly what his people did and this is a good thing. Some black people aren't even educated about this stuff or want to "forget" it or leave it in the past. If you don't educate yourself in history, history will repeat itself.

[@pierrehome-douglas7785]

I LOVE that professor and what he says around the 2:50 mark.

[@anythgofnthg154]

Usually when I hear people, especially the right, talk about political correctness, my eyes roll as I prepare for their racial apologetics. I think that language in the context of Huckleberry Fin it's way overblown. Reading Twain is about exposing the ruthlessness of slavery in our American history.

[@Woah.its.alex_]

the left is big on political correctness not the right

[@mazadancoseben4818]

@@Woah.its.alex_ , atleast not in India Our rightwing trolls want to censor anything offensive

[@kevindouglas5333]

The left foisted PC on you. Not the right

[@anythgofnthg154]

Three comments, three misreads. I didn't say political correctness _comes_ from the right. Although the right has their own versions of it (you want government healthcare, you commie). I'm saying that when people of the right rail against political correctness it's usually some bullshit argument. In the case pegging Mark Twain's writing as racist, it's political correctness gone mad.

[@maximusstorm1215]

@@anythgofnthg154 Yeah but it's the left that are in overwhelming majority of trying to censor this book? Not the right.

[@Jack-hk5of]

Some people may find it uncomfortable, but removing the word altogether is just disrespectful. Anyone with half a brain can see that.

[@FuchsHund]

8:10 😎

[@kenrutabana6918]

CONTEXTUALIZE!!!!

[@dakruise1]

What word did he say 3 times?

[@vinkeychain]

this word replacing the n word is like a soy or tofu replacement.

[@yellowbelly7863]

And is that a bad thing if it works?

[@mattiemccarthy9102]

Life at Its Finest as a vegetarian I say they can be good...

[@vinkeychain]

@@mattiemccarthy9102 haha turns out I'm vegetarian too, which is why I have so much experience with soy or tofu replacements. In that comment you replied to I was just saying how that word should not be feared, and its part of our history. If we have a problem with it, we have to give it less power.

[@D3xterJettster]

If you try to serve me a tofu T bone you'll get your teeth knocked out

[@finnegancourtney]

Y’all know why you’re here. 8:00

[@ImAlrightITHINK]

We use to discuss this issue in Mw2 lobbies all the time.

[@ADerpyReality]

It's an important part of the book and the character.

[@CarlosGarcia-wj9nt]

Oppressed people of today will be the strong people of tomorrow. This literature teacher has managed to delete any pathologic issue related to his ethnic group of belonging, He has It clear that things must be shown and taught the way they are.

[@brett.travels]

Wow! 60 minutes showing both sides.

[@danpierce8862]

Most people forget that Mark Twain was responsible for writing Ulysses Grant's biography. I dont think he was "being racist"

[@filiptomic3423]

0:27 when a black man tries to tell you something

[@owor22924]

I didn't use the s-word and it played just fine for me.

[@sedinamfayose8593]

This is literally my English teacher

[@Nigel_Hess]

David Bradley fucking owned the entire segment.

[@HendarsChannel]

Silly, it's just a word. At the end of the day it's meaningless, media puts too much hype on the word and suddenly it's the bad boy of all the words. There's many offensive words that never get censored, many which are used as slurs against people and no one says anything because the media dubs it OK to use that word.

[@SuperSpruce]

Anyone surprised that this is monetized?

[@1rwjwith]

I agree with David Bradley, its a great book a work of art and art should not be altered. As is said , THIS IS THE WAY PEOPLE TALKED. BACK THEN . Its what TWAIN wrote in 1884 and it is a masterpiece. If you want to hate the book and not read it then don't read it. As we know its whole focus is the friendship between a white boy and a black man is central to the book , that should count for something.

