Interesting Links for 16-03-2023

[andrewducker]

1. Why I Decided to Update the Language in Ursula K. Le Guin's Children's Books

(tags:language UrsulaKLegGuin )

2. FORTY-SIX (46) people, including five newborn babies, died while housed at Home Office asylum-seeker accommodation in 2022

(tags:children asylum death UK OhForFucksSake )

3. Half of British Television Always Starts Like This

(tags:parody tv funny viaSwampers )

Comments

[calimac]

1. Another relevant Le Guin quote - or I think it is; I remember reading it, but I went looking for its source a while ago for another purpose and couldn't find it - is "The trouble with print is that it never changes its mind."

[bens_dad]

1 I haven't read any UKLG and I am not certain about "stupid" but the 1970's meanings of "lame", "queer" and "dumb" may not be the first meanings that come to mind of a child of today.

Many of the comments talk about the words now being insulting, which misses the point. Do we expose children to unfamiliar uses of words or replace them with words that more readily impart the desired meaning ?

[anef]

I'm not a fan of changing authors' words, but if the changes mean that booksellers and libraries are more inclined to stock them, then so be it. Le Guin's books (among others) shaped me as a reader and as a person, and they should be available to everyone everywhere to read.

[andrewducker]

Yeah, if it changes them from a book that can only be recommended with provisos to one that's a straightforward recommendation then I totally understand.

2. FORTY-SIX people, including five newborn babies, died while housed at Home Office accommodation

[anef]

I feel that I should do something about this, but what? I already donate to Refugee Legal Support. Maybe I should write to my MP?