[News] Enid Blyton, classed as xenophobic.

[studio150]

I'm sure that Julian, Dick, Anne, George and Timmy will follow the trail to get the true story behind this falsehood.

 

[Zebedee]

No it hasn't

Give me an example of something you consider 'over the top' please.

Advertising on TV and in the media. Is it truly representative of the balance of modern day society in Britain? Not in my view.

 

[studio150]

I'm sure that Julian, Dick, Anne, George and Timmy will follow the trail to get the true story behind this falsehood.

FFS Its Timmy the dog not the 'other Timmy'

 

[pocketseagull]

Advertising on TV and in the media. Is it truly representative of the balance of modern day society in Britain? Not in my view.

What do you mean?

 

[Cheeky Monkey]

People have been saying that since at least the early 1970s though. You can't pin this on woke snowflakes.

Exactly, hardly news.

The Comic Strip Five Go Mad in Dorset had some classic racist parody gags.

 

[Klaas]

People are acting that way for a good reason.

Funny how you've chosen this thread to make a comment like this. An author whose views have been thought of as at least 'a bit off' for SIXTY years, and yet some people (yourself included) see it as a prime example of contemporary political correctness gone mad.

I reckon you're going to see the PC brigade in a hell of a lot of things, because that is what you WANT to see.

 

[Klaas]

Exactly, hardly news.

The Comic Strip Five Go Mad in Dorset had some classic racist parody gags.

About time it made an appearance in this thread.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=do5T6wpB1xI

 

[jamie (not that one)]

I have a 1930s Rupert the Bear annual in which Rupert visits N***** Island, and brings home a c*** who preferred to sleep in the barn than in a bed in the house.

A few on here would pay top money for that.

 

[Lyndhurst 14]

Certainly from the information her biographer has revealed she was a very nasty piece of work and as more people become aware of this she will become something of a busted flush.

In terms of moving forward I find the news from the States far more encouraging. The Bill to make Juneteenth (June 19th when slavery officially ended in the US in 1865) a Federal Holiday has been passed by the Government

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/jun/16/us-juneteenth-federal-holiday-biden

 

[keaton]

Absolutely, l was bought up on Noddy, Big Ears, PC Plod, the Famous Five, Secret Seven et al.

A sad day indeed.

When? Today or 70s when this was first pointed out?

 

[el punal]

Well you know the old saying - 'When in Rome...........

Is one feeling a bit sheepish?

 

[AmexRuislip]

Is one feeling a bit sheepish?

Baaaaaaaaaaaaashful

 

[el punal]

Baaaaaaaaaaaaashful

Well played ewe!

 

[AmexRuislip]

Well played ewe!

Cheers, you did ram the point home somewhat..........

 

[Zebedee]

Funny how you've chosen this thread to make a comment like this. An author whose views have been thought of as at least 'a bit off' for SIXTY years, and yet some people (yourself included) see it as a prime example of contemporary political correctness gone mad.

I reckon you're going to see the PC brigade in a hell of a lot of things, because that is what you WANT to see.

I really don't want to see that but I'm growing increasingly tired of how self critical we have become as a society (we're sorry about this, we'll change that etc.) and yet the reality is we are one of the most tolerant and inclusive countries in the world. I'll leave it there.

 

[Doc Lynam]

Perfect for GB News I guess that's why its spiritual cousin Sky News is carry it.

It's tough to face that many of us liked things that people of other races and cultures would find highly painful. Just because we don't have a perception of it doesn't mean it not true.

Imagine being a black child and reading that Sambo, the black doll of the title, is hated by his owner and other toys owing to his "ugly black face", and runs away. Then a shower of "magic rain" washes his face clean, after which he is welcomed back home with his now pink face.

 

[vagabond]

It also may be the case that as her treatment of her husband suggests, she was a nasty piece of work: "Blyton's marriage to Pollock became troubled for years, and according to Crowe's memoir, Blyton began a series of affairs, including a lesbian relationship with one of the children's nannies. In 1941 Blyton met Kenneth Fraser Darrell Waters, a London surgeon with whom she began a serious affair. Pollock discovered the liaison, and threatened to initiate divorce proceedings against Blyton. Fearing that exposure of her adultery would ruin her public image, it was ultimately agreed that Blyton would instead file for divorce against Pollock. According to Crowe's memoir, Blyton promised that if he admitted to infidelity she would allow him parental access to their daughters; but after the divorce he was forbidden to contact them, and Blyton ensured he was subsequently unable to find work in publishing. Pollock, having married Crowe on 26 October 1943, eventually resumed his heavy drinking and was forced to petition for bankruptcy in 1950"

I’m not seeing precisely where she’s being a nasty piece of work here. So she was a closeted lesbian. Is that it? Naturally that would have to be kept under wraps in the 40’s and 50’s.

Custody of kids is a bit he said she said, we’re taking one persons perspective here (Crowe). But custody is an issue with lots of couples, even today.

Clearly her use of language in her books is very of its time and we now recognise the racist values within. I’m not super comfortable with desecrating her memory as a monster when these values were universally shared at the time (wrongly of course).

I read a lot of Enid Blyton as a child, and actually my parents did say it was fairly racist even then. But they explained the history. And to be honest it didn’t detract anything for me, I loved those books and they certainly captured the imagination of a kid.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

Perfect for GB News I guess that's why its spiritual cousin Sky News is carry it.

Having seen a clip on Twitter, they've already discussed it, as Blyton being the author of the Famous Five and Magnificent Seven (I kid you not)

 

[zefarelly]

I never had time for reading books like that, I was too busy out playing with the Scouts

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

We'll end up scrutinising every pre-twatter utterance ever made. Beyond pathetic. It's pure Macarthyism. Not a healthy development IMHO. Will just end up as society jerking on the end of a string being pulled by millenials spending hours finely crafting a tweet from their childhood bedrooms. These people SERIOUSLY need to engage with the wider community. IMHO, like