[@Longshot32]

the use of the word is best summed up from 8:12-9:10 I love that guy. he hit it on the head

[@generality6]

I’m so sad I live in this generation. The fact is slurs like Eskimo are the ones we value less then others. We see this word as the word that should not be said ever, even for educational purposes. Either all of them are ok, or none of them are ok. When using that term as a slur against someone, it means something. But if it is a teacher reading this book in front of his class, he is not using it as a slur, he is using it for educational purposes. GROW UP

[@TheLenessa]

blank stare to David Bradley....bawhahaaa!

[@AnonSoon]

8:02 can you believe this shit? yes....excuse me?

[@maximusstorm1215]

Can't remember exactly how it goes, but: "If humanity doesn't pay close attention to history, it is doomed to repeating it's mistakes."

[@ChuckNorris676]

Couldn’t agree more with the African American professor. He i spot on and really it’s crazy how relevant this video is today

[@bladeonblitz9281]

good video, but why recommend it after 9 years???

[@thefrayfann]

Saying the n-word in the classroom would not fly today in 2020

[@jeremystone2658]

3:34 Thank you professor 🙏

[@BazookaToe]

The book was written by one of the greatest men who ever lived. To remove the word from the book is one of the most un-American things you could possibly do. To prevent the other publishers from replacing the word yields the same result. Therein lies the conundrum.

[@Darcsied27]

This was a great video. It also shows how some americans want to sweep our disgusting problematic rich history under the rug. What is this harry potter? "He who must not me named" grow up America!

[@RowantheHearingAssistDog]

Didn't seem a problem on "The Jeffersons."

[@TheLenessa]

Not sure it is as simple as that...

[@Albeit_Jordan]

The more important question is, why should anyone care?

[@danielbisson8032]

sanatising history again censorship

[@AdmiralZhao007]

but this video is only 12 minutes wtf

[@thefrayfann]

This would not fly today in 2020

[@KeizerHedorah]

I can't handle words, when people make sounds with their mouth I lose it.

[@lilianburns2675]

Yes , because life is that simple . Because words don’t have meaning

[@KeizerHedorah]

@@lilianburns2675 It is that simple. Words have meanings/serve purposes bud.

[@lilianburns2675]

@@KeizerHedorah oh I do appreciate that you acknowledge words have meaning . It makes sense why people can’t handle words .

[@Thenerdoftheweek987]

​@@lilianburns2675Yeah but that's just you bud, if someone says something ignore them, why are trying to censor them and suppress their opinions.

[@hint0122]

thats CENSORSHIP

[@RexBladeWalker]

I love how they use a black guy to talk about this book.

[@thebluebookworm3383]

I appreciate that everyone seems to think that middle school and high school students are being bothered by the word, but nowadays nearly every social platform, including, but not limited to, Twitter, Reddit, KZbin, Discord, and especially online gaming group calls, use the word excessively. In my own personal experience I've seen many online discussions where the word is used as the go to swear, along with common homophobic slurs, and I have been real and online discussions with many people that act this way. It seems the word has lost meaning to the coming generations, and while I see this approach as mature, the new audiences for Huckleberry Finn is unlikely to be bothered.

[@tulayamalavenapi4028]

To tamper with a classic is just asking for a law suit. Who gave anybody the write to "sanitize" Mark Twain, for God's sake? It's a fancy word that turns my stomach. Sanitizing is for toilets not books by an author and that, posthumously, the SNEAKY rats.

[@parkjihoon394]

this really sets a bad precedent. the chosen wording- and frankly the thick southern dialect that the book is written in-is not there just for the sake of being vulgar, it serves to illustrate the environment in which the book takes place. leave the decision with the libraries and book stores. if they don't want it then they simply do not have to carry it. there is nobody forcing anyone to read this book. censoring offensive language in a book that you have no intention of reading is not the way

[@TortugaLuv]

I hate swearing but both Tom sawyer and huckleberry Finn are my favourite books. I think back then the n word wasn't viewed as a swear word. I think in the books jim even used the n word.