Actually, to anyone with a wit of common sense, the "racist" portions of Huckleberry Finn are (unlike a John Kerry attempt at humor) IRONIC!
Jim always saw and articulated things more clearly than the White folks, he just wasn't taken seriously because of his race. Some White person was always taking credit for his insights and ideas.
The racists words used by characters in Huck Finn are so obviously at variance with the situations depicted that the overall effect is to subtly undermine the pervailing (even in the North and most of Europe) racism of the day.
Please grow up, people.
Nigger Jim is the only character in the book with true integrity. Obviously the parent never read beyond the first n-word.
According to accounts in both this posted article as well as the much-better Detroit News article (link posted above) this event was brought about entirely as a result of the complaint by One Black Parent.
The greatest bit of irony in that book is when Huck is talking to a "good Christian woman" about him being on a steam ship whose boiler exploded. When asked if anyone was hurt, he replies, "No'm, killed a nigger." Relieved, she says "That's good."
It was a terrific anti-slavery/anti-racism piece, and yet, year after year, (black or guilt-feeling pansy white) people want it banned from here and there. Maybe someday they'll grow a damned brain.
All true and well-stated. I believe that at least some of this entrenched ignorance is due at least in part to the domination of Television upon our culture. Some people have their TV's running all day long, and I've met a number of people who tend to get nervous and uncomfortable when there is silence....they always need the noise of the TV, the fast edits, the vivid colors, the inarticulate, guttural speech peppered with slang and vile words. These people have, I believe, never read a book in their lives and have no understanding of such concepts as 'language in a historical context' , allegory or depth of any sort. These people have been, in my experience, exclusively liberal, sometimes Hard Left, and think nothing of continually interrupting others, just like Chris Matthews does. Racial politics is near and dear to the thinking of these people because it's overly simplistic and causes the ardent practitioner to always feel good about themselves, because of course, being a racist is far, far worse than being a murderer or a rapist.
Different tastes.